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PAGE 6A -- THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS, WEDNESDAY. NOVEMBER 7. 2007
2007 Taste Of Jackson/Business Showcase
Taste Of Jackson/Business Showcase Draws Crowd To Civic Center
Charles Elsey and Jeff Daniels hand out mate- Jackson/Business Showcase last Thursday Attendees of the Jackson County Area Outlet Centers booth. The event drew hundreds
rials regarding Toyota vehicles at Southeast night. Chamber of Commerce’s Taste of Jackson/ of visitors.
Toyota Distributors’ booth at the Taste of Business Showcase gather around the Tanger
Antibiotic-Resistant Staph Nothing
To Panic About, Health Official Says
County Schools Head Back To Bank
To Borrow More Operating Funds
A regional health official says
parents should be aware of — but
not overly alarmed by — reports
of antibiotic-resistant staph infec
tions being in area schools.
Methicillin-resistant staphylo
coccus aureus (MRSA) comes in
two forms, one of which is deadly
and the other of which is seldom
fatal, but there’s been a lot of
confusion about the two, says
Lynn Beckmann, the Northeast
Georgia Health District epidemi
ologist.
“Most of what you’re hearing
about is this form that’s com
munity-acquired MRSA, which is
rarely, rarely invasive and deadly”
she says. “It’s a whole different
staph than what is in hospital-
acquired MRSA. The strain that
these kids pick up in school, for
the most part, is much more sus
ceptible to antibiotics and rarely
results in death.”
But that hasn’t kept fear total
ly at bay, as news reports have
depicted schools where entire
classrooms have been sanitized
because of one or more cases of
community-acquired staph.
That form of MRSA, typically
coming from locker rooms, gyms
and other places where people
are in close proximity is not even
“reportable,” meaning that indi
vidual cases are not required to
be reported to the health district.
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Beckmann said much of the
hysteria stems from media
reports based on a Journal of the
American Medical Association
story.
“They gave a number who died
with MRSA, but didn’t specifically
say they died of it,” she said. “But
the invasive MRSA tends to be in
people 65 and older. Most of the
community-acquired MRSA is in
people 17 and younger.”
The health district “is aware of
some MRSA cases in schools in
Jackson County,” Beckmann said,
but that is neither unusual nor a
cause for great alarm.
When a child is found to have
MRSA, there is not even a recom
mendation that he or she be kept
out of schools. The protocol is
to keep the wound covered, and
to wash hands frequently, do not
share things like towels and avoid
skin-to-skin contact.
“It’s nothing to panic over,”
Beckmann advised.
IN THE HOSPITAL
At BJC Hospital, every patient
who comes in for surgery or who
will stay overnight undergoes a
nasal swab to detect stapf under
a four-month-old protocol, said
Maura Cobb, interim chief nurs
ing officer.
“We have a very, very low per
centage,” she said. “We’re on top
of MRSA. We’ve done a lot of
staff education, we have great
infection control nurses and we’re
keeping up with the CDC guide
lines.”
More cases are found among
emergency room patients, she
said, and many of the people do
not realize they have it.
“You can be a MRSA carrier
and not be sick,” Cobb noted.
“It is pretty prevalent in school
dorms, sports facilities and gyms.
The Wellness Center washes
down every piece of equipment
after use. A lot of those places are
getting on the bandwagon.”
Contributing factors, she said,
include crowding, skin-to-skin
contact, compromised skin, con
taminated items or surfaces and a
lack of cleanliness, particularly in
schools, dormitories, correctional
centers and day care centers.
Treatment usually involves high-
powered antibiotics, but preven
tion remains the best medicine.
By Brandon Reed
The Jackson County Board of
Education voted unanimously
Monday night to authorize a sec
ond loan to pay operating expens
es until new tax revenue begins
coming in. The loan amount was
for up to $3.75 million.
According to Superintendent
Shannon Adams, an attor
ney for Regions bank recom
mended the second note rather
than an addendum to the first
PLEASE
RECYCLE
THIS
NEWSPAPER
Newspapers and maga
zines can be recycled
at Keep Jackson County
Beautiful's recycling bins
behind First GA Banking
Company — in the Lanier
Tech parking lot, South Elm
Street, Commerce.
ATTENTION CHOCOLATE LOVERS, BAKERS AND TASTERS!
You're invited to attend the
2007 CHOCOLATE FAIR ON NOVEMBER 12, 2007
FROM 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. in the Community Room at the
TANGER TOWN CENTRE at Banks Crossing
Want to win $100? Enter a chocolate dish in the Banks County CVB Chocolate Fair Chocolate
Competition and if your dish wins, you'll receive $100! Entry fee is $25 and the deadline to enter is
November 8, 2007.
Want to taste all the chocolate dishes in the competition? Purchase a ticket in advance for $5 (tickets are
$7 at the door) to attend the fair and taste all the dishes in the competition. No one admitted without
ticket. Children 12 and under are admitted free.
Tickets and entry forms available in Cornelia at Community Bank & Trust; in Homer at First Georgia
Bank; and at Banks Crossing at RE/MAX Select Commerce in the Commerce Crossing mall.
For an entry form, tickets or more information, call the Banks County Convention & Visitors Bureau
(CVB) at 706-677-5265 or email bankscvb@windstream.net.
note, which was for $6 million.
Chairman Kathy Wilbanks said
that even with the new note, the
total amount borrowed is still
less than the previous year by
about $250,000.
Adams said the board received
its first tax disbursement check
last week and that it was more
than double the anticipated
amount. The check was for
$700,000 but had been antici
pated at $300,000.
County property taxes are col
lected on a calendar year basis
while public schools are funded
on the state’s fiscal year, which
begins July 1. The result is that
many schools borrow to cover
operating expenses in the fall
until local property taxes are col
lected later in the year.
CLASSIFIED DEADLINE
NOON ON MONDAYS
Weekly Health Tip From Kim Bost
Pharmacist - Owner
How Much is Too Much?
Many prescriptions and over the counter
products contain acetaminophen, the active
ingredient in Tylenol®. Too much
acetaminophen can damage your liver. It is
important to look at the “active ingredients”
section of the label every time you buy an over
the counter product to avoid an overdose. An
overdose can occur if you take a prescription
product that contains acetaminophen and then
1 combine that with an OTC product that contains
acetaminophen. Examples of OTC combination
products that contain acetaminophen are
Actifed®, Sinutab®, Benadryl Allergy Sinus
1 Headache®. Sudafed Cough and Cold®, NyQuil ^
Cold/Flu®, Pamprin®, and many more. If you
have any questions about acetaminophen dosing
or whether a prescription or over the counter
medications contain acetaminophen, ask our
pharmacists at Homer Drug Co. and Tiger Town
Pharmacy.
706-335-0099
1939 Homer Rd., Commerce, GA
Intersection of 441 By-Pass and Homer Rd.
In Commerce Professional Park
Monday-Friday 9 - 6; Saturday 9 - 12 Noon; tigertownpharmacy@alltel.net,
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