Influenza Update 9/29/11

Maine CDC has already distributed almost 154,000 doses of state-supplied influenza vaccine to registered providers for the 2011-2012 season.

Information about second doses for children under 9, school-located vaccine clinic (SLVC) registration forms, and other related materials are available in our SLVC toolkit.

Almost 160 clinics at 49 school districts have already been registered for this season. Maine CDC is pleased to announce that certain vaccine clinic supplies will be available for free to schools offering SLVC this year. Schools that have the supplies they need for clinics can still order items that may help in the prevention and control of influenza in the school. For more information: http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/boh/maineflu/h1n1/toolkit/SLVC-supplies.pdf

US CDC has posted a study on 115 influenza-associated pediatric deaths from September 2010 through August 2011 and highlights the importance of both annual vaccination and rapid antiviral treatment.

A searchable county listing of flu clinics is available at http://www.211maine.org/flu-clinics/

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

The 14th Annual Silver Tea to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month was held Sept. 28. The tea was sponsored by Maine First Lady Ann LePage and the member organizations of the Breast Health Cooperative:

American Cancer Society, Maine CDC’s Breast and Cervical Health program, Maine Breast Cancer Coalition, Maine Breast Nurse Network, Maine Cancer Foundation, and the Maine affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Mrs. LePage read the 2011 Governor’s Proclamation designating October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Robert J. Ferguson, PhD, from the Maine Outpatient Rehabilitation Center at Eastern Maine Medical Center, spoke about the association between adjuvant chemotherapy and mild cognitive decline among breast cancer survivors.

Donna Green, RN, BSN, OCN, Clinical Manager of Oncology Administration at Maine Medical Center, was honored with the 2011 Breast Health Leadership Award among professionals.

Patco Construction Company, a family-owned construction business in Sanford, received the 2011 Breast Health Leadership Award among volunteers. The company annually sponsors breast cancer awareness activities, and this year coordinated the production of a two-CD collection that brings together more than two dozen of Maine’s most talented female performers.

World Rabies Day

On September 28, Maine CDC will celebrate the fifth annual World Rabies Day. Established in 2007 by U.S. CDC and the Alliance for Rabies Control, a U.K. charity, this day is dedicated to raise awareness about rabies. Worldwide, more than 50,000 people die from rabies each year.

Rabies is a deadly disease caused by a virus. Rabies is 100% preventable by avoiding wild animals and any animal that you do not know, or by getting rabies shots if an exposure already occurred. A rabies exposure happens when a person or animal comes into contact with the saliva or tissue from the nervous system (brain or spinal cord) of a rabid animal. This contact can be from a bite or scratch, or if the animal’s saliva gets into a cut in the skin or in the eyes, nose, or mouth.

Rabies in people is very rare in the United States, with only one to two cases each year. The last human case of rabies in Maine was in 1937, but this does not mean that rabies is not a problem. Rabies in animals, especially wildlife, is common in most parts of the country, including Maine. The most commonly infected animals in Maine are raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes. To date in 2011, 51 animals tested positive for rabies.

If you think that you have been exposed to rabies, wash the wound right away with soap and water. Then, call your doctor and the Maine CDC at 1-800-821-5821 to evaluate the need for animal testing and rabies shots. In addition, if you or your pet is exposed to a suspect rabid animal, call your veterinarian and local Animal Control Officer. If you or your pet is exposed to a wild animal, call your local Game Warden.

Follow these steps to prevent rabies:

• Vaccinate your pet cats and dogs against rabies; it is the law.
• Avoid contact with wild animals or other animals that you do not know.
• Bat-proof your home. Wildlife biologists can provide tips on how to bat proof your home without harming bats but preventing them from entering your home.

For more information about rabies, visit the Maine CDC website at www.mainepublichealth.gov/rabies.

Tanning Beds

I think that tanning beds are a huge public health issue for many reasons. It is promoting cancer rays in college campuses. I think that it is horrible selling point for apartment complexes to upsell their place by promoting tanning. You should not have to sell "cancer" to students to sell your product. These days, people think it is attractive to look tan and pretty, and healthy, however; in a week, that tan fades. In return, ten years down the road you will have cancer rays and wrinkly skin.

Contagion

In the last two years, US CDC has sent scientists and doctors out more than 750 times to respond to health threats.

A new movie called Contagion is showing on screens nationwide. Although Contagion is a work of fiction, US CDC scientists were consulted for their help in making the movie as scientifically accurate as possible.

However, the film doesn’t provide a complete picture of the extensive role that state and local public health agencies would play in responding to a major disease pandemic. Over the last ten years, a major effort has been underway to strengthen the emergency response capabilities of state and local public health.

A quick overview of disease outbreak investigation is available from this Public Health Matters blog

Arsenic

There has been publicity recently over the amount of arsenic in the apple juice that many children drink. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a statement that there is no evidence of any public health risk from drinking these juices and that FDA has been testing them for years.

Arsenic is a naturally occurring element found in water, air, food, and soil in organic and inorganic forms. Inorganic arsenic compounds can be harmful at high and long-term levels of exposure. Organic arsenic compounds are essentially harmless. Because both forms of arsenic have been found in soil and ground water, small amounts may be found in certain food and beverage products, including fruit juices and juice concentrates.

FDA has been tracking total arsenic contamination in apple and other juices for about six years, since foreign producers started gaining an increasing share of the juice market.

Most people ingest small amounts of arsenic each day from various foods, including rice products and shellfish. One of the big sources of arsenic exposure to be on the lookout for in Maine is arsenic in private well water. Half of Maine families get their drinking water from private wells, and 10% of these wells have arsenic levels above the current drinking water standard of 10 micrograms per liter. Only about 45% of families with wells have tested their well water for arsenic -- if you have a well, make sure you have tested it for arsenic.

For more information about arsenic, see this US CDC fact sheet.

National Newborn Screening Awareness Month

Newborn Screening saves lives, prevents disabilities and saves money. In the last five decades, newborn screening has become a well-defined, nationwide early identification program. Every year, 4 million infants born in the United States are screened shortly after birth for hearing loss and certain genetic, endocrine, and metabolic disorders. Each year, approximately 12,000 infants will be identified with one of these disorders.

The goal of newborn screening is to identify infants who appear healthy at birth, but who may have one of these disorders which can cause severe illness or death. Through early identification and treatment, newborn screening provides an opportunity for significant reductions in morbidity and mortality while reducing health care costs associated with treatment of lifelong debilitating conditions.

Phenylketonuria, or “PKU” as it is commonly referred to, was the first newborn screening test ever developed using dried bloodspots. Screening for PKU has been in place since the 1960s. Screening programs are now testing for 30 disorders, and this number is expected to increase in the future as science and technology continue to advance. The majority of disorders identified through newborn screening require lifelong treatment. The most commonly detected disorders are cystic fibrosis (CF), congenital hypothyroidism (CH), and congenital hearing loss.

For more information about newborn screening in Maine, visit the Maine Newborn Bloodspot Screening Program

To tan or not to tan? That is the question!

We all know how popular tanning is. Nearly 30 million people tan each year in the U.S. With shows like Jersey Shore that promote tanning to be a hot style, and furthermore, advertise the option of tanning beds, tanning has become a phenomena in our younger generation. Millions of Americans make tanning a priority in their life just to get that “sun kissed” look. We chose tanning beds as our source for “This is Public Health” because people need to be informed and educated on the short and long term effects using a tanning bed can cause. We need to prevent all the harm that is caused by these salons. We chose to place our public health sticker on a tanning bed at 40Fifty Lofts, a popular apartment complex that houses college students. Young adults and college student tends to be the target population to educate on tanning beds and salons. The population of these individuals are growing where now it slowly not only being young adults but teenagers as well.
There are many potential health risks associated with tanning. Although it may make you look and feel beautiful, there are long term affects that you may not be aware of. There’s a belief that indoor tanning is “safer” and does not damage the skin which leads to a more frequent use of these tanning beds. Unfortunately this is not the case. Indoor tanning involves the use of light bulbs which produces ultraviolet rays which can damage skin cells causing premature wrinkles and age spots. One can always look and feel beautiful without harming themselves. There are other options such as sunbathing naturally but with a high UV protection sunblock to still get some rich color and be safe.

Washing your hands to stay healthy

All our lives we have been taught that when we cough or sneeze, touch door handles, use the bathroom, or even every now and then when its been a while; that we should wash our hands. It is important that people keep their hands clean since this is one of the primary mediums through which germs are spread. We are always on the move, touching everything and using our hands all the time. Our group decided to take a picture of a sink at a local frozen yogurt establishment called "you say when". We chose this location because this is a recent food establishment that has opened near campus, and has become a popular place for many college students. In this domain of yogurt treats, there is a buffet style of toppings for your ice cream that you put on yourself, hence the name "you say when". The importance of the sink is so that the employees can wash their hands before and after handing out samples and while helping customers choose their yogurt dish. This addition of a sink helps prevent the spread of infections by the simplest of means... a simple hand washing. It is important to wash hands to help reduce the spread of germs and infections. It has been made law that food establishments must have their employees wash their hands before putting gloves on, after taking gloves off, when they are about to use the cash register, and every so often just to ensure a healthy and clean environment for everyone. By requiring employees to wash their hands, and encouraging customers to do the same, we are saving the trip to the doctor of potentially getting sick by transmitting germs, reducing costs, and ensuring our health. Who do we have to thank for this? None other than public health, helping keep the community informed and up to date on how to prevent the spread of infections, and introducing laws that require employees to wash hands, and encouraging the rest of us to do it as well.

Picture taken at "You say when" on fowler. In the picture: Neeti Pradeep, Jerin Madhavappallil, Taken by Michael Rojek

Contagion

The place that we chose to place our public health sticker was the Muvico Starlight 20 movie theater. The reason we picked this location is because of the movie, "Contagion" that premiered on Friday, September 9, 2011. This movie is about the bird flu and how when it first showed up, it took the world by storm. Most people did not understand the disease or how it was being transmitted, and this caused terror and fear around the world. Also because of this, the transmission was causing death and the officials were not sure how serious the disease was or how to stop it. The fact that the disease could be turned into a weapon was a scary thought, for not only officials, but the community as well. With the way that the disease was going, it was transforming itself into more resistant strands. This represents public health because the whole movie is about controlling this strand of bird flu and trying to keep the public safe and healthy, and this is the main goal of public health. During the movie, they are using epidemiology to find out the source of the disease, and to find a cure, treatment, and a vaccine for this disease. Also during the movie, they are trying to let the public know what is going on in order to keep them safe, so they know how to protect themselves. This is important because it is the job of public health to keep the public safe and informed about diseases.

Group Members:

Kayla Pinckney

Amanda Stevens

Alexandra (Sandy) Szymanski

Jessica Horal

Think Before You Throw! Don't Litter

It's safe to assume that the majority of us have littered at least once in our life. We probably never thought about what happens to that gum wrapper or cigarette butt when we throw it out of our car window; maybe it gets washed away or swept up, but our small bit of litter definitely doesn't make a difference right? Wrong. Every time we litter we are contributing to the slow-but-sure degeneration of our planet.

We chose to place our This is Public Health Sticker on a sign for the "Think Before You Throw" anti-litter campaign that promotes awareness of how our actions affect our environment. It's no secret that the streets of Tampa are full of litter and garbage, we can see that everyday driving to and from school. We placed the sticker on a sign near the corner of Bruce B. Downs blvd. and Fowler ave. in Tampa.

This is important to Public Health because it is a major source of urban pollution, and it happens every day. Litter creates an eye-sore for any community, affects the wildlife, clogs the storm water drains, and wastewater collection systems, ultimately affecting our health in a negative way. Not to mention it's expensive to clean up. The funny thing is, that for a problem as huge as the amount of litter and garbage that floods our roads, the solution is simple...Don't Litter! Statistics show that people litter because it's convenient and that they believe someone will pick up after them. If drivers and pedestrians would just "think before they throw" and realize that it isn't anymore convenient to toss your garbage out the window than it is to keep a plastic bag in your car to collect garbage and take it inside to dispose once you get home or to wherever you're going, the Tampa Bay area would be a lot cleaner. Campaigns such as this are great visual reminders to keep ourselves in check when driving and walking, and to be conscious of how our actions affect our community.

By: Mohammed Elshaer, Gurtej (TJ) Walha, Samantha Restivo, Alex Moore-Brocato, and Zachary Senter (photographer)

Food Scavengers in Downtown St. Pete

How many of you have ever eaten from a hot dog stand in the middle of downtown St. Pete? Probably not many, because this is not the typical site to see when walking amongst several business professionals entangled with the waitresses and homeless people downtown seems to attract. Not to mention dozens of tourists that fill the busy streets and sidewalks throughout the season. Well economically Mr. John, the owner of the convenient hot dog stand our group ran into, has become extremely successful. John has a portable hot dog stand where he serves well… hot dogs. He also serves drinks and provides condiments, napkins, and utensils to eat with. If this doesn’t scream out to you PUBLIC HEALTH, than I’m not sure it exists. We chose this location because it was in the middle of down town. It is a fast, cheap, and convenient way to grab lunch on the go. We found it interesting how John made every attempt necessary to stay sanitary and well kept. He had a hand washing station on his cart with soap and paper towels. John wore gloves when preparing a meal and changed his gloved in-between uses. John had a cooler with ice, where he kept the drinks, as well as the meat not yet used. He provided costumers with a trash can to eliminate pollution and trash on the streets. I think he does an amazing job with delivering people with affordable and decent food, being that it comes from a mobile cart on the side of the street.

By: Alyssa Bedard, Andrew Laughery, Kim Tran and Ariana Neddermann

Fight the Germs with Sanitizing Wipes!

We chose to place our public health sticker on shopping cart disinfect wipes in shopping centers. This location seemed fit for the project because hundreds of people are touching the shopping carts daily and this can be a health hazard not only because germs are being spread from hand to hand but also because the germs are around all of the food in the store. This represents a public health issue because direct contact is an easy way for germs to be spread. Researchers say that shopping cart handles are one of the dirtiest surfaces in the public health world, and cleaning them can only be beneficial. Germs being spread is an important issue because if one person goes into the store infected with something it can spread quickly due to all the contact with the shopping carts. In comparison to using hand sanitizer rather than sanitizing wipes, you can wash your hands and the handle on the cart so it is more likely for the germs to be killed with a wipe. The H1N1 virus was when the sanitizing wipes became present in the shopping centers and the wipes were used not only as a precaution of spreading the germs, but from killing them as well. Although there is still a 99.9% probability that the germs will all be killed with the sanitizing wipes, there is a still a small chance that germs can be passed on. With this being said it is important to take notice to the primary prevention measures and continue to wash your hands and the shopping cart handles.

By: Taylor Philipson, Eric Eshelman, and Brittany Dickinson

New Age Firefighters Fight More Than Fires

With the September 11th ten year anniversary, we decided to acknowledge the fire departments as our public health issue. We placed our sticker at the Temple Terrace Fire Department, one of the many departments across the country helping citizens in their community. Every year fire departments across the country are responding to fires and various kinds of emergencies to help protect the health of civilians. They are the first to appear after a car accident and have firefighter EMT’s and Paramedics on standby for medical emergencies. They also do routine fire inspections for businesses, schools and even our homes while also advocating fire and safety rules to the community. Not many people realize the risks that firefighters are exposing themselves to everyday, to better the health and safety of others. What people do not realize either is that there are many volunteer firefighters who do the job as any paid firefighter, without compensation. Firefighters, EMT’s and Paramedics go through extensive training and are very educated to ensure our public safety. The main issue is that many firefighters are losing their jobs, or many people are not being hired due to budget cuts. Although there are thousands of volunteer firefighters to help out the situation, it is becoming more difficult to recruit new firefighters or volunteers. One of the main reasons is the time and commitment required for the job especially being only a volunteer and doubts on whether an upcoming firefighter is going to be able to obtain a job. Many fire departments are becoming county wide instead of being local, as part of the budget cuts as well. Cutting back on the number of firefighters means less help and slower response time for civilians in the community who are in need. Overall, having Fire Departments in our community is beneficial for our health and safety. Without them, our lives would seriously be at risk.

By: Elissa Kozey, Brittany King, Matt Newberry, Erica Laza (Photographer)

Strap In—Like Frankie the Bear!

Remember the days as a toddler when we would go grocery shopping with our family and think we were in food heaven? We wanted to run wild and free and touch everything in our sight. Our parents would place us in the cart and expect us to stay put and not move. However, we would still reach as far as we could, our bodies halfway out the cart, to touch everything down the aisle. We were willing to risk our lives at the thought of adventure. For this exact reason our group chose the seatbelt of a shopping cart in the SweetBay market off of Fowler Street as our public health example.

Seatbelts in shopping carts are a necessary preventative measure for the safety of children. These straps greatly help the parents during shopping as a child can be kept in one spot without possible injury. The parents have increased mobility since they can step away from the cart for a moment to grab an item, without having to worry about a possible horror accident. Keeping the child in one area ensures that he or she can’t wander off alone as a parents’ full attention cannot be on the child while shopping. The seatbelt allows the customer to enjoy their experience more and everyone will benefit.

A key essential for safety is providing a spot just for the little one on the cart. The larger area of the cart isn’t secure, children could easily fall out if they stood up, and they would not be within reaching distance of Mom or Dad while the parent pushed the cart.

We noticed that some of the shopping carts’ seat belts were frayed and broken, a public health concern. These seat belts are there for the safety of the child, but if unusable a child’s health and even life could be endangered. Stores ought to properly maintain the seatbelts on these carts. This is a major liability for the store and if an accident were to occur the store could possibly face lawsuits. As a customer we expect the best service possible because we deserve that and we want to ensure our safety for our family is taken into consideration.

An example of how important the seatbelt of a shopping cart is was shared from one of our group members. When the group member’s brother was a couple years old, he was sitting in a shopping cart without the seatbelt on. His mother had turned away for a moment to grab an item off the shelf. In this short space of time, the energetic little boy disobeyed his mother’s command to sit still in the cart (of course). He stood up quickly, placing his little hands on the edge of the cart rail to peer around. But with his young clumsiness, he misjudged his balance and tumbled out of the cart onto the linoleum floor of the supermarket. The first-time mother’s heart stopped when she heard his fall, but miraculously, the young one was uninjured. From then on, she always strapped her child into the cart. When you go shopping make sure to grab a cart with a working seatbelt and look out for your child or loved ones safety!

Group Members : Amanda McElroy, Mitzy Gonzalez, Photographer: Megan Webb

Slow Down for Public Health

We decided to choose a local neighborhood close to University of South Florida’s campus to place our sticker. We stuck our sticker on a designated speed hump within the neighborhood. While taking our picture we chose two locations, a sign stating “Speed Hump 15mph” and the physical speed hump, which are large and clearly warn drivers to exercise caution. This location appealed to our group because we believe that the element of traffic safety was indicative to public health, and it creates a safer environment for pedestrians and the residents. Furthermore, it promotes drivers to be aware of their surroundings and practice more cautious driving habits. It allows for the driver’s to experience increased safety since they are driving at lower speeds.
This is important to public health in various ways. For instance, it promotes a safe environment for local children to be active and play which, from a public health standpoint, makes them less susceptible to the U.S’s growing childhood obesity problem. The speed hump is also largely enforcing and acts as a policing mechanism to slow traffic at places where it is necessary for traffic to be slow. The obvious benefits of a speed hump are that it slows traffic which in turn reduces noise, citizen complaints, and provides accident prevention. Finally the mere presence of a speed hump in a neighborhood provides benefits to the communities mental health, as it provides a general calming feeling to the residents that they can be sure that no speeder’s will be speeding through their community.

Jessica White, Kristen Jadick, Ashley Brogna, Bryan Stevens

Clean Water For Everyone!

Much of the water used in households, businesses, and industries must be treated before it is released back into the community. Wastewater is used water, which includes storm runoff, human waste, food scraps, etc. Treatment plants reduce the amount of pollutants in wastewater so that it is sanitary and safe for humans to use.

Clean water plays a major role in the quality of one’s life. From keeping our bodies hydrated to keeping trees alive, water has a wide range of uses. Since the human body is composed of more than 60% of water, having clean water is a necessity for normal body functions. Without it, we would most likely see an increase of illness and disease such as cholera and e. coli. Thus, cleaning water properly and removing harmful bacteria is a priority for wastewater treatment plants.

Treating wastewater also has many benefits that one might overlook. For example, clean water is critical to plants and animals that live in water, which ultimately benefits the fishing industry. Many consider water to be a playground. Oceans and lakes attract many visitors because of the scenic and recreational opportunities they offer. If oceans and lakes were unsafe to swim in, tourism would decrease severely, thus affecting the economy.

Many pass by wastewater treatment plants every day and do not realize how beneficial places like these are to humans. Wastewater management plays a tremendous role in keeping water clean in the community and environment. This type of water sanitation and sterilization is a step towards prevention of infectious disease and an overall increase of quality of life.

By: Taylor Boggs, Sheryl Campbell, Valerie Dickinson, and Kenneth Little

Easy as 1, 2, 3 Get Your Flu Shots At CVS Pharmacy

Protecting the health of smaller communities is vital to protecting the health of the nation as a whole. Limiting exposure to unhealthy viruses and detrimental diseases that once cleared populations of individuals is a key aspect to our success as a healthy nation. A collective combination of strategic techniques of primary prevention, such as the flu shot vaccination, allows individuals to take health care into their own hands making preventative measures of disease just as pertinent as treatment which is the overall goal of public health. Through awareness, education, and continued funding of health care programs such as the flu shot vaccines, we can collectively push towards more preventative measures of healthcare lowering the high necessity of treatment.

Flu season is already upon us and has been steadily becoming a problem in the community and on campus. Each year in the US 5 to 10 percent of the population is infected with Influenza and $1.7 Billion is spent on children with the infection. Influenza can lead to pneumonia, bronchitis, and ear infections and over 200,000 people are hospitalized from complications with the flu. This is why vaccination against the newest threat this season is so important to the topic of public health. Vaccination is a vital part of primary prevention of disease, so naturally the choice of a sign promoting this vaccination in the form of the Flu Shot provided at CVS Pharmacy is relevant. Our group chose to place our “This is Public Health Sticker” at CVS located on Fowler Ave. and 30^th st. We selected this location as it is in close proximity to USF campus and easily accessible for students and staff, but also for patrons alike. The no appointment walk in type of service at CVS promotes people to get the Flu Shot to slow the rapid spread of the Flu in our community, as they are more likely to get vaccinated if the service is readily available to them.

Hurry in for your vaccination before December as suggested by the CDC. It's only one click away at the link provided http://flushot.cvs.com

Alexander Greene

Amberlyse Guzman

Sheralee Leonardo

Pamela Massenburg

Christina Quinn

Evos: The Healthy Fast Food Place

Healthy and environmentally sound fast food chain, can there even be a place? Yes! We placed our "this is public health" sticker at the Evos fast food chain on Fowler Avenue. We chose this place because of the location's efforts in better and healthier food along with its involvement in the community. Evos is committed to providing on All-American meal that is guilt free, but still delicious! However, it is not just guilt free food that Evos has to offer, it also has a vested interest in its impact on the community.
Well what is so great about the food? One of the many reasons that Evos is a great benefit to its consumer and to public health is its exclusion of deep frying by using an air-baking technique to prepare the fries. Evos eliminates the consumptions of hydrogenated fats, production of waste oil, and reduces the risk of fryer-caused fires. Thus not only are we, who dine at Evos, kept away from unhealthy hydrogenated fats, the community around us is generally safer with a minimized risk of fire and the lack of need to properly dispose of waste oil. Moreover, Evos allows consumers to indulge in products made from organic ingredients, such as shakes and iced teas. That is, Evos provide us with tasty concoctions that are sans artificial additives and genetic modification.
Evos states they raise the animals "naturally". This would have a great contribution for environmental and community health. The lack of hormone and antibiotic meat would provide for a healthier option to fast food, with a greater impact on the community of consumers. The amount of cattle needed would decrease and since the cow/chicken would be free-range, more community benefits. However, Evos says they take a natural approach, not being specific to any free range approach. This would reduce the greenhouse gas and have a lower impact on the environment.
Evos has implemented a few strategies in an effort to make a small, but crucial impact on communities throughout the southeast. For one thing, all of the lights in their restaurant utilize energy efficient light bulbs as well as timing mechanisms to ensure a minimum amount of waste contribution to our city. In addition, the healthier versions of fast food items as well as ready-to-go vegan options make Evos a much better alternative for USF students who need a quick meal. Removing Taco Bell or McDonald’s from someone’s diet certainly promotes a healthier lifestyle. And unlike most fast food joints, Evos lets kids eat free every Sunday, encouraging families to come out and try the wholesome foods they have to offer. Our community will be better off with more children who prefer restaurants like Evos over Burger King. Teaching them healthy eating from a young age can start a trend of adults who eat healthy in the future.

By: Jordan Stumph, Yekaterina Kozyr, McCatty, Chelsea Aasnes

“Please....Don’t be a litter bug!"

No one wants to drive like there in a video game trying to avoid flying papers, fast food and gum wrappers or broken glass bottles on the road. Providing clean sidewalks for pedestrians and bikers, clean road ways for vehicles, as well as clean beaches is all up to the individuals in the community. Too many people are lazy and carefree and don’t always clean up after themselves. Unfortunately, the trash thrown out of car windows or by insensible pedestrians does not just disappear, but becomes a bigger problem. A Public health problem….

Our public health blog group chose the location right off of Fowler Ave. (exit 51),and placed our sticker on the No Littering sign. Our group chose this location because it’s right next to many tourist attractions, such as MOSI, Bush Gardens, and other theme parks… and of course USF. Ensuring a clean environment for tourists from all over the world raises the chance of them returning. Offering the best environment for potential students visiting USF by providing a clean, safe and trash free location, encourages more students to study at USF. We need our communities to look beautiful, with healthy growing palm trees, not cigarettes butts or wrappers wreaking the image. Don’t forget we, Floridians, too benefit from living in a community where littering is discouraged.

Littering poses multiple health dangers to the public, communities, and the environment. Harmful bacteria can accumulate in fast food wrappers or other trash items, cigarette butts have all sorts of chemicals in them, and can even cause fires. Broken glass can hurt a pedestrian, pop a car wheel, or endanger wildlife. Overall litter attracts parasites and bacteria, polluting our air, soil, city water, and oceans at risk.

It can also be hazardous on our roadways. For example, suppose you are driving down the high way you spot a glass bottle drifting towards you. You want to avoid hitting it, but with too many cars the road it’s impossible to redirect your car away from the glass bottle. There are two things which could occur here. The driver could either swerve to avoid it, that being their initial reaction or attempt to drive over it leaving the chance of causing an even bigger accident if it causes damage to their tire. If only the civilian, who decided to just leave their empty glass bottle on the street, would have properly disposed the can, this dangerous situation wouldn’t have occurred.

The no littering Florida Law pertains to public health because it falls into assurance as we learned in chapter one, one of the core functions of public health. Knowing that law enforcement, enforces the importance of keeping our roads trash free, and environmentally clean, shows there support in discouraging potential hazards to our ecosystem. It is important to keep our state and county as litter free as possible for healthy generations to come. The fine of about $100 dollars is quite small compared to the millions being spent on cleanup efforts due to littering. Our actions are reflected in our communities, if we like it or not. So please protect the environment and the general public, were all its’ got. Also a community who reduces litters and prevents littering likely to be a healthy and happy one! We hope this emphasizes the threat and importance of keeping Florida litter free!!!

Nadia Onatsko, Bailey Thompson, and Algery Marrero

Planned or Unplanned: Sexual Health

Need to get HIV/ STI tested? How about you’re annual Women or Men’s Wellness Check-up? Or find out what your birth control options are? Planned Parenthood is where you can do all of this and much more for usually a lower cost than your family doctor/gynecologist. Here women and men can receive sex health information on all types of areas including contraceptives, relationships, pregnancy, and even their sexuality. Our group chose this location because one of the group members missed class because she had an appointment here after the blog post was assigned. Planned Parenthood was created for low-income individuals who did not have insurance and still needed the same procedures or information or just for ANYONE in general. For example, a 17-year old concerned that she has STI symptoms can go to Planned Parenthood can receive STI testing for free or pay a minimal amount for the medication. The 17- year old will be happy that he/she could receive medication without having to involve her insurance and do it all without his/her parents knowing, if that is what she/he choses to do. Here you can get pap smears, which are secondary preventions. You can receive condoms, IUDs, and DEPO shots, which are primary prevention, and you can get medicine to cure your STIs, which is tertiary prevention. The coolest part about this place is that they take male patients also. As a group, we figured it was just about women and their sexual health, but we were wrong. They do A-Z for men also. Planned Parenthood DOES NOT discriminate. HAHA!!!! Any who, Planned Parenthood is “PUBLIC HEALTH,” and you can tell just by the name of the location.

By:Nicole Dinescu, Zuleika Estien, Deviney Rodriguez