World Breastfeeding Week is observed annually the first week of August.  Guilford County Department of Public Health would like to remind soon-to-be moms and new moms of the health benefits of breastfeeding, and would like to offer breastfeeding support to those women enrolled in our programs.

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, breast milk has disease-fighting cells called antibodies that help protect infants from germs, illness, and even SIDS. For a complete list of breastfeeding benefits for moms and babies and other useful information about breastfeeding, visit http://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/benefits/#a

The Department of Public Health has programs in place to educate and support families who choose breastfeeding:

• WIC or the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, provides nutrition education and breastfeeding support to its participants.

• The Maternity Care Coordination (MCC or Baby Love) and Newborn Home Visitation Programs also provide education and support to their clients.

• Maternity clients enrolled in our clinic participate in classes where information on breastfeeding is provided.

For information about any of these programs or for more information about breastfeeding, contact Guilford County Department of Public Health at 641-7777.

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

There is news on the research front.  Scientists have isolated a protein from honey that has antibacterial properties.  Since research on new antibiotics is comparatively meager compared to the effort in coming up with sleeping pills and erectile dysfunction drugs, this discovery is exciting in a non-salacious way.