Rome, GA: Public health officials have confirmed two cases of West Nile virus (WNV), including one West Nile-related death, in Northwest Georgia and are urging the public to take precautions to prevent the mosquito-borne disease.
Rome, GA: When was the last time you checked to make sure your vaccinations were current? The Georgia Department of Public Health Northwest Health District wants to remind Georgians that August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM).
Public health officials in Northwest Georgia are ramping up their prevention efforts and urging area residents to help control local mosquito populations by tipping or tossing away any containers in their yards that can hold water, thereby eliminating potential breeding areas.
Rome, GA: Women visiting northwest Georgia health departments for health services ranging from family planning to routine gynecological exams can now also receive free hereditary breast-and-ovarian cancer (HBOC) screening. This new service, available in Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Haralson, Paulding, Polk, and Walker counties, provides an accurate assessment of personal risk for developing the two cancers, education regarding availability of genetic testing to confirm the risk, and a plan for follow-up and preventive care.
Rome, GA: “Nationally, about 40% of teens are sexually active by the age of 19. Of those, one in four has at least one STD. We might not be able to imagine our child in a sexual relationship,” says Melissa Hunter, MPH, epidemiology program director for the 10-county Georgia Department of Public Health Northwest Health District “and yet our kids do have sexual lives, and those lives are putting them at risk for diseases that are currently on the rise — diseases we can help prevent and treat.”
Rome, Georgia: Unini Odama, M.D., MPH, has been named health director for the Georgia Department of Public Health Northwest Health District headquartered in Rome.
Rome, GA: “Catering and home-based food businesses need a food-service permit to prepare and serve food to private parties and events.” That’s the message Tim Allee, Environmental Health Director for the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Northwest Health District, wants to impart to northwest Georgia citizens who operate or might operate this type of business.
Rome, GA: The holidays are a wonderful and busy time of the year. Don’t let the flu virus keep you away from friends and family. National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) is Dec. 4-10, and the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Northwest Health District encourages all Georgians 6 months of age and older to get a yearly flu vaccine.
Rome, GA: When was the last time you checked to make sure your vaccinations were current? The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) wants to remind Georgians that August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM). When you think of your back to school check list, make sure to add vaccinations to the list. The DPH reminds Georgians to stay up-to-date and get a head start on vaccinations required for school age children.
Atlanta, GA: The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is confirming the first sexually transmitted case of Zika virus in Georgia. A non-pregnant female was infected by her male partner who had traveled to Brazil earlier this year and was among Georgia’s confirmed travel-related cases. The woman who was infected had not traveled out of the country. She and her partner have fully recovered.
