Allegheny County in Pittsburgh, PA is my specific
county. I talked with the supervisor, of
the Public Health Nurses at the Allegheny County Health Department, and her
name was Irene. Irene told me that at
the moment their main concern is Influenza and Legionella and then as the
spring season comes they will also be focusing on Pertussis.
1.
Influenza is an annual disease that hits the
entire population as the winter season comes.
The Health Department focuses on making sure that they vaccinate as many
people as possible. The Health
Department along with many other institutions throughout the city make the
current flu vaccine available for anyone who comes in, they even offer it for
free for anyone between the ages of 6mo and 18yrs old. The Health Department also has good relations
with the local news agencies. As the flu
season comes around they are able to publicize precautions and the availability
of the vaccine to the public through PSA’s, newspapers, and news shows.
2.
Legionella, a type of pneumonia, has become a
growing concern in Pittsburgh due to a recent outbreak at the VA hospital. The Health Department immediately contacted
the CDC when they found that one of the hospital greeters had contracted
Legionella. The CDC confirmed the
outbreak and immediately news agencies were informed and therefore informed the
public. Reporters informed the public of
signs and symptoms, which include a high fever, muscle aches, and headaches. The Health Department worked with the CDC to effectively
track down all those that had come in contact with the infected persons and
treated according to CDC protocol.
3.
The Legionella outbreak also brought up a good
point about safety, and how we can protect against disease. One thing that Irene mentioned is how they
deal with the occasional foodborne diseases.
It is the job of the Health Department not only to find the source of
the outbreak, but to keep it from spreading further. To do this they make sure that if a food
industry worker is sick that they stay home from work, and are kept from
contaminating the food. They also make
sure that once they have removed the main problem that any food that may have
been contaminated is gotten rid of.
4.
As the spring season rolls around the Health
Department will face and increased amount of Pertussis cases. They work in conjunction with hospitals and
health care providers to make sure that children receive their TDaP shot. Pertussis can be a harsh disease and can only
be treated with antibiotics when detected early enough. The Health Department works with doctors to
make sure that parents are made aware of the signs and symptoms of Pertussis,
but more importantly that it is a vaccine preventable disease. Irene said the most effective prevention is
education of parents and immunization of the children.
5.
Finally, the health department also deals with
STD’s within the community. The
department offers immunizations throughout the year for free or little charge
to those who are at risk, but may be unable to afford it. They also offer testing for individuals, and
refer patients for counseling for those who are tested positive. When there are unusually large numbers
reported to the department they are able to interview those who have been
affected and find the point source. Once
they have found the source they are able to make them aware of their condition
and keep them from further spreading the disease.
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