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* HOT TOPICS *
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has declared January as Radon Action Month as part of the agency’s on-going efforts to make families aware of the health hazard presented by radon in homes. Overexposure to radon has been implicated as the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. EPA’s newest campaign is Living Healthy & Green. EPA developed Living Healthy & Green to educate the public about how easy it can be to mitigate radon As part of this campaign EPA has created several free, publicly-available graphics about radon, and a public service announcement campaign for print, television, and radio at http://www.epa.gov/radon encouraging families to test their homes for radon. Part of the campaign features former NFL kicker Fuad Reveiz, now a home builder who uses radon-resistant construction and encourages others to do the same. The 30 second television and radio pieces are available copyright free. The campaign is available in multiple media formats and sizes for newspapers, magazines, billboards and the web in both English and Spanish. Elements can be viewed and ordered on line at www.epapsa.com/campaigns/greensox/. Audio podcasts about radon provide interview topic ideas, see: http://www.epa.gov/region3/multimedia/frame1contents/audio_topics.html.
CDC, CHPA Educational Foundation Launch Up and Away and Out of Sight
Every year, more than 60,000 young children end up in emergency rooms because they got into medicines while their parent or caregiver was not looking. The Up and Away and Out of Sight educational program was created to remind families of the importance of safe medicine storage. To help keep children safe through proper medicine storage, Up and Away and Out of Sight educates parents and caregivers by: reminding them about safe medicine storage; providing them with information and tools to keep their child/children safe; and encouraging them to take action. To learn more about the program and its resources and tools, visit www.upandaway.org (www.upandaway.org/es in Spanish). For more information about what you can do to prevent accidental poisoning, please visit www.poisonhelp.hrsa.gov. And remember to program the Poison Help number – 800-222-1222 - into your cell phones! Up and Away and Out of Sight is part of the PROTECT Initiative, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) Educational Foundation, and the Health Resources and Services Administration, among other organizations.
Michigan Maternal & Child Health County Profiles Now Available
The Maternal Child Health Epidemiology Unit at MDCH would like to announce the availability of the latest version of our "MCH Databook", more formally known as the "Michigan Maternal & Child Health County Profiles". The MCH Databook provides ten years of data at the county level on selected maternal and child health performance measures. This is the fourth publication of this report, covering the ten years from 2000 to 2009. The MCH Databook is posted on the MCH Epi Unit's webpage at www.michigan.gov/mchepi or you can Click Here to be taken directly to the datatbook.
Asthma Updates
The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) Chronic Disease Epidemiology Unit would like to announce the release of the 2005-2009 Michigan Asthma Call-Back Survey Child and Adult Standard Tables.
Prevalence of Asthma-Related Health Conditions Among Michigan Adults
Prevalence of Asthma-Related Health Conditions Among Michigan Children
As of October 2, 2011, the Manager Certification requirement is in effect for all food establishments that are not exempted by the Michigan Food Law (MFL) or a statewide variance.
Please go to the Environmental Health Section for more information on the Manger Certification requirements.
Pertussis and its Comeback - In Persons of All Ages
Michigan public health authorities have observed a notable increase in petussis case reports throughout the state since mid-2008. From 2003-2007, the annual average number of reports was about 340 cases per year. In 2009 there were over 900 cases reported, and in 2010 there were 1,541 confirmed cases of pertussis in Michigan. From January - December of 2010, there were 22 confirmed cases of pertussis in Bay County. To learn more about how to protect you and your family, click here. Sounds of Pertussis (video clip)
Increased Reports of Bed Bug Infestations
Michigan Department of Community Health has developed the "Michigan Manual for the Prevention and Control of Bed Bugs." The manual has general inspection, prevention, and control recommendations, as well as site-specific guidelines for many situations. Download the manual here.
Michigan Smoke Free Law Information Page
To find information as well as answers to frequently asked questions regarding the new Michigan Smoke Free law that became effective on May 1, 2010, click here.
Michigan is Smokefree. Are You?
People who want to quit smoking or chewing tobacco can now take advantage of free nicotine replacement products by calling the Michigan Tobacco Quitline. The quitline phone number is 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669) and registration is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The program will provide a two-week supply of nicotine patches, gum or lozenges to tobacco users who are age 18 and over and meet basic requirements.
Eat Safe Fish and Wild Game
You can find information on safe fish and wild game consumption guidelines as well as Saginaw Bay/River fish advisory information.
Eat Safe Fish and Wild Game |