Thomas L. Schlenker
Director
Public Health -
Madison & Dane County
Administrative Office
210 Martin Luther King
Jr. Blvd, Room 507
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 266-4821
Email: Public Health
Featured Topics
IMPROVED AFRICAN AMERICAN BIRTH OUTCOMES
Wisconsin has the highest black infant mortality rate in the United States: 17.6 deaths per 1000 live births per year. Prior to 2002, Dane County's rates were equally as bad. During the period 2002-2007, the county black infant mortality rate declined from 19.4 (1990-2001) to 6.4 deaths per 1000 live births, eliminating the black-white infant mortality gap. However, there are other risk factors affecting birth outcomes where disparities still exist between blacks and whites that should not be ignored.
This development has great local, state and national importance for at least three reasons:
to preserve the gains made in infant survival in Dane County
to better understand contributing factors and to share this knowledge with other communities in Wisconsin where black infant mortality remains a serious problem
to advance national discussion and action on disparities in birth outcomes
A short documentary, which explores some of the factors that may have an influence on positive birth outcomes, was produced to inform the public and spur conversations that will generate further discussion.
Place Matters: The Decline of Infant Mortality in Dane County, Public Health – Madison and Dane County and Madison City Channel, with support of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, October 2009
A Healthy Birth Outcomes Coalition(PDF) was formed to focus on aligning efforts across systems and organizations to sustain positive birth outcomes. The first meeting of the Healthy Birth Outcomes Coalition will be Thursday, November 5, 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the Neighborhood House 29 South Mills Street Madison, WI. This meeting is open to all.
For more information about Coalition, please contact Daniel Stattleman Scanlan, Public Health Madison and Dane County Nursing Supervisor, 608-243-0404 or e-mail dstattelman-scanlan@publichealthmdc.com.
PRE-TEENS AND TEENS NEED VACCINES TOO!
Parents, summer is the time to make sure your child's immunizations are up-to-date for the new school year. If you are the parent of a middle or high school student, you need to know that the Wisconsin Immunization Law requires two additional vaccines for middle and high school students: varicella vaccine which protects against chickenpox, and Tdap, an adolescent combination vaccine that protects against tetanus, diptheria, and pertussis (whooping cough). Previously only one dose of the varicella vaccine was required.
For the 2009-2010 school year, the following vaccines are now required:
Students entering
Vaccines
Grades 6, 7, and 12
Tdap (1 dose) and Varicella (2 doses)
Grades 9 and 10
Tdap (1 dose)
In addition to the required vaccines, it is recommended that pre-teens and teens receive meningococcal vaccine to protect against meningitis, and for girls, the HPV vaccine is recommended to protect against cervical cancer.
These vaccines are an important part of keeping your child healthy. As kids get older, protection provided by some childhood vaccines can begin to wear off. Kids can also develop risks for more diseases as they enter their pre-teen years.
Schedule an appointment with your health care provider now to get your child's immunizations up-to-date before the school year starts.
With the holidays fast approaching, festivities and parties will become popular with friends and family, and of course, food will be the center of attention. Make sure food safety is part of your holiday planning from start to finish in order to prevent foodborne illness.
Be Safe with the Basics
Always wash hands before and after handling food. Keep your kitchen, dishes and utensils clean
Always serve food on clean plates rather than dishware that previously held raw meat or poultry. Otherwise, bacteria that may have been present in raw meat juices can cross contaminate the food to be served.
Make sure to cook foods thoroughly to safe minimal internal temperatures by using a food thermometer.
Beef, lamb and veal should be cooked to at least 145°F
Pork and ground beef to 160°F
All poultry to 165°F.
Divide cooked foods into shallow containers to store in the refrigerator or freezer until serving. This encourages rapid, even cooling. Reheat hot foods to 165°F.
Leaving foods out in a buffet style provides the opportunity for bacteria that cause foodborne illness to flourish. The key is to keep hot foods hot, cold foods cold. Discard any food that has been sitting out for more than two hours.
There are many kinds of bacteria or viruses that cause foodborne illness. Symptoms and onset times vary slightly depending on which organism contaminated the food. Symptoms of foodborne illness typically include:
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Abdominal cramps
Nausea
IMPORTANT: Don't prepare food for others when you are ill with diarrhea, vomiting or another disease that can be spread through food.
Most people would agree that the holidays are a special time of the year filled with special traditions. Who would want to spoil the season by giving someone a foodborne illness? Foodborne illness is one holiday tradition not worth keeping.
If you think you got sick from eating food, call Public Health at 266-4821. For further information about what to report, see Reporting a Possible Foodborne Illness.
