Salmonella are bacteria that live in the intestinal tract of animals.  Certain strains tend to attach themselves to certain animal types (e.g. pigs, chickens).  Because they thrive in animal poop and because there is so much animal poop made and distributed in and around confined animal feeding organizations (CAFOs), the poop is on and in our food supply.  So when one company produces mega amounts of eggs and those eggs are sold through chains of stores, we can understand why salmonella on a farm in the midwest can end up in the stomachs of people in North Carolina (or some other state) through the eating of eggs.

Since we spread animal poop on farmland as fertilizer salmonella gets into all sorts of strange places (peanut butter anyone?).

So this week we’ve found the CDC very busy tracking down cases of salmonella intestinal infections (diarrhea) in people who’ve eaten eggs produced by this one company.  Thousands have been infected.

You can learn more by visiting the NC state website: http://www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/gcdc/salmonella.html

Julie Henry just told us, “For your information, we did have one outbreak of this particular strain of Salmonella in Durham County in April. It was investigated by the Durham County Health Department and our Epidemiology Section and was determined to be related to a frozen pasteurized egg product used in a local restaurant.   We have had no other related salmonella outbreaks reported since that time.”

Coming Up!

Low Cost Animal Rabies Vaccination Clinic

Fire District #28, 6619 NC 61 North, Gibsonville

Saturday, August 28, 9am-1pm

Shots $5.00 per pet

The 2009 H1N1 influenza virus pandemic has been declared over by the World Health Organization.

Guilford County Department of Public Health would like to remind the community of the important role immunizations play in the fight against life-threatening illness and disease during National Immunization Awareness Month, and encourage all residents to check their vaccination status.

Immunizations are one of the greatest public health accomplishments of the 20^th century.  There are many vaccines available today for babies, children and adults. Many are required for childcare, school and work attendance.  Some vaccinations are needed for travel.

Some areas of our country are experiencing outbreaks of a vaccine-preventable disease called Pertussis (Whooping Cough).  Make sure your child and teen are protected against this illness and other diseases by vaccinating them with Tdap (the vaccine for tetanus-diptheria-pertussis). New parents, grandparents and those individuals who work with infants also need protection against Whooping Cough.

If you are not sure of your current immunization status, contact your health care provider or the Guilford County Department of Public Health.  We can review your record with you and help you secure the vaccinations you need to stay healthy.

For more information about immunizations, call 641-7777. To make an appointment at the Department of Public Health’s Greensboro office, call 641-5563.  Call 845-7655 for an appointment in High Point.

The CDC just issued a Health advisory warning that there has already been two small localized outbreaks of seasonal flu in the US.  No details about locations were given, but they want docs to recognize that influenza like illnesses seen now may indeed be influenza itself.

We anticipate receiving our vaccine supply in a couple of months.  I’ll let you know when it arrives and how to get your vaccine.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that it has approved vaccines for the 2010-2011 influenza season in the United States.

FDA Approves Vaccines for the 2010-2011 Influenza Season

You may have heard that there is an outbreak of whooping cough in California.  There are always multiple reasons epidemics occur, but one causal factor appears to be California’s lack of mandated midschool boosters of pertussis vaccine.  We do mandate such vaccination, which hopefully will prevent us from experiencing California’s challenges.

Remember:

Immunization requirements relating to school entry for the upcoming school year are:

• a tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis(whooping cough) or “Tdap” booster for children who are:

a) entering 6^th grade in public school on or after August 1, 2008, if five or more years have passed since the last dose of this vaccine, or

b) 12 years of age on or after August 1, 2008 and who are educated in a private  school, home-school or a non- traditional school, if five or more years have passed since the last dose of Tdap, and

c) students enrolling in college or university for the first time on or after July 1, 2008.

The press release from DHHS has a link to a video showing how to capture a bat.

Capturing a bat

I am sooo impressed!!

RALEIGH — During the height of summer and mosquito season, bats flying through the night sky are typically a welcome sight. But when bats venture indoors, it may be a different story.  While the insect-eating mammals are very important to maintaining ecosystems worldwide, they also can transmit rabies and respiratory disease to humans. The North Carolina Division of Public Health suggests taking precautions to protect yourself and your family:

• If you awaken to find a bat in your room, tent or cabin, do not release it.  Instead, contact your local animal control to have it captured and tested for rabies.
• Seek medical advice immediately.  Bat bites can be difficult to detect and may not cause a person to wake from a sound sleep.  If you have had any contact at all with a bat, even if you do not think you have been bitten, you must still talk with a physician.  You may have been exposed to rabies.
• If you know you have been bitten, thoroughly wash the wound with soap and water before seeing a doctor.
• Never handle a bat with your bare hands.  If you need to capture it before animal control arrives, follow safety guidelines as outlined inhttp://www.cdc.gov/rabies/bats/contact/capture.html.  A video demonstration is available at http://batcon.org/index.php/bats-a-people/removing-a-bat.html.
• If bat or bird droppings have caused accumulations in an attic for example, care should be taken to avoid stirring up and breathing the dust.  Fungal spores in the droppings may cause disease when inhaled by some people. For more information, see http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2005-109/

If you have bats roosting in an unoccupied portion of your home during the summer months, you may be advised to allow them to remain for a short time as long as the bats can be excluded from living areas. The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) recommends that exclusion of bats from the entire structure (attics, crawl spaces, etc.) not be performed from May 1 through August 1 because breeding colonies may be present. Removing bats during this time may compound the risk to your health because dead pups unable to fly will remain in walls and attics and mother bats will try to create new entry points to reach them. Removal, or exclusion, may also be illegal if it results in the death of young bats, some of which may be federally protected under the Endangered Species Act.

To prevent bats from entering your home, examine your home carefully and seal openings in doors, windows, attics and chimneys that may allow bats access to your living spaces.  You may also wish to consult with a trained and licensed Wildlife Damage Control Agent for assistance.  A county-by-county listing is available at http://www.ncwildlife.org/Nuisance_Wildlife/Nuisance_Contact_WDCA.htm.

For more information on rabies in North Carolina and links to current rabies data, visit http://www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/vet.html.

The Guilford County Department of Public Health is alerting residents that a fox found on Ladford Lane in High Point tested positive for the rabies virus.  The rabid fox had contact with one human.   This is the tenth case of animal rabies in Guilford County this year.

North Carolina law requires that all domestic pets (dogs, cats and ferrets) be vaccinated against rabies and that their vaccinations are kept current.  This law still applies even if pets are exclusively kept indoors.  Barnyard pets such as goats, horses and cows should also be vaccinated against rabies for their protection against this deadly virus.

Rabies continues to circulate within our wildlife population and as the weather warms more animals will be out and seen in our yards and surrounding wooded areas.   For your family and pet’s safety as well as the safety of others, vaccinate your pets against rabies.  Our next low-cost rabies vaccination clinic is Saturday, July 10 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Summerfield Fire Department, 7400 Summerfield Road in Summerfield.  Rabies vaccinations will be $5.00 per animal and will last for one year.  Other tips to protect your family and pets include:

* Do not try to separate fighting animals.

* Avoid strange and sick animals.

* Leave animals alone when they are eating.

* Keep pets on a leash when out in public.

* Do not approach, play with or try to rescue wild animals of any kind.

* Supervise your pets when outdoors to avoid contact with wild animals.

* Do not feed your pets outdoors.  Leftover food will attract wild animals.

For more information or educational programs available, please contact the Guilford County Animal Control at 641-5990 or visit www.guilfordhealth.org