“Have a great summer!”

“Where are you going on vacation?”

“Road trip!”

This past Memorial Day weekend was the unofficial start of summer. And while messages such as the ones above may be ringing in many people’s conversations, Monongalia County Health Department’s Environmental Health program has an important one to add:
“Don’t poop in the pool.”

It’s the No. 1 message to make sure pool water remains clean: Don’t do No. 2 in the pool.

To paraphrase the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the pool, spa or water playground is the last place someone sick with diarrhea should be. Just one diarrheal incident in the water can release millions of germs. If someone swallows a mouthful of the water, it can cause diarrhea lasting up to three weeks.

That’s why Healthy and Safe Swimming Week encourages swimmer hygiene and the need for swimmers to be proactive in protecting themselves and those around them.

Recreational water illnesses (RWIs) are caused by germs spread by swallowing, breathing in mists or having contact with contaminated water. Diarrhea is the most common RWI, but others include skin, ear, respiratory, eye and neurologic infections. Children are more likely to get these illnesses than adults.

To keep the pool clean and to ensure your children’s safety when they swim, here are guidelines recommended by CDC:

•    Don’t swim or let your kids swim when sick with diarrhea.
•    Don’t swallow the water.
•    Check out the latest inspection score.
•    Take kids on bathroom breaks every 60 minutes.
•    Check diapers every 30–60 minutes and change them in a bathroom or diaper-changing area–not waterside–to keep germs away from the water.
•    Shower before you get in the water. Rinsing off in the shower for just one minute helps get rid of most stuff that might be on swimmer’s body.
•    Do your own pool mini-inspection. Here’s how:

Buy strips to test pH and free chlorine or bromine in the pool. These can be purchased at most superstores, hardware stores and pool supply stores.

CDC recommends pH 7.2–7.8. The free chlorine concentration should be at least 1 ppm in pools and at least 3 ppm in hot tubs/spas. The free bromine concentration should be at least 3 ppm in pools and at least 4 ppm in hot tubs/spas.

Other segments of the mini-inspection including making sure the drain at the bottom of the deep end of the pool is visible; the drain covers at the bottom appear to be secured and in good repair; and that a lifeguard is on duty at the pool, or it at least has safety equipment such as a rescue ring or pole.

If a pool does not pass, don’t get in the pool, the CDC recommends. Complaints can be made through Environmental Health at 304-598-5131 or online.

And rest assured that Environmental Health’s registered sanitarians also inspect pools. Each pool undergoes a full inspection twice a year. Sanitarians also stop by each pool bi-weekly to check pH and chlorine. If they receive a complaint, sanitarians respond within 10 days.

Other swimming safety tips in addition to taking lessons include using sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or more, re-applying often. Remember that the sun is harshest from late morning to mid-afternoon. Also, drink plenty of fresh water … even if it means having to get out of the pool to take another bathroom break.

If parents smoke, they run the risk of having their kids grow up following in those unhealthy footsteps—in addition to exposing them to dangerous secondhand smoke.

Luckily, I beat the odds. Being raised in a cloud of smoke made me hate cigarettes. When I moved away from my parents’ house and as public smoking became more and more unacceptable, I became so unaccustomed to smoke that now when it wafts my way, I truly cannot tolerate it.

And luckily, I didn’t hang with the cool kids, so it didn’t even occur to me to pick up a bad habit in an effort to get in with the popular crowd.

For those who do smoke, quitting is difficult. The easiest thing to do is not to start in the first place. Because it really doesn’t make anybody look cool, and it’s bad for them in so many ways.

Along those lines, we got some great news last December. According to data from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR), the rate of adults who smoke in West Virginia declined from 28.6 percent in 2011—one of the highest rates in the United States—to 24.8 percent in 2016.

Dr. Rahul Gupta, the commissioner of the DHHR’s Bureau for Public Health, said the decline is the first evidence that middle and high school students who never smoked and are growing up are finally making an impact on the larger adult population.

And while that 24.8 percent is a good drop from 28.6 percent, it’s still nearly 10 points above the overall rate in the U.S. of 15.5 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control. And it’s way above the rate in states such as Utah (8.8 percent) and California (11 percent).

That’s where the World Health Organization’s World No Tobacco Day comes in. This year, it takes place on Thursday, May 31, and the theme is “Tobacco—A Threat to Development.”

One reason is that around the world, according to WHO statistics, tobacco kills 7 million each year. But tobacco has other impacts in areas that some people might not expect.

For instance, it costs households and governments more than $1.4 trillion through health care expenditures and lost productivity.

Cigarettes are also bad for the environment. According to WHO:

•    Tobacco waste contains more than 7,000 toxic chemicals that poison the environment, including human carcinogens.
•    Tobacco smoke emissions contribute thousands of tons of human carcinogens, toxicants and greenhouse gases to the environment. And tobacco waste is the largest type of litter by count globally.
•    Up to 10 billion of the 15 billion cigarettes sold daily are disposed in the environment.
•   Cigarette butts account for 30–40 percent of all items collected in coastal and urban cleanups.

Around the world, tobacco makes a lot of impact on lives, especially women and children:

•    Poverty: Around 860 million adult smokers live in low- and middle-income countries. Many studies have shown that in the poorest households, spending on tobacco products often represents more than 10 percent of total household expenditure—meaning less money for food, education and healthcare.

•    Children and education: Tobacco farming keeps children from attending school; 10–14 percent of children from tobacco-growing families miss class because of working in tobacco fields.

•    Also, 60–70 percent of tobacco farm workers are women, putting them in close contact with often hazardous chemicals.

•    Tobacco contributes to 16 percent of all noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) deaths.

As WHO notes, tobacco use is one of the largest preventable causes of noncommunicable diseases.

While not starting to smoke is best, there’s also help for folks out there who want to kick the habit. After all, smoking can lead to cancer and heart and lung disease, and secondhand smoke is harmful not only to strangers but to friends and family, including kids and pets.

The West Virginia Tobacco Quitline was established in 2000 and has since enrolled more than 73,000 people for Quitline services. Here is what the Quitline offers:

•    One-on-one proactive coaching for tobacco users who are ready to quit.
•    Information on tobacco dependence for health care professionals.
•    Information about local resources to help tobacco users quit.
•   Free Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), which includes patches, gum and lozenges. NRT is delivered in two shipments of four each week.
•    Four free proactive coaching calls.
•    Unlimited reactive coaching calls.
•    Free educational materials and personalized quit plan.
•    Fax-to-Quit Program—a form to fill out to join this program is available online.

If you smoke, give Quitline a call at 304-QUIT-NOW. And access more information and the above form online at http://dhhr.wv.gov/wvdtp/cessation. Celebrate WHO’s World No Tobacco Day by kicking cigarettes to the curb!

It’s time to talk about that alphabet soup of viruses, hepatitis.

After all, there are five types of hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver—A, B, C, D and E.

May happens to be Hepatitis Awareness Month, but that is not the reason for the notoriety.
Hepatitis has been creeping—and in some instances, exploding—into the news lately.

First it was Hepatitis C. Anyone born between 1945 and 1965 should automatically be tested for Hep C. Of the estimated 3.2 million people chronically infected with Hepatitis C in the U.S., approximately 75 percent were born during that time frame.

Hepatitis B also has been on the rise in West Virginia. The number of Hep B cases in West Virginia nearly doubled between 2011 and 2015, going from 1,232 to 2,436. It might seem like a small number, but West Virginia has the highest instance per capita of Hepatitis B in the nation, as well as the highest rate of Hepatitis C.

And now there is a Hepatitis A outbreak in southern West Virginia. It started with the homeless population in San Diego and now it has moved to various locations across the country, including to Kanawha and Putnam counties. The Kanawha-Charleston Health Department is investigating around 70 cases of Hep A, including two at Dupont Middle School; last Wednesday, public health officials announced that a fast-food employee has been diagnosed with Hepatitis A. Cases have been linked using ribonucleic acid (RNA) testing to the San Diego outbreak.

Monongalia County Health Department plans to take a proactive approach to keep the Morgantown-area community safe.

During the week of May 21, public health nurses from MCHD Clinical Services as well as Dr. Lee B. Smith, the health department’s executive director and county health officer, will go out into the community to vaccinate against Hepatitis A. They will visit the Friendship Room at Milan Puskar HealthRight from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday, May 21; the soup kitchen at Trinity Episcopal Church from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 22 and Thursday, May 24; and the Salvation Army from 4 to 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, May 23.

MCHD clinical staff also will accompany members of WVU’s MUSHROOM, or Multidisciplinary UnSheltered Homeless Relief Outreach Of Morgantown, into the community an in effort to inoculate individuals. That will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, May 24.

While the homeless population is currently being targeted for the vaccines, just like the two cases at Dupont Middle School and one at a fast-food restaurant illustrate, other West Virginians should remain vigilant against hepatitis.

As the HIV/AIDS crisis in the mid-1980s showed, just because an illness begins in one population does not mean it will not cross over into another one.

Hep A is spread through contact with feces of infected individuals. If infected children contaminate their fingers and then touch an object, other children who touch that object and then put their fingers in their mouths can become infected. Same goes for restaurant employees who do not wash their hands thoroughly after using the restroom.

Symptoms of Hep A include jaundice, or a yellowing of the skin or eyes; fever, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting; abdominal pain; gray-colored bowel movements and dark urine.

Children who have followed all the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations should already have been vaccinated against Hep A and Hep B, the only forms of hepatitis for which there are inoculations. There is no cure for these two diseases, however.

Hepatitis C does have a cure, but there is no vaccine.

Hepatitis D and Hepatitis E are very rare and someone must have Hepatitis B in order to develop Hep D and Hep E. And while it is rare, Hep E is especially virulent for pregnant women.

There also is a fear that the Hepatitis A outbreak will increase the number of Hep B and Hep C cases as well as HIV.

The different types of hepatitis have various forms of transmission. Hepatitis A usually is transmitted via an oral-fecal route, and therefore can be more common among populations without regular running water. Hepatitis B is more likely to be transmitted sexually or through the sharing of needles. The opioid crisis has contributed to the rise in Hep B.

Hepatitis C is blood-borne, so it can be contracted by sharing needles or also from getting an organ transplant, blood transfusion or blood products before July 1992.

In addition to getting the vaccine, another way to avoid Hepatitis A is good hand hygiene. It is recommended to wash hands thoroughly with soap and water for 30 seconds—about the time it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice—after using the bathroom and before eating or preparing food.

MCHD Clinical Services, in conjunction with the WVU School of Nursing, also has launched a Hepatitis Clinic that takes place on Fridays. Individuals who would like to make an appointment should call 304-598-5119.

If the community can be proactive and if individuals do their part, the hope is that a Hepatitis A outbreak will not take place here.

It’s no coincidence that National Women’s Health Week (NWHW) begins this Sunday, on Mother’s Day.

But NWHW is a time for all women, not just those who have children, to take stock of their health as well as the practices they can incorporate to live life to the fullest.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women’s Health leads National Women’s Health Week to encourage all women to be as healthy as possible. This year, it runs through Saturday, May 19.

So this is a great time to remind women of ways to maintain and improve their health, and how Monongalia County Health Department can help.

First on the list is to visit a health practitioner for a checkup and preventative screenings. You may have your own family physician; MCHD Clinical Services also is available for Pap tests, mammogram referrals, vaccines, low-cost and free birth control and free testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. For an appointment, call 304-598-5119.

Next on the list is get active. It’s great that NWHW takes place in May, when good weather has finally rolled around. May also is National Bike Month. This is a celebration that Morgantown takes seriously; the Morgantown Municipal Bike Board has created a slate of bike events. These include a social bike ride on May 11, bike to work day on May 18 and the Motown Bike Bonanza on May 19. For more information, check out Bike Morgantown.

Of course, just because Monongalia County’s rail-trail system makes this a great place for biking doesn’t mean that is your only option for activity. Walking, jogging, exercise classes, yoga, Pilates and sports are just some of the options for getting out there and getting your steps in.

In addition to exercising, eating right also is key. Pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and children up to the age of 5 who qualify to participate in MCHD’s Women, Infants, and Children program can get nutritional counseling, food vouchers and food packages from WIC. Income guidelines were just updated last month, and they are higher than people sometimes anticipate. For instance, a family of four can earn a gross monthly income of $3,870 and an annual income of $46,435 and qualify for WIC. And anyone can attend WIC’s breastfeeding classes. For more information about WIC, call 304-598-5181.

Another component of health that we often neglect is mental health. Just getting enough sleep can make all the difference in your day. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adults need at least seven hours of sleep each night, and more if possible. One in three people don’t get enough sleep. If you are one of the one in three, or if you would like to improve your already-decent sleep habits, here is a list of tips from the CDC on sleep hygiene.

Managing stress also is key. Sleep, exercise and a healthy diet can help, as can avoiding caffeine. Friends are a great outlet in general and being with them can boost feelings of wellness. But it’s also OK to seek professional help to talk to someone about mental health and managing stress.

Finally, avoiding unhealthy behaviors is the last piece of the puzzle of good health. No. 1 on this list would be not to smoke. West Virginia got some good news in this category late last year. According to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, the number of adults in the state who smoke declined from 28.6 percent in 2011 to 24.8 percent in 2016.

This illustrates that teaching children and teenagers the dangers of smoking acts as a deterrent. If you’ve never smoked before, don’t start. If you do, consider quitting. If you need help, call the West Virginia Tobacco Quitline at 800-QUIT-NOW or 877-966-8784.

Another unhealthy behavior to avoid is texting while driving. Distracted driving claimed 3,450 lives in 2016, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Of course, you should always wear a seatbelt when you are in a moving car as well.

And finally, wear a helmet when you ride a bike. That’s not only a good advice during National Bike Month, but year-round. And like not texting while driving and wearing a seatbelt, it’s the law.

Eating right, taking care of your physical and mental health, getting enough sleep and exercise—that’s up to you. Nobody can change all their habits at once, but NWHW is a good time to take that first step. Maybe just change one habit this week. Who knows what that could lead to?

I took my first big walk of the spring season last week in the evening just before dark. I thought because the sun was pretty low in the sky, I would be fine without sunscreen. I was wrong. Later, my cheeks were a bright pink.

I need to use sunscreen any time I go out, even in the winter. Sometimes on really hot days, my skin will turn red if I just walk to my car or make a short trip in my car. I have light and sensitive skin, so I use non-scented sunscreen advertised for babies with a sun protection factor, or SPF, of at least 50.

But that’s just part of the battle. I’m not super outdoorsy, nor do I engage in any activities where the primary goal is to have the sun bake my skin into a darker, more golden tone, not that this would be possible. I’d just burn, and then have more freckles to count.

So perhaps I’m not in the best position to say this to people who do aspire to get a tan this season. As May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, however, I must. To improve your chances of avoiding a bout with skin cancer, do not bake in the blazing sun. If you want to go to the beach or lounge by a pool, use a large umbrella and plenty of sunscreen.

That also means that tanning beds are out too.

It’s not all bad news. These days, there are great products on the market that give you the appearance of a tan, available both on the shelves of your favorite retail location and at a salon. You get all the benefits of a nice, deep tan without the time, sweat or sand in awkward places.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also emphasizes that when you are outdoors, you should stay in the shade as much as possible, especially during the late morning through mid-afternoon. In addition to using sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher as well as UVA and UVB (broad spectrum) protection, wear sunglasses that also block UVA and UVB rays.

If you are gardening or engaging in another outdoor activity, consider your outfit carefully. Wear clothes that cover your arms and legs. I also try to wear a hat in the sun—and not one made of straw, either. There are actually clothes and hats that provide SPF protection, so if you really want to get serious about protecting your skin, it might be wise to make the investment.

These tips are the first part of being vigilant to fight skin cancer. The next is keeping an eye out for any unusual spots on your body.

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States, according to the CDC. In 2014, 76,665 people in the United States were diagnosed with melanomas of the skin, including 45,402 men and 31,263 women. In the same year, 9,324 people in the United States died from melanomas of the skin, including 6,161 men and 3,163 women.

The two most common types of skin cancer—basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas—are highly curable, according to the CDC. However, they can be disfiguring and costly to treat. The third type of skin cancer, melanoma, is more dangerous and causes the most deaths. The majority of these three types of skin cancer are caused by overexposure to UV light.

To figure out if a mole on your body is skin cancer or something else, use the ABCDE system:

“A” stands for asymmetrical. Does the mole or spot have an irregular shape with two parts that look very different?

“B” stands for border. Is the border irregular or jagged?

“C” is for color. Is the color uneven?

“D” is for diameter. Is the mole or spot larger than the size of a pea?

“E” is for evolving. Has the mole or spot changed during the past few weeks or months?

Of course, if you have any concerns, get checked out by a dermatologist. People who have a higher risk of skin cancer—because of a lot of sun exposure or genetics or a previous lesion—make it a point to periodically have their dermatologist look them over.

Yes, summer is on the way—temperatures today and Thursday will reach the 80s. It’s fine to have fun in the sun. But taking precautions can help ensure your health down the road.