Stay Social, Not Sick

No one likes to get sick. That's why Nurse Barbara Gibbs came to teach us today about infectious diseases and how to prevent them. The Infectious Diseases & Outbreaks Division protects the public by monitoring and investigating diseases, conditions, and exposures. They provide a network for the early detection of disease, experiment/test it, provide advice to healthcare professionals, and protect citizens from it through education. They report their experimental findings to the community and physicians to spread awareness of the disease within 24 hours of discovering it. When people are being tested for a disease, they are asked questions such as, "Was it foodborne?", "Had they recently swum in the water?" and "Who was exposed to the patient?" Sometimes the disease is spread through insects and stays in the bloodstream for years. It later gets spread to other people through blood donation.

Diseases can also be contracted from animals. Shamya Simpson educated us today on the spread of disease through animal bites, scratches, and saliva. Animals get shots to prevent those diseases from being transmitted, such as rabies vaccines. Most states require pets to have vaccines in case this incident occurs. If you are bitten by an animal, go to the hospital and get it reported. The wound will be treated, and the animal will be quarantined for ten days. It will be brought to the vet for examinations for any rabies or infectious diseases. There will be updates on any shots.

Diseases also impact infants and childhood milestones. Jeneen Lett and Irma Brooks from Social Services came to talk to us about infant mortality and child healthcare. The infant mortality rate has increased to 13% in 2022 because of Covid-19. Because of the quarantine, many childcare services were closed. Many children were abused more and ate less because of their family's economic circumstances. Their immune systems worsened, so they were more prone to getting Covid-19. To make sure that all children are healthy and on the right track of development, healthcare professionals check for child milestones. This starts at birth and ends when the child turns 18. They are given many immunizations and dental screenings to prevent disease. WIC, which stands for women, infants, and children, is a program that supplies food and necessities for people at nutritional risk. This impedes starvation and ensures that those people are helped.

Awareness of disease and healthcare programs are needed to maintain public health. If we prevent diseases from spreading, the infant mortality rate will drop, and overall public happiness will surge. We need to be healthy in order for the next generation to be healthy and happy. Our posterity will be impacted by our choices today, so go ahead and use that extra pump of soap and pull that mask all the way up to cover your nose. These good habits will help us to set a healthy future in stone.