Thursday July 8, 2010
Contact: Laura Willingham at 252-475-5079 (office) or lauraw@darenc.com

August is National Immunization Awareness Month 

The Dare County Department of Public Health (DCDPH) is celebrating August as National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) by encouraging everyone to make sure they are current on their vaccinations.

Vaccine preventable diseases and their complications are responsible for more than 30,000 deaths in the United States each year” said Anne Thomas, Director of the Dare County Department of Public Health.  “Ensuring your families’ vaccinations are up to date is an effective way to prevent serious life-threatening diseases”.  

Vaccines are important across the life span. From a child getting vaccinated against measles and whooping cough to an adolescent being protected against meningitis, to an older adult avoiding the pain of shingles, there are good reasons for everyone to stay current with their immunizations and discuss vaccines with their health care provider.

Because children are particularly vulnerable to infections, most vaccines are given during the first five to six years of life. With back to school time just around the corner, the Dare County Department of Public Health would like to remind you that the following immunizations are required for children before entering Kindergarten:

• Children must have five doses of DTP (Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis) with one dose on or after the fourth birthday; if the fourth dose is on or after the fourth birthday, the fifth dose is not required.
• Four doses of IPV (Polio) with one dose on or after the fourth birthday; if the third dose is on or after the fourth birthday, the fourth dose is not required.

• Two doses of MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) with one dose on or after the first birthday and the second prior to Kindergarten.

• Three doses of Hepatitis B.

• Four doses of HIB (Haemophilis Influenza) given before the fifth birthday. The HIB series is complete if at least one dose is given on or after 15 months of age.

• One dose Varicella on or after the first birthday

In addition, a booster dose of Tdap (tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis) vaccine is required for the following age groups:

• All individuals attending public school who are entering the sixth grade on or after August 1, 2008, if five years or more have passed since the last dose of tetanus/diphtheria toxoid.
• All individuals not attending public schools (i.e., private, home school, non-traditional schools) who are 12 years of age on or after August 1, 2008, if five years or more have passed since the last dose of tetanus/diphtheria toxoid.
• Individuals enrolling in college or university for the first time on or after July 1, 2008, if a tetanus/diphtheria toxoid or tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis vaccine has not been administered within the past 10 years.

More information is available by contacting the child’s health care provider or Margaret Parker, DCDPH Immunization Nurse at 475-5003. Immunizations must be received prior to school entry. 

Thursday June 18, 2010
Contact: Laura Willingham at 252-475-5079 (office) or lauraw@darenc.com

DCDPH Teaches Students Benefits of Gardening

Gardening not only provides you with nutritious food right in your backyard, it can also provide physical and mental benefits to your overall health.  Ninety-five, third graders at Kitty Hawk Elementary School (KHES) learned this first hand through lessons provided by the Dare County Department of Public Health (DCDPH). 
 
The overall goal of the gardening project was to educate the students about the numerous health benefits of gardening and eating healthy.  Some of these health benefits include exercise, increased accessibility of local fruits and vegetables, and exposure to Vitamin D and fresh air while outside.  Each class received five lessons and students were engaged right from the start by putting the earth boxes together, planting the seedlings, watering and watching the plants grow. 
 
Students were administered a pre and post survey to measure changes in overall fruit/vegetable consumption, willingness to try new fruits and vegetables, and knowledge of the number of fruits/vegetables one should eat daily.  Results revealed 30% more children were aware that eating a total of 5 fruits and vegetables daily is the daily recommended value.  Students also reported that they were more willing to try a new fruit/vegetable upon conclusion of the program. 
 
The program concluded in June with the students making vegetable pizza’s with toppings from their own gardens.  “It was so great to see the excitement of the students and the teachers throughout the program as they reported the progress of their plants.  It was anticipated   through involving the children in the entire process and claiming ownership in the gardens, they would be more open to trying new fruits and vegetables.  And I believe we achieved our goal”, stated DCDPH Health Educator, Mandy Earnest.  For more information about this program or other health education programs at the DCDPH, contact Laura Willingham, Health Education Supervisor at 475-5079.

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DCDPH Health Educator, Mandy Earnest assists KHES, 3rd grade students, put together their Earth boxes.

 
KHES students measured and recorded the progress of their plants.
 

Cameron Peterson, Cecilia Cortez, Cole Kelly and Caroline Murray, KHES students reaped the benefits of their garden project by making veggie pizzas with their school grown veggies.

Thursday July 15, 2010
Contact: Laura Willingham at 252-475-5079 (office) or lauraw@darenc.com

DCDPH Hosts Local Intern

Amy Bryson, a Boston University senior, is spending her summer learning about the various aspects of public health at the Dare County Department of Public Health (DCDPH). After a semester of studying abroad, Bryson has returned to her hometown of Kitty Hawk. She is interning at the DCDPH’s New Horizon’s office and assisting with the Positive Action prevention program. Positive Action is an evidence-based character education program aimed at substance abuse prevention. She has also had the opportunity to meet or shadow with several staff at the DCDPH including Anne Thomas, Health Director. “This internship has been a great opportunity to get hands-on practice in health education and to expand my knowledge of the public health field. I have enjoyed my time at the Dare County Department of Public Health and it has been a valuable learning experience.” said Bryson. Bryson attended First Flight High School and is a graduate of the NC School of Science and Math. For more information on internship opportunities at DCDPH or the Positive Action prevention program, please contact Sheila Davies at 475-9371 or sheilad@darenc.com

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Amy Bryson, a Boston University senior, is spending her summer learning about the various aspects of public health at the Dare County Department of Public Health (DCDPH).

Date: June 17, 2010
Contact: Laura Willingham at (252)475-5079 (office) or lauraw@darenc.com

Dare County Students and the Department of Public Health help educate Retailers on Tobacco

Students from First Flight High School and Cape Hatteras Secondary School were out in full force to educate local retailers about North Carolina’s Red Flag campaign. The Peer Power students as part of the Dare County Department of Public Health’s Touch No Tobacco program encouraged retailers to check for a red border around the photo on N.C. drivers’ licenses every time someone request tobacco products. In N.C., a red border means the customer is under the age of 18 and prohibited from purchasing alcohol or tobacco products.  The Red Flag campaign slogan is: “If you see red, the tobacco sale is dead.”
                                                                                                                                   
 All of the merchants were very receptive to the student’s message about the importance of keeping tobacco products out of the hands of minors. Some merchants were unaware of the color coding feature on the NC license.  According to Anne Thomas, Dare County Health Director, “Nearly 12,000 kids become new smokers in North Carolina each year. Reducing youth access to tobacco products is a key component in the comprehensive approach to breaking the cycle of teen smoking.”
 
According to a report from the North Carolina Division of Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE), during the 2008-2009 fiscal year Dare County had a non-compliance rate of 31%, compared to the state rate of 16%.  Carol Morris, Tobacco Coordinator with the NC Division of Alcohol Law Enforcement explained “This high rate could be attributed to a number of things, including the influx of visitors, numbering in the thousands, each year to Dare County, the turnover of employees working at retail establishments or employees who are unaware of the North Carolina color coded licensing system.  The retail industry has a high turnover rate and we have to insure that everyone distributing tobacco is aware of the laws governing the sale of these products.”
 
“Any increase in the sale of tobacco products to minors is disturbing and we need to continue to educating retailers and store clerks about North Carolina’s Red Flag Tobacco Enforcement Campaign”, said Thomas. She explained “Smoking remains a serious public-health problem in our country, and we need to do everything possible to keep our young people from picking up the habit."


Both “Peer Power” and “Touch no Tobacco” are programs of the Dare County Department of Public Health.  Touch no Tobacco is funded by the NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund (HWTF).  The NC HWTF makes North Carolina stronger, both physically and economically, by funding programs that promote preventive health. Created by the General Assembly in 2000 to allocate a portion of North Carolina's share of the national tobacco settlement, HWTF has invested $199 million to support preventive health initiatives and $116 million to fund prescription drug assistance programs. For more information, visit www.HealthWellNC.com.
 
Dare County Peer Power students visited with retailers from Kitty Hawk to Hatteras.  To receive Red Flag Tobacco Enforcement Campaign materials or for more information contact Lisa Phillips, the Youth Tobacco Prevention Coordinator for Dare, Currituck and Hyde Counties at (252) 475-5077 or the ALE Tobacco Program Coordinator, Carol Morris at (919) 733-4060.

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Cape Hatteras Secondary School’s Peer Power Student, Crystal Waters, distributes Red Flag signage to Ollie Jarvis at Dillons Corner.
 

First Flight High School’s Peer Power Students, from left to right, Angela Watts and Ashten Rary talk with Rite-Aid Manager, Tracy Baize, about the Red Flag Campaign.
 

Cape Hatteras Secondary School’s Peer Power students Caitie Parsons and Brianna James post Merchant Education signage to educate store clerks.
 

Cape Hatteras Secondary School’s Peer Power students Rheanna Miller and Trisha Cutler showcase a sign that states “We ID Everyone under 99” a precaution to prevent sales to minors.