“In a split second you could ruin your future, injure or kill others and tear a hole in the heart of everyone who loves you”—Sharon Heit, mother of a distracted driving victim.

Distracted driving has been an increasing hazard in our society. According to the National Safety Council, at least nine lives are lost and 100 people are injured in distracted driving crashes in America every day.

Monongalia County Health Department wants to remind drivers to keep their eyes on the road and your hands on the steering wheel.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines distracted driving as “doing another activity that takes your attention away from driving.” This can include but is not limited to sending a text message, talking on the phone, setting up a navigation system and even eating while driving. Any task that requires visual, manual and cognitive distraction from focusing on the road is considered distracted driving.  

Texting and driving is considered one of the most dangerous forms of distracted driving. This is because texting requires you to take your hands off the wheel, eyes off the road and distracts your mind more frequently than eating, talking and other forms of distracted driving would.  

Some research has shown that texting and driving could provide the same amount of impairment as drunk driving would.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) compares sending or reading a text that takes five seconds while driving at a speed of 55 miles per hour to driving through an entire football field with your eyes closed.

The NHTSA reports that approximately 481,000 drivers are using cell phones while driving, and that’s only during daylight hours. This raises a tremendous amount of risks on the road not only for the distracted drivers but for other surrounding drivers and pedestrians.

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. This month is dedicated to raising awareness of the dangers of and eliminate preventable deaths from distracted driving.

Here are some tips to do your part in saving lives and avoid taking part in distracted driving:

•    Use your phone for emergency situations ONLY. While it’s highly urged to avoid cell phone use while driving, there may be cases where it’s necessary. Its recommended to pull over and avoid relying on hand-free devices. iPhones now even offer a “Do Not Disturb While Driving” mode. This will keep notifications from lighting up on your screen and will alert anyone who texts you that you’re driving. If you don’t have an iPhone, there are many apps these days that will offer the same service for any smartphone.

•    Avoid driving when you’re tired. A driver is four times more likely to crash when driving drowsy. If you feel yourself getting tired while driving, pull your car off the road.

•    Don’t multi-task: Multi-tasking is a great way to be time efficient. However, doing it while driving is not efficient at all. Driving already requires the mind and body to be multi-tasking and adding additional tasks such as texting, making a call or eating can be far too distracting and lead to a collision.

Life doesn’t have a reset button. Drive safe!

Most folks like to avoid roadkill, but not members of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, or APHIS.

Especially if it’s a raccoon or a skunk.

Sam Mills, a wildlife biologist with USDA APHIS in Elkins, spends much of his time finding and testing dead animals, mostly to see if they have rabies.

“What we do most of the year and our biggest focus is enhanced rabies surveillance,” Mills said. “We try to get our hands on any sick, strange-acting animal that hasn’t been involved in an exposure with a person or a domestic animal.”

Roadkill animals are a great source, not only because they are already dead, but also, the thinking is, because sick animals would be more likely to stagger into the middle of the road and get hit by a car.

“Anytime we can get our hands on a sample, anywhere we find rabies, we like to know about it.”

This information is obviously of great interest in Monongalia County because we had two recent cases of rabid raccoons getting into tussles with pet dogs, one in early February and one in early March. After both instances, the dogs had to be re-vaccinated for rabies and observed for a period of time. Their owners, who had interacted with their pets, received rabies post-exposure prophylaxis treatment.

And that was just during the dead of winter. Now with the arrival of spring, Monongalia County has had its third case of a rabid raccoon that also had an encounter with a pet dog. Plus, the USDA has found an additional five rabid raccoons in Monongalia County this year as part of its enhanced rabies surveillance efforts.

That’s why MCHD Environmental Health officials are adamant about educating people on how to protect themselves and their family members. The first rule is to have all pets that are mammals—dogs, cats, ferrets, etc.—vaccinated for rabies. Not only is this the law, but it can make the difference between a pet only needing re-vaccination and observation if they interact with a strange-acting animal or being put down.

Pets cannot be vaccinated for rabies until the age of 4 months, and then by law, must be vaccinated no later than at 6 months. An animal receives a rabies vaccine and then a booster a year later. After that, they need a rabies vaccine every three years.

Homeowners are also encouraged to make their homes less enticing to raccoons and other wildlife by taking such precautions as tightening lids on outdoor garbage cans and making sure structures do not have holes in them that would allow wildlife to get in.

MCHD officials also want to continue to be proactive as we participate in the fight against this preventable viral disease most often transmitted through the bite or scratch of a rabid wild animal. Preventing rabies is vital, because once a pet begins to show symptoms of rabies, it is too late for the animal to be saved.

If you have a dog, cat or ferret that hasn’t been vaccinated for rabies, or that isn’t up-to-date on the inoculation, MCHD also will be holding a rabies vaccination clinic. For $10 (cash please), you can bring your pets to the health department from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 4. The licensed veterinarian and a vet tech will come to your car and administer the shot. You will receive a rabies tag and certificate to provide proof of the vaccine.

We also recently invited Mills and two of his USDA APHIS colleagues, rabies technician Chelsea Hartley and wildlife technician Travis Mininger, to the health department to present an overview of the situation as well as answer some questions.

In addition to year-round enhanced surveillance of wildlife to detect rabies, the USDA also operates the Oral Rabies Vaccination program.

The program entails dropping edible oral rabies vaccine (ORV) baits from airplanes, helicopters and vehicles into targeted zones. The vaccine is safe for animals to eat and will not hurt pets that might happen upon it. About 1.5 million packets are dropped annually in the West Virginia portion of the zone, Mills said. The idea is to inoculate common carriers, such as raccoons, skunks and foxes.

Based on live-trapping and testing raccoons before and after the bait drop and testing blood samples to evaluate vaccination rates, the USDA knows that the program works.
Right now, only the very western tip of Monongalia County receives the oral rabies vaccine bait. Dropping the ORV bait in all of Monongalia County seems like a no-brainer, but it’s more complicated than that.

The variety of rabies spread specifically by raccoons is found only in the Eastern United States. Mon County was included in the bait drop when the zone was positioned more to the east within the state, but the zone was shifted west many years ago in response to rabies activity at that time. Officials want to keep rabies from moving any further west in the state and eventually hope to shift the ORV zone back to the east.

“That’s the goal, to maintain the zone,” Mills said. “We still have some rabies cases that show up in the zone. That’s not totally uncommon. But we don’t want anything west of the zone.”

Dropping baits east of the current zone might make a short-term difference, but in the long run, rabies will just return from neighboring areas, so it’s not a cost-effective practice for the USDA.

Mills has discussed adding Monongalia County back into the vaccine drop with the program director. “It doesn’t seem likely this year.”

That’s why it’s important to make sure your pets are vaccinated, that pets that spend time outdoors are supervised and children know to stay away from wild animals. If you see a sick or strange-acting wild animals that have not encountered a person or a pet, you can call the USDA during business hours at 304-636-1785 866-487-3297 to collect it. If you can, without endangering yourself or anyone else, try to keep the animal from getting away, maybe by putting a large garbage can over it.

More information on what to do if you or a pet has an incident, depending on the situation, can be found on our website.

And if you have an unvaccinated pet or one that is not up to date on the shot, please consider bringing it to the rabies vaccination clinic at MCHD.

By Mary Wade Triplett

The film industry has the Oscars and musicians are honored by the Grammys. Public health’s big event is coming up: National Public Health Week (NPHW), which began Monday and runs through Sunday.

Of course, NPHW is not so much about giving ourselves a pat on the back as much as highlighting the work done by Monongalia County Health Department and all the other public health organizations in the United States.

That’s pretty easy, because it’s simple to look around and discover ways in which public health has improved the lives of not only Americans, but also people all over the world.

For instance, no case of polio has originated in the U.S. since 1979. In the 1950s, people who got the disease sometimes experienced paralysis or had to use a cumbersome and life-limiting iron lung to help them breathe. But the polio vaccine has practically eradicated the disease around the world and dramatically reduced the numbers of cases in the places where it still exists.

That’s just one example of how vaccines have saved lives. There are so many diseases that have been eliminated, such as smallpox, or greatly reduced, such as pertussis and diphtheria, because of vaccines. And as we’ve noticed from current measles outbreaks all over the world, once the number of vaccinations go down, the numbers of illness begin to rise again.

Then there is the public water system, which provides treated water at a low cost to most places in the nation. What’s more, it even contains fluoride, which helps protect teeth against cavities.

Enacted nearly 45 years ago, the Safe Water Drinking Act requires the Environmental Protection Agency to set standards for drinking water quality and oversee all states and water suppliers. The U.S. Public Health Service had protected interstate waters and its standards were adopted for the new legislation.

And as situations with drinking water continue to emerge, such as in Flint, Michigan or with the discovery of polyfluoroalkyl substances, a group of chemicals, in systems, public health continues to educate the public, look for answers and solve problems.

Those are just a few examples on the importance of public health, which has been bestowed with the duties of preventing illness, protecting the public and promoting this vital information to people.

Monongalia County Health Department, which in April is coincidentally celebrating 90 years of helping the community, has five programs to accomplish this mission:

•    Environmental Health, which protects the public in many ways, including through training food handlers and the inspections of restaurants, pools, hotels and motels, tattoo studios, farmers markets, food trucks and more. This program also conducts radon tests, an important service in a county that has a high rate of high levels of radon—1 in 5 homes compared to 1 in 15 homes nationally.

•    Clinical Services, which provides immunizations for infants, children, teens, adults and travelers—i.e., everybody—as well as free and low-cost birth control, free sexually transmitted disease testing and treatment, and breast and cervical exams for women.

•    Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which provides breastfeeding support to new mothers as well as nutritional education and supplements to pregnant and breastfeeding women and children up to age 5.

•    MCHD Dentistry, a full-service dental office where visits can be covered by private insurance, CHIP, Medicaid, a sliding-fee discount, CareCredit financing, and, of course, cash, check or credit card. And, launched last fall, MCHD Smile Express is a mobile unit and crew that travels around North Central West Virginia to provide dental treatment to students and others.

•    Threat Preparedness, which holds drills, conducts classes for first responders and community members and helps keep the region safe during crises caused by everything from bad weather to bad people.

MCHD even has a regional epidemiologist on staff to help track diseases such as influenza, hepatitis B and C, food-borne illnesses and more.

We also utilize a website, monchd.org, as well as Facebook, Twitter and now, Instagram, to get our message out. Our social media handle is @wvmchd.

So, to paraphrase the immortal Jerry Maguire—the lead character in an eponymous film that was nominated for some Academy Awards, by the way—help us help you. Follow us on social media and check out all the information available on our website so you don’t miss important news that can impact your health. We’re here to serve.

By Mary Wade Triplett

Despite a chilly morning, this early spring day is not too early to begin thinking about any big vacations you might be planning this summer.

If any of those trips involve visiting a foreign country, it would be a good idea to check what medical and physical issues you should address before you go. Such as vaccines.

That’s just one item to check off your pre-travel health list. Here are some others: Are you planning ahead so you will have plenty of your prescribed medications with you, as well as proper documentation to get them through customs? And did you know that counterfeit meds are ubiquitous in some countries, so taking them with you from home is your best bet?

Also, do you know handy tips for surviving long plane rides comfortably? Hint: Compression stockings and hydrating with water are your best friends; contact lenses are not.

And do you know which to apply first, sunscreen or mosquito repellent—the latter of which you really want to slather on in areas with mosquito-borne diseases such as Zika, Dengue, West Nile viruses or malaria?

Finally, what if you have a medical emergency while on your trip?

These topics are just some of the vital information you can learn at the International Travel Clinic at Monongalia County Health Department.

At the clinic, Dr. Lee B. Smith, county health officer and MCHD’s executive director, can go over your itinerary with you. He can make sure your current medications will not interact adversely with anything you may need to safely travel as well as discuss any vaccines you might need.

For instance, if you plan to go just about anywhere, make sure you are up to date on your measles vaccine, which comes in the form of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) inoculation.

As you may be aware, there have been measles outbreaks recently in the United States. There are several international areas—17 to be exact—where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc.gov) advises usual precautions when it comes to traveling in terms of measles. These countries include Italy, Greece, England, Japan, Brazil, Israel, France, Colombia, Philippines, Indonesia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Moldova, Madagascar, Kazakhstan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which are all currently experiencing outbreaks.

That MMR vaccine will be additionally helpful in Japan, where there is an outbreak of rubella. Most cases continue to be reported in the Kanto region, which includes Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama. Rubella is very dangerous for pregnant women and their developing babies, so expectant mothers who are not protected against the disease should not travel to Japan.

Other vaccines available at the clinic frequently recommended for travelers—depending on which places they plan to visit—include hepatitis A, hepatitis B, Twinrix (Hep A & B), typhoid, adult polio, Japanese encephalitis, cholera, rabies pre-exposure vaccine, Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis), influenza, meningitis, varicella (chickenpox) and pneumonia.

Determining which vaccines to get isn’t always as easy as matching a particular country to a particular vaccine, however. If you are staying at, say, an all-inclusive beach resort, your risk might be lower for certain diseases than if you were out in the bush.

That said, mosquitoes don’t always know the difference. As Dr. Smith notes, officials in Costa Rica will tell you that malaria isn’t a problem there. But if you go north to Nicaragua, or south to Panama, that is not the case. “I’m not sure the mosquito knows where the geopolitical line starts and stops, particularly out in the bush,” Dr. Smith added.

And your chances of getting Japanese encephalitis in countries such as Japan, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand are worse in the rainy season than the dry season, and low overall. But if you get it, recovery might be difficult—especially if you are in an area that doesn’t have good medical care.

You also should think about what season the country you’ll be visiting will be undergoing. For instance, winter takes place June through August in Australia, so if you’re traveling when it’s summer here, you should consider getting a flu shot.

Those are just a few of the issues you want to think about as you make plans to go abroad. Ideally you should visit the International Travel Clinic at least a month before departure—or even sooner. This gives you time to get vaccines that require more than one dose as well as to get everything you need in order.

To make an appointment, call 304-598-5119. And bon voyage

Wake up America! Did you know that nine out of 10 Americans most at risk for type 2 diabetes don’t know it? The American Diabetes Association Alert Day is revolved around informing the public about the seriousness of type 2 diabetes, especially when left untreated.

Diabetes has affected millions of people around the world. Although it is not a curable disease, it is very treatable. People diagnosed with diabetes can live very long and healthy lives if they get proper treatment and take care of themselves.

Diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose levels are above normal. This is due to the body’s inability to produce or respond to the hormone insulin, resulting in abnormal metabolism of carbohydrates and elevated levels of glucose in the blood and urine.  

Type 1 diabetes occurs when your body does not make insulin. This causes your immune system to attack and destroy the cells in your pancreas that make insulin. This type of diabetes usually occurs in children and young adults. However, it can occur at any age.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes and is often found among middle-aged and older people. But can be found in children or any age as well. This type of diabetes prevents your body from making or using insulin well.

There is also gestational diabetes, which develops in some pregnant women. This type of diabetes will often go away after the baby is born. Nonetheless, gestational diabetes increases your chances of having type 2 diabetes later in life.

If you have a minute to spare, you can find out if you run the risk of getting type 2 diabetes by taking an online test created by the American Diabetes Association. Once you answer a few questions about yourself, the results will be given to you on risk scale from 1-10.

However, even if your results show a low probability of getting type 2 diabetes, your risk of getting diagnosed may change over time. It’s encouraged to schedule regular check-ups with your doctor and take healthy steps toward preventing or delaying diabetes.
 
Now, if your results show you run a high risk of having type 2 diabetes, don’t fret! There are steps you can take in order to lower your risk:

•    Watch your weight
Staying at a healthy weight can help prevent and manage prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol.

•    Physical Activity
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends getting at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week, or a combination of the two. Strength training for all major muscle groups are recommended to do at least two times a week. Reducing the amount of time sitting or being still is important as well. Setting aside 30 minutes every day to walk or stretch around the house or office can be very helpful.

•    Small changes
Lifestyle changes don’t come easy. But they don’t need to be immediate and grand. Making gradual changes such as altering your diet, keeping a food log, setting goals for yourself and being willing to make a change can be effective in lowering your risk of diabetes.

Monongalia County Health Department offers a Diabetes Clinic run by registered nurse and nationally certified diabetes instructor Kendra L. Barker. The clinic runs on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and requires an appointment to attend. The clinic provides education on diabetes and how patients can manage their symptoms, as well as the initial testing required to determine if you have diabetes.

If you’ve had a family history of diabetes or have some spare time, take the online risk test and ease your worries. If your results concern you, come and get tested. Call MCHD Clinical Services at 304-598-5119 to make an appointment.