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SATURDAY, AUGUST 19, 2006
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Perry Middle School students in Terry Clopton’s Georgia History class spent a couple of days recently brushing up
on their geography skills. These students, according to a release, are making sure they remember their cardinal
and intermediate directions. Students, from left, are: Michael Bennett, Nick Wood, Altony Hall, Avery Jones, Katylyn
Offenberg, Erin Taylor, Rachel Lilja, Reggie Davis, Maite Medina and Catelyn Conway.
What should you do in the case of a pandemic flu?
By KRISTY WARREN
Journal Staff Writer
Experts say that in the
case of a worldwide flu out
break, the most important
steps are those taken close
to home.
To that end, the North
Central Health District
hosted a Pandemic Flu
Summit Thursday at the
Goodwill Conference Center
in Macon.
In attendance were repre
sentatives from various com
munity organizations and
businesses, including hospi
tals and schools, including
those from Houston County.
According to the NCHD, the
. summit was planned in order
to provide an opportunity
; for the representatives to sit
. together to discuss planning
ideas specific to their organi
zations and allow represen
tatives to discuss planning
Scenarios for each of the
District’s 13 counties.
• According to a release,
Karen Ebey-Tassendorf,
Emergency Preparedness
• Coordinator with the NCHD
; said, “A future pandemic
; will have an affect on every
one and that is why it is
• important for our health dis
• trict to encourage planning,
not only for the healthcare
industry, but also for organi
zations such as businesses,
civic groups, and schools. If
faced with a flu pandemic,
we would all have to work
together and so it’s criti
cal that we plan together as
«well.”
Currently, the focus is on
' the bird flu as being the next
possible pandemic.
In Epidemiologist for the
Georgia Division of Public
Health, Dr. Cherie Drenzek’s
speech on the Avian Influenza
and Pandemic Influenza at
the summit, she said that
as of yet, the only occur
rences of the bird flu strain
in humans have not been in
the United States and most
of them are the result of
direct contact with sick or
dead poultry.
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Journal Kristy Warren
More than 225 representatives from various sectors of the community attended the
summit. Thirteen counties in the district were represented.
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Journal/Kristy Warren
Dr. Joseph Swartwout,
District Health Director,
says individual families can
prepare for the isolation
and interruption of servic
es that will result from a
pandemic by stocking suf
ficient food and water. He
also emphasizes the dan
gers of panic in the situa
tion of an outbreak.
The only cases of human
to-human transmission has
been in the case of a caregiv
ers’ contraction of the virus.
So far, the spread from per
son to person has been con
tained within family clus
ters.
In her speech, she also
addressed the reasons why
there is so much concern.
Five out of six of the precur
sors for a pandemic have
occurred: the flu is wide
spread and spreading in
birds, there are continued
outbreaks among domestic
poultry, there is infection of
other mammals such as cats,
the virus is evolving and
there are sporadic human
cases.
The sixth item for which
we are attempting to pre
pare, she said, is the “sus
tained and rapid person to
person transmission.”
Drenzek stressed that
preparation on the local
level is so important because
the federal government has
already warned that they will
be of no help in the case of an
outbreak. No vaccine will be
available immediately, as the
virus is continuously evolv
ing, allowing it to become
increasingly susceptible to
human transmission. Social
distancing measures will
need to be in place, limiting
medical response and caus
ing a devastating economical
impact as people will not be
able to go to work.
In a press release, Dr.
Joseph Swartwout, District
Health Director for the
NCHD, said, “I am pleased
with the level of participa
tion we have with our coun
ties and we look forward to
the increased participation
that will come as a result
of this summit. As a health
district, we will continue to
assist and support localized
planning efforts.”
For Lisa Harris, Infection
Control Practitioner for
Houston Health Care, the
summit has been an oppor
tunity to meet with different
sectors.
She has been “involved
in planning in the hospital
for an influx of infectious
patients.” But, she said, “it’s
not going to be just hospi
tals.”
The community, Houston
County and district partners
will all have “to be ready to
work together.”
Guest speakers at the sum
mit included Drenzek, Doug
Langley, Director of Security
Strategy & Planning for the
Bell South Corporation and
Buzz Weiss, Public Affairs
Officer for the Georgia
Emergency Management
Agency.
The United States has not
experienced a flu pandemic
for the last four decades.
According to a release from
the NCHD, the most infa
mous pandemic breakout,
the Spanish Flu of 1918,
killed over 500,000 people in
the U.S. and millions world
wide. Many public health
experts predict that the
LOCAL
world may experience a flu
pandemic in the future.
The North Central Health
District, in coordination with
local health departments,
provides services to protect
the health of residents in
the counties of Baldwin,
Bibb, Crawford, Hancock,
Houston, Jasper, Jones,
Monroe, Peach, Putnam,
Twiggs, Washington and
Wilkinson.
For more information on
how your organization can
be planning for the pandem
ic influenza, call 751-3029.
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4025 WATSON BLVO., SUITS 200 ■ WARNER ROBINS, SA
(Next door to Tuesday Morning)
478-9?l-iOr6,
Community Events
■ HORSE SHOW
- Horseman’s Quarter
Horse Association Futurity
will be held today at the
Reaves Arena Covered
Horse Arena Horse Barn
and Beef/Dairy Barn at 8
a.m. For more information,
call 770-227-2159.
■ MEETING - The
Warner Robins City Council
will meet Monday at 6:30
p.m. in the council cham
ber, Warner Robins City
Hall, 800 Watson Blvd. A
preliminary meeting is
scheduled for 5 p.m. in the
upstairs conference room.
■CARDIAC SUPPORT
- The quarterly cardi
ac luncheon will be held
Monday at noon at the
Health Connections. Lynn
Cochran, RN, CDE, will
present the program “Rein
in Your Risk of Stroke.”
Must pre-register by call
ing 923-9771.
■ BREAST CANCER
SUPPORT -Session will
be held Monday at 7 p.m.
at the Health Connections.
■ STRESS
MANAGEMENT- Burton
Carriker, Program
Administrator for Houston
Healthcare Behavioral
Services and a licensed
health counselor, will lead
Howto Submit
■ To submit your event for the Community Calendar, fax the
details to (478) 988-1181, e-mail to cperkins@evansnewspapers.
com or mail to Houston Daily Journal, PO. Box 1910, Perry, GA
31069
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■ Aug., 1956 - Tharpe Memorial Baptist Church
hosted revivial
Rev. Joe Holden was guest speaker for a revivial series
at the Tharpe Memorial Baptist Church.
The program opened with a homecoming service and
included Joel Land performing as song leader for the
services.
Rev. Jack Thomas, former pastor of the church,
preached the homecoming sermon. Holden preached the
remaining services, !
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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
a class to help understand
and deed with stress on
Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the
Houston Health Pavilion
EduCare Center. Call 923-
9771 to pre-register.
■ ALZHEIMER’S
SUPPORT - Group
for families, caregiv
ers and friends dealing
with Alzheimer’s dis
ease and related disor
ders meets Tuesday at
7 p.m. in the Houston
Health Pavilion EduCare
Center. Sponsored by the
Alzheimer’s Association-
Central Georgia Chapter.
■ BLOOD DRIVE
-An American Red Cross
blood drive will be held
at First Baptist Church-
Perry, 1105 Main Street,
Room 223, Wednesday
from 3:30-7:45 p.m.
■ CRITICAL
CONDITIONS - This
program will educate and
engage you in planning for
health care at the end of
life and is held Wednesday
from 2-3 p.m. at the
Houston Health Pavilion
EduCare Center. You will
receive a copy of the legal
document that combines
durable medical power of
attorney and the living
will. Call 923-9771 to pre
register.
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