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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. 340 Tanger Dr. • Commerce, GA Located in the Tanger Outlet Center MOVIE HOTLINp <706) 423-9659 C l N bM Ab www.novacmemas.com Call 706-423-9659 for all movies and show times or visit our website www.novacinemas.com ALL MOVIES PRESENTED IN A STEALTH CINEMA ENVIRONMENT! 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, Zero Down and Zero Payments For 12 Months! 0% Interest for 12 Months! .Blu£ | LASER GROUP ATt€6 CA. HWTWEU, I CAHESVilif CA. FPANK J TIRED OF CONTACTS AND GLASSES? Don’t miss your opportunity to have a clearly better quality of life. Intralase - a 100% blade-free vision correction procedure is clinically shown to take more participants to 20/20 and beyond. Bring a better life into focus and don’t miss a single sight with Intralase. Attend our FREE educational seminar and register to win a FREE Vision Correction procedure! 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