Health and Wellness
H1N1/SWINE FLU
The following information is from the Chester County Department of Emergency Services:
The Centers for Disease Control has allocated 2,097,100 doses of H1N1 vaccine to Pennsylvania - which is far less than what was anticipated based on early estimates provided by the CDC. The vast majority of this vaccine has been distributed to 1,451 certified providers including physician's offices, schools, and hospitals around the state to vaccinate individuals in the recommended target groups at highest risk of getting H1N1 or severe complications.
As vaccine becomes available, the department will continue to fill orders for certified providers and local and county municipal health departments. The agency will also make H1N1 vaccine available at all 60 state health centers across the commonwealth to ensure access to those in the recommended groups. Beginning Monday, Nov. 30, citizens in the recommended target groups who do not have access to the vaccine can go to www.H1N1inPa.com to make an appointment online or call 1-877-PA HEALTH to set up an appointment.
Priority groups for receiving the H1N1 vaccination include pregnant women; persons six months to 24 years old; healthcare providers and emergency medical services personnel; parents, household members or caregivers of children under six months; and those under 65 with certain underlying medical conditions.
If the federal projections hold true, within the next few weeks the Department of Health expects to be able to move beyond the five target risk groups and make vaccine available to every Pennsylvanian who wants it.
Visit www.H1N1inPa.com to learn more about priority groups, potential vaccine side effects and other important information.
What you can do to prevent spreading the virus to others:
- Stay home when you are sick to avoid spreading illnes to others;
- Cough or sneeze into the bend of your elbow or a tissue and properly dispose of used tissues;
- Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and warm water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer;
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth;
- Stay healthy by eating a balanced diet, drinking plenty of water and gettingplenty of rest and exercise; and
- Seek care if you have influenza-like illness
If you have questions, please call the Chester County Communicable Disease Program at 610-344-6452 or the PADOH at 1-877-PA-HEALTH (1-877-724-3258) or visit www.health.state.pa.us.
For more information on the swine flu, visit the Center for Disease Control website.
The following information is from the Chester County Health Department website.
LYME DISEASE
Lyme Disease is a tick-born bacterial infection that can be transmitted to humans and pets by infected ticks. In 2007, Pennsylvania was second only to New York with 3,994 reported Lyme disease cases. The number of annual reported cases of Lyme disease in the United States has increased dramatically since national surveillance began in 1982. Much of Chester County is rural and suburban, making it a prime habitat for deer ticks which can carry the Lyme disease bacteria.
Protection Precautions should be taken in high risk area such as damp, grassy, or wooded regions or when outside for an extended period of time while doing yard work, gardening, hiking, etc.
- Wear clothing that covers the skin and tuck loose pants into socks.
- Wear light colored clothing because ticks are easier to spot and brush off.
- Apply an insect repellent with 20-30% DEET to exposed skin other than the face and/or apply permethrin to clothes. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instruction.
- Walk in the center of trails to avoid contact with overgrown grass and brush.
- Use a high-heat dryer after washing clothes. This will kill most ticks that might have been attached to clothing.
- Keep grass mowed and trees trimmed.
- Remove brush or leave piles accumulated around stone walls or wood piles.
- Create a woodchip or mulch barrier between woodlands and your yard. Place swing sets and other play equipment in mulched areas away from surrounding woodland edges.
- Most importantly, check yourself, your family, and your pets frequently for ticks.
- Preventing Lyme disease can also be a community effort: The '4 Poster' Deer Treatment Bait Station is designed to kills ticks that feed on white-tailed deer. This method has shown up to a 98% effectiveness rate on eliminating blacklegged ticks. (American Lyme Disease Foundation).
Tick Removal To remove ticks safely, use clean, fine point tweezers. Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull straight out. Click here for an illustration.
For more information on lyme disease, visit the County Health Department website.
Chester County Department of Health
