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· CALENDAR
WIC Checks: 3, 11
WIC Recerts: 6, 10, 16, 17, 19, 23, 24, 30, 31
Immunizations: 13, 20
Family Planning: 5, 12, 18, 26
Willow Clinic: 4
Mt. View Clinic: 25
Cholesterol Screenings: 24, 31
Holiday’s: 9th-Columbus Day-Closed
FLU SEASON
With the change in the leaves and the weather also comes flu season!
The best defense believe it or not is washing your hands.
Our hands are a great place for germs to collect and then once we touch our mouth or nose it is too late.
Remember to wash your hands often and the correct way:
-Use soap and warm water
-Scrub your hands very well (about 20 seconds); wash in-between fingers, backs of hands, wrists, and under finger nails.
-Rinse well
-Dry hands with a clean paper towel
-Remember to turn off the water using a paper towel instead of your hands!
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West Nile Tire Clean Up
The South Central Solid Waste Management and the Howell County Health Department will hold a collection for waste tires to help eliminate habitat and breeding for mosquito’s that could be carrying the West Nile Virus.
The collection will take place October 7-13, 2006 at the West Plains Transfer Station. Tires can be dropped off at the Transfer Station on Goodhard Drive from 8:30am- 3:30pm each day. Tires should be passenger sizes 20” or less and be off the rim. We are limited to 1000 tires per collection and we can not accept any tires from businesses. Money for this program comes from a district grant through the tipping fee paid on each ton of waste that is taken to the landfill.
Howell County has had 6 horses test positive for WNV, 4 birds and 1 human case this year. It is therefore very important to do all we can to reduce the spread of the WNV in our community. Old tires lying around your property can hold water making them an excellent place for mosquito’s to breed. The tire collection is an excellent opportunity for you to be able to get rid of your old tires, thus helping eliminate further mosquito breeding sites and possibly protecting you from being bitten by a mosquito carrying the WNV.
West Nile virus is a potentially serious illness. Experts believe WNV is established as a seasonal epidemic in North America that flares up in the summer and continues into the fall.
- About one in 150 people infected with WNV will develop severe illness. Symptoms can include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis. These symptoms may last several weeks and neurological effects may be permanent.
- Up to 20% of the people who become infected have symptoms such as fever, headache, and body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back. Symptoms can last for as short as a few days, though even healthy people have become sick for several weeks.
- Approximately 80% of people who are infected with WNV will not show any symptoms at all.
There is a myth that there is not much you can do to prevent or reduce your chance of getting the West Nile virus infection. There are actually several things you can do:
ü Mosquito’s are most active at dusk and dawn so be sure to wear long sleeves and pants, use an insect repellent that contains deet or Picaridin, or consider staying indoors.
ü Make sure you have good screens on your windows and doors to keep mosquitoes out.
ü Get rid of mosquito breeding sites by emptying standing water from flower pots, buckets, barrels and old tires. Change the bird bath and pet’s water dish weekly.
For more information contact the Howell County Health Department at 417-256-7078
The Shape Up West Plains program has had over 1500 people sign up, which includes a few schools (West Plains, Fairview and MSU). The program runs for 8 weeks and started September 18th and ends November 10th. We are encouraging everyone to get 30 minutes a day of physical activity and try and eat 5-9 fruits and vegetables most days of the week. Participants do not have to report in each week, but can keep track for there own personal records.
To keep participants motivated and going since they do not have to report in each week there will be activities going on throughout the 8 weeks. The activities that remain and are free to participants and are as follows:
October 14th: Come to the Downtown West Plains Stroll and get your exercise while you enjoy music, arts, and shopping from (5-9pm). Shape Up participants will be able to register at IB Fruit and Nut to win a goodie basket filled with healthy snacks. They will also receive a free pedometer once they walk all the way around the square visiting area businesses along the way.
October 19th: University of Missouri Extension Specialist Brenda Bell will present a program on Childhood Obesity at the West Plains Public Library at 6:30pm. There will be door prizes given away.
October 24th: Shape Up participants are invited to OMC Parkway Classroom to learn about “Wellness as a Lifestyle” by Jason Dinn, Wellness Coordinator. There will be door prizes given away such as gift certificates to Wal-Mart to purchase fruits and vegetables.
November 2nd: Physical Therapy Specialist Clinic will host a flexibility clinic at 6:30pm at their office.
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National 5 A Day Month also emphasizes the importance of exercise to maintain a healthy weight. Adults should get at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day. Children need to be physically active at least 60 minutes on most day of the week.
"By adding more fruits and vegetable to meals and snacks and participating
in more physical activity, parents can make a real difference in their own
health and the health of their children," Mehrle said.
Eating more fruits and vegetables and increasing physical activity are two
recommendations in Missouri's statewide plan to fight obesity. The plan,
Preventing Obesity and Other Chronic Diseases: Missouri's Nutrition and
Physical Activity Plan, is part of Gov. Matt Blunt's Healthy Missourian's
Initiative developed last year. More information about the plan can be found
at www.dhss.mo.gov/Obesity/.
More information about the importance of eating five or more servings of
fruits and vegetables every day can found at: www.cdc.gov/5aday.
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Are You Eating Fruits & Vegetables?
More Missourians are eating their fruits and vegetables. But three out of four still fall short of recommended servings. The number of Missourians eating fruits and vegetables every day is edging upward, but less than 25 percent of adults are getting the recommended five or more servings a day.
Last year, 22.6 percent of Missouri adults ate five or more servings of fruits and vegetables every day, compared to 19.2 percent in 2002, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
"We know that eating plenty of fruits and vegetables is one sure way to improve your health as well as maintain a healthy weight,” Donna Mehrle, coordinator for the DHSS Nutrition & Physical Activity Programs to prevent obesity and other chronic disease said. "Obesity can lead to a number of problems including diabetes, heart disease, asthma, arthritis and some forms of cancer."
More than half of all Missouri adults are overweight and more than 23 percent are obese.
Tips for eating more fruits and vegetables include:
·Eat a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables every day. Fruits and vegetables of different colors provide a wider rage of valuable nutrients and other natural substances that help protect against chronic diseases.
·Fill up, not out. Eating fruits and vegetables instead of high-fat foods makes a person feel full on fewer calories because fruits and vegetables are lower in calories and higher in fiber than most other foods.
·Include fruits and vegetables in meals and snacks throughout the day.
Whether they're frozen, fresh, canned or dried, all fruits and vegetables count.
- Add vegetables, such as diced tomatoes and onions, to an omelet
- Have fruit as a mid-morning or afternoon snack
- Much on raw vegetables with a low-fat dip
- Order vegetable toppings on pizza
Depending on age, sex and activity level, children and adults should eat between 2 and 6 ½ cups of fruits and vegetables every day, according to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. More information about the amount of fruits and vegetables an adult or child needs can be found
www.mypyramid.gov.
Parents are the key to helping their children get into the habit of eating fruits and vegetables. "It is vital that parents help children establish healthy eating habits early in life," Mehrle said. "Preventing obesity in children and teens will help them avoid health problems now and in the future." |
