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214 S. Wagner Ave. Wapakoneta, OH 45895 Phone: (419) 738-3410 Fax: (419) 738-7818 |
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Auglaize County Health Department |
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Auglaize County General Health District |
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This site is designed to bring you information on the programs, services and activities that we provide. |
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Pandemic Flu/Bird Flu
Bird Flu (Avian Flu) is an illness caused by an influenza virus that normally only infects birds. The virus is spread through saliva, nasal secretions and feces. Birds become infected when they come in contact with contaminated excretions or surfaces that are contaminated.
One particular strain, H5N1, is causing concern around the world because at least 272 people have become infected with this virus, 162 of them dying. Virtually all of these people had direct contact with birds or bird products. There is NO evidence of the virus being passed person to person. The H5N1 virus has NOT been found in the US.
If the virus mutates or changes enough so it can easily go from person to person, we may experience a pandemic outbreak of this new strain of flu. The health department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) are actively working on plans to deal with this possibility. Please visit the websites below for up-to-date information about pandemic flu.
Toolbox for Schools: http://www.ohiopandemicflu.gov/docs/panfluschooltoolkit.pdf
Additional Resources: http://www.ohiopandemicflu.gov/
Mad Cow and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Mad Cow, technically called Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), is a progressive, degenerating nervous system disease that eventually causes death in cattle. Signs and symptoms of this disease include temperament changes such as nervousness or aggression, difficulty in walking or getting up off the ground, decreased milk production, and severe muscular twitching. The disease is believed to be caused by a defective protein called a prion in the brain. Most scientists believe the disease is transmitted by feeding cattle products such as brains and bones from cows infected with BSE to healthy cows. There is no way to test live cattle for this disorder; brain matter from dead cattle is tested. Since 1997, the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) banned the use of animal products in animal feed. In 2003, even more stringent policies were put in place to decrease the risk of any cow that may be infected with BSE getting into the food supply.
Although there is ongoing debate, there is some evidence that a link exists between eating infected cattle meat and development of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the human version of BSE. However, to date there is no definitive scientific agreement on exactly how and where people can get Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol7no1/pdfs/brown.pdf http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/bse/ http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/cjd/ http://jackson.ifas.ufl.edu/bse.htm http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Bovine_Spongiform_Encephalopathy_Mad_Cow_Disease/index.asp |
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Contact Info: Phone: 419-738-3410 Fax: 419-738-7818 Email: info@auglaizehealth.org
Hours: Monday—Friday 8:00 AM—4:30 PM
Location: 214 S. Wagner St. Wapakoneta, OH 45895 |
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Mission: Provide the residents of Auglaize County with superior public services at the most reasonable cost. This is a continuing obligation to which all other obligations are secondary. |
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Auglaize County to make a clean break from illness… The Auglaize County Health Department is kicking off a hand washing campaign with posters we hope you’ll be seeing every time you use a public restroom.
Hand washing is the single most important act you can do to prevent getting sick and making others sick. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 5,000 people die each year from food borne illnesses. 78 million become ill, and between 79,000 and 96,000 die from hospital infections each year.
Page-sized posters that can be hung in restroom areas can be downloaded here:
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MRSA
There is a growing concern about Community Acquired Methicillin Resistant Staph Aureus infections (CA-MRSA). MRSA is a type of “staph” infection that is resistant to many antibiotics. MRSA can cause illness ranging from skin infections, to abscesses, to generalized infection and rarely death. In the community, most MRSA infections are skin infections that may appear as pimples or boils.
MRSA is usually transmitted by direct skin to skin contact or contact with shared items or surfaces that have come in contact with someone else’s infection (eg. towels, used bandages). Almost all MRSA skin infections can be effectively treated by drainage of pus with or without antibiotics. More serious infections, such as: pneumonia, blood stream infections, or bone infections, are very rare in people who get MRSA skin infections.
For more information you can visit Ohio Department of Health’s webpage on MRSA. |