DCHHS EDUCATES SENIOR CITIZENS ABOUT

As the number of West Nile Virus human cases con-tinues to rise, Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) held a press confer-ence to announce its collabo-ration with the DEET Educa-tion Program, Washington, D.C. This collaboration al-lowed senior citizens in Dal-las County to receive free in-sect repellent in order to help protect them against the West Nile Virus.

The press conference was held at the West Dallas Senior Center located in the West Dallas Multipurpose Center at 2828 Fish Trap Road in Dal-las on Wednesday, August 15.

DCHHS distributed DEET-based repellent products to se-nior citizens who participate in DCHHS Older Adult Services Program.

As Dr. Christopher Perkins, Medical Director/Health Au-thority demonstrated the prop-er insect repellent applica-tion, informational brochures showing proper repellent ap-plication in English and Span-ish were given out to each se-nior.

“Public education is vi-tal in protecting the commu-nity from West Nile Virus,” said DCHHS Director Zacha-ry Thompson. “I want to thank the DEET Education Program for its donation of insect repel-lent and educational materials

Dallas County Health and Human Services Safe families, healthy lives.

PREPAREDNESS UPDATEPUBLIC HEALTH

September 2012Volume 8, Issue 8

Zachary Thompson, Director

www.dallascounty.org/hhs

DCHHS Holds Saturday Immunizations Clinics

P A G E 2 P A G E 3

Mosquito Control Efforts Increase

Commissioner John Wiley Price; Judge Clay Jenkins; Dr. Christopher Perkins, Medical Director/Health Authority; Commissioner Dr. Elba Garcia; Director Zachary Thompson.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PERSONAL PROTECTIONto help us protect the public from West Nile Virus.”

Infected mosquitoes spread West Nile Virus that can cause serious, life altering dis-ease.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, approx-imately 80 percent of people who are infected with West Nile Virus will not show any symptoms. Up to 20 percent of the people who become in-fected have mild symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches nausea or vomiting. About one in 150 people in-fected with West Nile Virus will develop severe illness.

“Statistically, seniors are more likely to develop the more serious forms of the ill-ness including encephali-tis and meningitis,” said Dr. Christopher Perkins, Medi-cal Director/Health Authority. “However, anyone bitten by an infected mosquito can con-tract West Nile Virus.”

Dr. Perkins encouraged the seniors to minimize exposure to the insect, take personal re-sponsibility and to take the necessary precautions by fol-lowing the 4 Ds: Dress in long, loose and light-colored clothing; use insect repellents that contain DEET; Drain any standing water; stay indoors during Dawn and Dusk hours.

Studies show that 80 per-cent of the people who get the

more serious forms of West Nile Virus did not use insect repellent,” said Dr. Perkins. “The only way to avoid West Nile Virus is to avoid mosqui-to bites.”

Judge Clay Jenkins, Com-missioner John Wiley Price

and Commissioner Dr. Elba Garcia were on hand to help pass out the insect repellent to the seniors.

To report or inquire about mosquito activity in Dallas County please call 214-819-2115.

PREPAREDNESS UPDATESeptember 2012 | Dallas County Health and Human Services | www.dallascounty.org/hhs

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BACK-TO-SCHOOL RUSH ANTICIPATEDSome would say head-

ing back to school is synony-mous with long lines. Long lines at clothing stores as par-ents replace worn-out or over-grown uniforms. Long lines at department stores as parents rush to get school supplies. Long lines at the doctor’s of-fice as parents take their often frightened children to get the required school vaccinations.

To keep up with the de-mands of the back-to-school rush and the long lines at the immunization clinics, Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) held Sat-urday immunization clinics.

On Saturdays during the month of August, DCHHS staff loaded their computer equipment, privacy screens, office supplies and vaccina-tions and set up immunization clinics at various locations around the Dallas metroplex from DeSoto ISD Freshman Campus to Cedar Hill High School and then back home to DCHHS.

Several hundred people vis-ited the Saturday clinics as parents tried their best to dis-tract their children as they waited until it was their turn to occupy that dreaded seat in which needles of vaccines awaited them.

Tahnelle Bailey came to the DCHHS Saturday clinic after her husband heard about it on the radio. “I didn’t know any-thing about the Dallas Coun-

ty Health and Human Servic-es clinic until my husband told me about it. My regular clin-ic said it would be several months before they would be able to see my daughter, Mi-chelle,” said Bailey. “Sever-al months would have been too long. I needed to get my daughter’s vaccinations up to date so she could start school on time so I came here in-stead.”

The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Tex-as Education Code, Chapter 38

states a student shall show ac-ceptable evidence of vaccina-tion prior to entry, attendance, or transfer to a child-care fa-cility or public or private ele-mentary or secondary school in Texas.

Bailey along with several other parents was relieved that additional clinics and extend-ed hours were available.

DCHHS staff worked over-time to ensure that the school-children were updated on their state mandated immuniza-tions.

Immunizations are given at each of the DCHHS clinic lo-cations from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday–Friday. The immu-nization clinic, located in the DCHHS building on the first floor, is open until 6 p.m. on Wednesdays. Appointments aren’t necessary.

Clinic locations include: 2377 N. Stemmons Freeway, Room 159 in Dallas; 3312 N. Buckner Boulevard, Suite 200 in Dallas; 1113 E. Jefferson Boulevard, Suite 200 in Dal-las; 440 South Nursery Road, in Irving and 2774 Valwood Parkway in Farmers Branch.

Left to right: Dr. Christopher Perkins, Medical Director/Health Authority; Commissioner John Wiley Price; Rhonda Dal-fonso, DeSoto ISD Nursing Co-ordinator; and Director Zachary Thompson

AS DCHHS OFFERS SATURDAY CLINICS

3PREPAREDNESS UPDATESeptember 2012 | Dallas County Health and Human Services | www.dallascounty.org/hhs

DALLAS COUNTY INCREASES GROUND SPRAYING Mosquito season in Dallas County

typically runs from May to October.Dallas County has seen more West

Nile Virus cases this year than it has ever seen since the disease was first de-tected in the United States in 1999.

Since the first reported positive mos-quito pool in Mesquite in early June, the number of human cases in the county has increased significantly.

An enhanced targeted ground spray-ing was needed. Enhanced targeted ground spraying consists of multiple applications of adulticide (mosquito spray) in a designated area within a week.

“Enhanced ground spraying has nev-er been done in Dallas because we have never had a season like this,” said Scott Sawlis, DCHHS Entomologist/Vector Control Supervisor. “However, once the infection rate in the adult mosquito population is high, the only control op-tion to stop additional human cases is to kill the infected mosquitoes.”

Multiple applications of adulticide reduce mosquito levels which in turn reduces the number of people being bitten by infected mosquitoes.

Health and Human Services and the Texas Department of State Health Services contractors: Sachse, Wylie, Rowlett, Highland Park, Sunnyvale, Balch Springs, Hutchins, Seagoville, Desoto, Glenn Heights, Combine, Cedar Hill, Lancaster and the Sand-branch community.

DCHHS partnered with the Texas Department of State Health Services contractors, the City of McAllen and the Vector Disease Control Interna-tional, a private independent contrac-tor.

With the assistance of the State contracted spray team, the DCHHS Mosquito Control Program was able to focus on mosquito trapping, sur-veillance and obtaining data to deter-mine the effectiveness of the enhanced ground spraying.

“The ground team is the foundation of what HHS does for mosquito con-trol. They are responsible for respond-ing to service requests, identifying mosquitoes and preparing equipment for spraying for mosquitoes. This is the success of what the mosquito con-trol is all about,” said Sawlis.

DCHHS Mosquito Control Team: Daryl Beck-with; Spencer Lockwood and Byron Chism.

Dallas County Health and Human Services’ response to the record-breaking human West Nile cases was the enhanced targeted ground spraying consisting of multiple applications of adulticide (mosquito spray) in a designated area within a week.

Some municipalities in Dallas Coun-ty opted for aerial application while others did not. It was in those cities that opted for ground spraying that DCHHS provided enhanced ground spraying treatments.

The following cities have been ground sprayed by Dallas County

DCHHS WEST NILE RESPONSE

Testing for in-fected mosquitoes is ongoing through-out Dallas County. DCHHS has several mosquito traps po-sitioned throughout the county.

The mosquitoes are trapped and then tested and if found infected, the area is treated to kill the in-fected mosquitoes.

For more West Nile updates visit our website at http://www.dallascounty.org/department/hhs/home.html.

DCHHSSafe families, healthy lives.

Dallas County Health and Human ServicesPublic Health Preparedness and Response Division2377 North Stemmons FreewayDallas, TX 75207214-819-2100www.dallascounty.org/hhs

Zachary Thompson, Director

Dr. Christopher Perkins, Medical Director/Health Authority

PREPAREDNESS UPDATESeptember 2012 | Dallas County Health and Human Services | www.dallascounty.org/hhs

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About this newsletter

Public Health Preparedness Update is published monthly by Dallas County Health and Human Services. For information regarding this newsletter, contact DCHHS Public Information Officer, Patricia Huston at 214-819-6329 or patricia.huston@dallascounty.org

MRC HOLDS DISASTER SHELTER TRAINING As Hurricane Isaac was spi-

raling towards southern Loui-siana, Dallas County Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) held an Emergency Shelter Clinic Training for medical and non-medical support volunteers.

Following shelter clinic op-erations during Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008, vol-unteer leaders of the MRC re-sponse team began planning discussions with the county health authority and together developed a set of guidelines and training curriculum to en-hance volunteer response.

According to Jess Wade, DCHHS Emergency Volun-teer Program Coordinator, the August 25th training was the first session this year to for-mally train volunteers in the procedures of setting up and operating a clinic.

The training curriculum was based on experience as each of the lecturers was a sea-soned volunteer who served in a leadership role during shel-

tering operations that followed previous hurricane evacua-tions.

In attendance at the two-and-a-half hour training were ninety two volunteers affili-ated with the County Medi-cal Society, the North Texas Society of Psychiatric Physi-cians, Medical Reserve Corps, Victim Relief Ministries, the Red Cross, Dallas’ Communi-ty Emergency Response Team members and professionals in private practice including phy-sicians, nurses, mental health professionals, licensed coun-selors, social workers and non-medical support volunteers.

Including Wade, lecturers were Dr. Carol North and Dr. Raymond Fowler, both with UT Southwestern Medical Center and David Hogan with the City of Dallas Crisis Inter-vention.

The Dallas County Medi-cal Reserve Corps recruits and trains both medical and non-medical professionals to sup-

plement the emergency med-ical system in Dallas County.

For more information call 214-819-1922.

Jess Wade, DCHHS Emergency Volunteer Programs Coordinator