All Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale County Health Department locations will open at 10 a.m. on Friday, January 31.

Health Department Locations Closed Thursday, January 30

Due to the continued cold weather and icy road conditions, all Gwinnett, Newton & Rockdale County Health Department locations will be closed Thursday, January 30.

Check back for updates on delays or closings.

Are you ready for any type of weather?  Check helpful tips here:

• Be Ready
• Simple Emergency Kit for Your Car
• Ready Georgia
• Georgia Emergency Management Agency

Effective 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, January 28:

All Gwinnett, Newton & Rockdale County Health Department locations are closed for the day.

Check back for updates on delays or closings.

Are you ready for any type of weather?  Check helpful tips here:

• Be Ready
• Simple Emergency Kit for Your Car
• Ready Georgia
• Georgia Emergency Management Agency

Last week the CDC reported that positive influenza (flu) tests in the Southeast were up almost 23 percent, and Georgia moved into the “widespread” category for flu.  There have been more than 400 hospitalizations and nine confirmed flu-related deaths in the state (as of January 3).

“It’s not too late to get your flu shot,” said Alana Sulka, Director of Epidemiology for the Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale County Health Departments.  “Getting a flu shot is one of the most important things you can do to protect you and your family from the flu.”

Flu typically affects those at high risk, including young children, the elderly, and those with chronic medical conditions.  This year one of the circulating flu strains is H1N1, which tends to affect the young and middle-aged adult population.   Protection against H1N1 is included in this year’s vaccine.

“In addition to encouraging flu shots in the young, elderly, and individuals with chronic medical conditions, we want to encourage young and middle-aged adults to make sure they are protected, too,” Sulka continued.  “Flu season normally peaks in January and February, and can last until May.  So there is still time to be vaccinated and receive protection.”

Flu vaccines are available at many places, including all Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale County Health Department locations (except Lilburn WIC Clinic).  Locations and hours are available here.

In addition to getting a flu shot, there are simple things you can do to help stop the spread of germs:   wash your hands and cover your cough.  And if you are sick, stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone, without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.

Wash Your Hands

• Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for 20 seconds.  Wash hands after coughing and sneezing, after caring for ill individuals, after using the bathroom and before preparing food.
• If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Cover Your Cough

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or inner elbow or upper sleeve when you cough or sneeze.
• Put your used tissue in the waste basket.
• Wash your hands after you cough or sneeze.

The holidays offer a perfect opportunity for enjoying loved ones, celebrating life, being grateful, and reflecting on what’s important. They are also a time to appreciate the gift of health. Support health and safety for yourself and others by following some timeless tips for staying healthy.

Know Your “Bugs”

Two common illnesses that often strike during the holidays are Influenza (the flu) and Norovirus.  The information below will give you a good start on keeping your holidays healthy by preventing these illnesses.

Influenza (the flu)

Influenza (the flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by the influenza viruses. It spreads between people and can cause mild to severe illness. In the United States, flu season normally occurs in the fall and winter, but individuals can be infected with influenza year round.

One of the best ways to protect against flu is to receive a flu shot.  And it is not too late to get one.  Flu shots are available at our Health Department locations.  Flu season has already begun in Georgia, and it typically peaks in February and can last as late as May.

How do you know if it’s the flu?  What can you do to care for someone with the flu?  Click here for more information.

Norovirus

Norovirus is a gastrointestinal illness that generally causes vomiting and diarrhea. You may hear people refer to it as the “cruise ship illness” or “stomach flu,” but norovirus is not related to the influenza virus (flu), which is primarily a respiratory illness.

Hand washing is the best way to protect you and your family against most illnesses, including norovirus.  Hand washing is preferred as alcohol-based hand cleaners are not effective against some germs, including norovirus.

Soiled clothing and linens should be washed as soon as possible with detergent in hot water and/or dried using a hot cycle.  Many common cleaning agents are not effective against norovirus.  Read the labels and follow manufacturer’s instructions for best results. Chlorine bleach solutions are an inexpensive and effective way to clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces.

Chlorine bleach concentrations and mixing instructions:

• For stainless steel, food/mouth contact items, toys
  • 1 tablespoon of bleach in 1-gallon water
  • For non-porous surfaces, tile floors, counter-tops, sinks, toilets
    • 1/3-cup bleach in 1-gallon water
    • For porous surfaces, wooden floors
      • 1 cup bleach plus 2/3-cup bleach in 1-gallon water

Click here for more information on Norovirus and what to do if you or someone you know has it.

Stop the Spread

Wash Your Hands

Washing your hands is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs.  Are you washing your hands long enough?  Watch our video to find out.  And remember:

• Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for 20 seconds.
• If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.

Cover Your Cough

To help stop the spread of germs:

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• Put your used tissue in the waste basket.
• If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hands.
• Wash your hands after you cough or sneeze.

Food Safety

From finger foods to turkey and dressing, there is never a time of year when food is more of a focus than over the winter holidays.  Reduce your chances of a foodborne illness by remembering these simple steps for food preparation: wash hands and surfaces often, avoid cross-contamination, cook foods to proper temperatures, and refrigerate promptly.

Want more information?  Check our helpful links:

Five Tips for a Healthy Holiday

Holiday Food Safety Success Kit

After November when you see signs that advertise : “Get Your Flu Vaccine Here,” you might think, “Isn’t it too late for that?”

The answer is no, it’s not too late!

“Flu season typically peaks in February and can last as late as May,” says Dr. Anne Schuchat, Assistant

Surgeon General of the U.S. Public Health Service and Director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. “We are encouraging people who have not yet been vaccinated this season to get vaccinated now.”

For millions of people every season, the flu can mean a fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle aches, fatigue, and miserable days spent in bed. However, you may not realize that more than 200,000 people are hospitalized in the United States from flu complications each year. The flu also can be deadly.

Over a period of 30 years, between 1976 and 2006, estimates of yearly flu-associated deaths in the United States range from a low of about 3,000 to a high of about 49,000 people during the most severe season. This is why CDC recommends an annual flu vaccine for everyone 6 months and older. It’s available as a shot and as a nasal spray. There are many flu shot options available this year, including:

• A flu shot that protects against three flu viruses
• A shot that protects against four flu viruses
• A high-dose flu shot (for people 65 and older).
• The nasal spray vaccine, which protects against four flu viruses (this is approved only for use in healthy people ages 2 to 49 years who aren’t pregnant.)

Anyone can get the flu, but some people are at greater risk for serious flu-related complications, like pneumonia, that can lead to hospitalization and even death. For those at greater risk for complications, getting the flu vaccine is especially important. People at greater risk include, but are not limited to:

•  Children younger than 5 years old, and especially children younger than 2 years old
• Pregnant women
• People 65 years and older
• People with certain medical conditions like asthma, diabetes, or heart and lung disease

Ask your doctor if you are uncertain whether you or your family are at a greater risk for flu complications.

It’s also important to get the vaccine if you care for anyone at high risk, including babies  younger than 6 months because they are too young to get the vaccine.

Children 6 months through 8 years of age who are getting vaccinated for the first time need two doses of flu vaccine to be fully protected. If a child has not received his/her first dose, get them vaccinated now. For children who are 6 months through 8 years of age and who have been vaccinated with one dose, parents should check with the child’s doctor to see if a second dose is needed.

“Getting the flu vaccine is simple, and it’s the most important thing you can do to protect yourself and your family from the flu,” says Dr. Schuchat.

Flu vaccination can reduce flu illnesses, doctors’ visits, missed work due to flu, as well as prevent flu-related hospitalizations and deaths.  Millions of people have safely received flu vaccines for decades.

Flu vaccines are available at all Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale County Health Department locations (except Lilburn WIC Clinic).  Click here for addresses and phone numbers.

For more information about influenza or the flu vaccine, talk to your healthcare provider or visit http://www.cdc.gov/flu.

More than 1.1 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV, but one out of every five of them doesn’t know it.  World AIDS Day (December 1) is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate those who have died.

In recognition of World AIDS Day, the Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale County Health Departments will offer free HIV testing on December 2. This will be available at Health Centers located in Buford, Conyers, Covington, Lawrenceville and Norcross. Click here for hours and directions.

HIV testing is a critical part of stopping the spread of the virus and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says testing should be a part of routine health care. A panel of doctors and scientists recently recommended that all Americans between age 15 and 65 get tested for HIV, regardless of their risk of infection. HIV testing would help increase detection and decrease the stigma associated with HIV and being tested, according to the panel. HIV testing during pregnancy also is important because antiviral therapy can improve the mother’s health and greatly lower the chance that an HIV-infected pregnant woman will pass HIV to her infant before, during or after birth.

Proper medical care and treatment help people with HIV live longer, healthier lives and can reduce the chances of passing HIV to others.  People who test negative for HIV can take steps to stay negative by not having unprotected sex or engaging in other risky behavior like needle sharing.

More resources for HIV testing are available here:  http://hivtest.cdc.gov/

Health Department offers free Nicotine Replacement Therapy
for Great American Smokeout

Do you smoke?  Does someone you care about smoke?

Would you like to quit, or support someone while they quit?

Join millions of Americans on Thursday, November 21, as they participate in the Great American Smokeout, sponsored by the American Cancer Society.  Quitting – even for just a day – can help smokers take an important step toward improving their health.

Effective treatments and helpful resources exist. Smokers can and do quit smoking!  The Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale County Health Departments are teaming up with the CDC, the Georgia Department of Public Health and the American Cancer Society to encourage smokers to quit – and we’re providing resources to help.

Call the Georgia Quit Line at 1-877-270-STOP (7867).  Trained counselors will work with you to create a personalized plan to help you stop smoking – at no cost to you.  And – while supplies last – you can receive a four-week supply of free Nicotine Replacement Therapy (available to Georgia tobacco users aged 18 and older).

Tobacco use can lead to tobacco/nicotine dependence and serious health problems. If you stop using tobacco, it can significantly reduce the risk of suffering from smoking-related diseases.

So what are you waiting for?  Make the choice to quit.  Make the call today.

Click here for more information.

Join the Newton County School System and other community partners for an Education Summit focusing on the future of Newton County. Each summit is scheduled so guests can attend the continental breakfast after registration; the superintendent’s address; and four breakout sessions.

Parents, business and community leaders, and all other NCSS stakeholders are encouraged to attend. Admission is free.

The next two Summits are:

Saturday, November 2 at Newton High

Saturday, November 9 at Alcovy High

The Summits are from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Representatives from the Health Department will be presenting “Building a Healthy Community.”  The session will give parents an overview of the community health needs identified by Newton Medical Center in a needs assessment.  Participants will be invited to be a part of determining next steps to improve community health.

Other summit topics include:

• Support and Resources for Students with Disabilities
• Support for ELL/ESOL Students and Parents
• Understanding Curriculum
• Planning Together for Newton’s Future
• Workforce Development—Planning for Your Child’s Future
• Recreational Activities for Youth and Families
• Arts and Cultural Activities for Youth and Families
• Keeping Our Schools Safe

More information is available in the brochure.

Rabies is a deadly disease caused by a virus that attacks the nervous system. The virus is secreted in saliva and is generally transmitted by the bite of an infected animal. Less commonly, rabies can be transmitted when saliva from a rabid animal comes in contact with an open cut on the skin or the eyes, nose or mouth of a person or animal. Prompt post exposure treatment is essential because once symptoms become apparent, rabies is nearly 100% fatal.

Animals infected with rabies may show a variety of signs, including fearfulness, aggression, excessive drooling, difficulty swallowing, staggering and seizures. Rabid wild animals may only display unusual behaviors: for example an animal that is usually only seen at night may be seen wandering at daytime. Only mammals can get rabies; birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians cannot. Skunks, bats, foxes, raccoons, dogs, cats, and some farm animals are most likely to contract rabies. Rabbits, squirrels, rat, mice, and rodent pets seldom get rabies.

In recent years cats have become the most common domestic animal infected with rabies. Bats still are the most problematic of the carriers because their teeth are so tiny that bites often go undetected by the victim. If bats are discovered inside the living quarters, for example when the residents are sleeping, post exposure prophlaxis is always recommended if the bat cannot be captured for testing.

Rabies vaccinations and animal control programs, along with prompt evaluation and treatment for people who have been bitten by a potentially rabid animal, have dramatically reduced the number of human rabies cases in the United States.

What can I do to help control rabies and protect my family?

• Please remind your children to NEVER pet stray animals
• Make sure to have your family pets vaccinated yearly
• Keep your pets on a leash and not roaming free
• Do not leave exposed garbage or pet food outside, as it may attract wild or stray animals
• Do not feed feral cats or stray animals
• Observe all animals in the wild from a distance
• Report any stray animal acting strangely to your local animal control
• Bat proof your home and other living structures
• If you think you have come into contact with a rabid animal or have any questions regarding rabies, please contact the Health Department at 770-339-4260

For more information check out World Rabies Day on the web!