Register your Child Care Program for FREE H1N1 flu shots and FluMist.

National Influenza Immunization Week Begins January 10th

National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) is a national observance started to highlight the importance of influenza (flu) vaccination and encourage people to be vaccinated.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say only 45 million people (15% of the population) have been infected with the H1N1 virus. Heading into the heart of flu season, which does not end until May, tens of millions of people are still at risk for getting the H1N1 virus. Over two million doses of H1N1 vaccine were recently sent to Maryland; so getting vaccinated is quick and easy.

Howard County Health Department will also be celebrating NIVW. From Monday, January 11 until Friday, January 15, H1N1 walk-in clinics will provide both H1N1 Mist and injectable vaccine. Clinics will be held each day from 8:30-11:30 and 12:30 – 4pm. Seasonal Flu vaccine will be available for $20.00 (Medicare Part B accepted).

In order to make getting the Flu shot more convenient, the Health Department created an online, four-question survey to get feedback about how best to reach those who have not gotten their H1N1 vaccine. The first-of-its-kind survey asks which type of H1N1 vaccine is preferred (mist or injectable), where people will go to be vaccinated and the best time of day to receive the vaccine if given a choice.

To help protect you and your family from both the H1N1 and Seasonal Flu, here are some healthy habits to practice during the Flu Season:

• GET VACCINATED for 2009 H1N1 influenza

• Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue into the trash directly afterward. If a tissue is not available, cough or sneeze into your shoulder or elbow.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

• Avoid close contact with sick people.

• Keep sick children at home.

• If you have flu-like symptoms (fever with a cough or sore throat), stay home until you have NO fever for 24 hours, without the use of medication.

For more information about flu shots, contact the Flu Line at 410-313-6503 or click on one of the boxes above for more clinic details.

Tanning Legislation Named Top Skin Cancer Protection Initiative of 2009

The Howard County Health Department’s groundbreaking Tanning Legislation caught the attention of SunAWARE, a sun protection advocacy group based in Minnesota. SunAWARE named the Tanning Legislation the 2009 Best Initiative to Raise Public Awareness About Skin Cancer.

Mary Mills Barrow, Executive Director and founder of SunAWARE, a non-profit organization, endorsed by the Dermatology Nurses Association, the Children’s Melanoma Prevention Foundation and The Melanoma International Foundation, revealed that to select “the top ten activities, we sought to pinpoint those that significantly raised public awareness about skin cancer and those which contributed in a real way to skin cancer prevention and detection.” She added “Our hope is that U.S. public health officials might consider adopting these initiatives to increase our safety in this country.”

The Howard County legislation approved in November by members of the Howard County Board of Health, is the first law in the nation to prohibit the use of tanning beds by anyone under the age of 18. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) named skin cancer as the most common cancer in the United States and the most preventable. Health Officer Dr. Peter Beilenson says, "People under the age of 30 who are exposed to indoor tanning have a 75% increased risk of skin cancer and the younger you are exposed to indoor tanning the greater your risk of potentially fatal melanoma". The Tanning Legislation was enacted to prevent some of the 1,000,000 cases of skin cancer diagnosed each year.

For more information about the Howard County legislation, visit our Tanning Legislation page found in our Environmental Health section.

Attention Howard County Tanning Facility Owners!

The Howard County Board of Health recently enacted comprehensive tanning facility regulations. These regulations establish the minimum health and sanitation requirements for the operation of tanning facilities located in Howard County, Maryland.

Owners of existing Howard County tanning facilities have until January 6, 2010 to register their establishments with the Health Officer and submit the required registration fees.

As of December 7, 2009, tanning facility owners must use certain forms and keep certain records to comply with the regulations.

Click here for more information: (Howard County Tanning Regulations)

Cold Weather Safety Tips:

During cold weather while spending time outdoors, everyone should take a common sense approach to being outside and use the following precautions to prevent any cold-related illness or injury:

• Cover as much of exposed skin as possible (hats, gloves)

• Dress in multiple layers

• Do NOT drink alcoholic beverages – drink warm NON-alcoholic beverages instead

If possible wear boots that are waterproof and insulated.

Wearing a hat, you will keep your whole body warmer. It reduces the amount of body heat that escapes from your head.

Move into warm locations periodically. Limit the amount of time outside on extremely cold days.

Carry cold weather gear, such as extra socks, gloves, hats, jacket, blankets, a change of clothes and a thermos of hot liquid.

Be on the lookout for frostnip which can cause damamge to the skin but is normally reversible. Frostnip mostly affects the cheeks, earlobes, fingers, and toes.

Symptoms include:

• Numbness.

• Top layer of skin feeling hard and rubbery.

• Skin becomes white and waxy.

Treatment:

• Rewarm the area gently, generally by blowing warm air on it or placing the area against a warm body part.

• The area should NOT be rubbed as it can damage the effected tissue.

Remember to check on older family members, friends and neighbors, as well as the housebound.

As with any other emergency, citizens should call 9-1-1 if they encounter a cold-related emergency.

H1N1 Flumist Recall

The CDC posted a Health Update regarding certain lots of H1N1 nasal spray vaccine.

This is a Non-Safety-Related Voluntary Recall of 13 Lots H1N1 Nasal Spray Vaccine manufactured by MedImmune. Routine testing found a slight decrease in vaccine potency that is not expected to have an impact on the protective response to vaccination. There are no health risks associated with receiving this vaccine and there is no need to re-administer a dose to those who received vaccine from these lots.

Howard County Health Department DID receive 3 of these lots in October. There is no need to recall patients who received doses of vaccine from the recalled lots, and extra doses of vaccine are not required. There are no safety concerns with these lots of 2009 H1N1 vaccine and ll had successfully passed testing for purity, potency and safety. The vaccine potency is only slightly below the “specified” range.

For more information, or to read the complete statement, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at CDC H1N1 Flu | Non-Safety-Related Voluntary Recall of Nasal Spray Vaccine Click Here

County-Wide Health Forum Report

Click here to read the report from the December 2008 County-Wide Health Forum, held at request of the Obama Transition team.

Interested in Volunteering? Join the MRC!

Click the graphic above to watch the video. (Windows Media video format)