Smoke is Smoke – Tobacco, Cannabis, Hookah and E-cigarettes – Limit your exposure to it! Tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in Canada. Tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke are link to cancer, heart disease and several other diseases. But have you thought about other types of smoke? All smoke is harmful, whether it comes … Read More
Stop! Clean Your Hands!
Hand cleaning is very simple. It is the best way to reduce the spread of bacteria and viruses such as the flu and MRSA after you’ve touched a potentially contaminated surface at the gym, at work or school, or at home or if you are dealing with a nasty cold. www.handhygiene.ca recommends that we clean our hands for at least 20 … Read More
Winter is Fast Approaching: Are You Prepared?
Winter can mean bitter cold and storms that bring high winds, icy rain or heavy snowfall. Are you prepared for whatever the season will bring? Do you have an emergency plan for you and your family? It only takes about 20 minutes to make a family emergency plan online. Before starting, think about: Identifying meeting places to reunite with family … Read More
Prevent Antibiotic Resistance At Home
Do you know that certain antibiotics no longer work on certain bacteria? This is because we often use antibiotics incorrectly and too often. We need to prevent this problem from getting worse. What can we do? As a patient, ask if tests will be done to make sure the right antibiotic is prescribed. Take antibiotics exactly as the doctor tells … Read More
Vaccines are Important!
Parents want to do everything possible to make sure their children are healthy and protected from preventable diseases. Vaccination is the best way to do that. Vaccination protects children from serious illness and complications of vaccine-preventable diseases which can include amputation of an arm or leg, paralysis of limbs, hearing loss, convulsions, brain damage, and death. Vaccine-preventable diseases, such … Read More
How to Safely Dispose of Needles
Finding needles in community areas such as parks is a health and safety concern for everyone. Used syringes should be disposed of properly in order to protect others from injury and infections like Hepatitis C and HIV. It’s important to remember that the risk of becoming infected with one of these infections through a needle-stick injury is very low. Prevention … Read More
Preparing your Student for Shots At School
Your child may be feeling anxious about getting needles at school. Yes, your child. The Public Health Nurses work to minimize the time the students are within the clinical environment, and use other techniques to decrease pain and anxiety, in order to help the student through the process. Here are some ways for you to help your child prepare for … Read More
Back to School: Do you have a child in Grade 7?
If so, you should receive immunization consents from the Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit the first week of school. This school year we will be providing Hepatitis B, Meningococcal and HPV immunizations to all Grade 7 students (boys and girls), as well as catching up any Grade 8 students who may have missed out. The process is simple – just sign the consent form … Read More
Blue-Green Algae or Cyanobacteria
We wish to remind residents to stay out of beach/river water if it appears bright green or pea soup in colour. Blue-green algae are microscopic plants that live in fresh water and their scientific name is Cyanobacteria. Normally blue-green algae are barely visible, but, during warm weather, populations can rapidly increase to form a large mass called a bloom. Blooms … Read More
Is your child home-schooled?
They may qualify for free Hepatitis B, Meningococcal and Human Papillomavirus vaccines that are offered FREE to grade 7 students in Chatham-Kent. Nurses from the Public Health Unit visit each school and provide these vaccinations. They are not free from a Health Care Provider. Hepatitis B is an infection of the liver caused by a virus. There is no cure. The … Read More
Decrease Stigma in our Community – Opioid Overdoses
Opioid overdoses claimed the lives of at least 2, 458 Canadians last year. Two people die every day in Ontario because of this issue. The Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit and the Chatham-Kent Drug Awareness Council invite you to join us on Thursday, August 31st for International Overdose Awareness Day. A community memorial event will be taking place from 7:00pm-9:00pm at … Read More
Chlamydia Alert!
Chlamydia alert! Many cases of Chlamydia are being missed. If you are sexually active, take note. A pap test is not a sexually transmitted infection (STI) test. A pap test checks for abnormal cervical cells only. You can ask for an STI swab to be done at the same time as your pap OR just pee in a bottle to … Read More