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This Month's Health Tip




SPRING into health!
       
This Month's Health Tip       
With flowers blooming and birds chirping, spring can be invigorating. Take advantage of the warmer weather to help improve your health.

Take a walk. Walking 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week can decrease your blood pressure, help you lose weight, and give you more energy.

Play ball! Spring means the start of baseball season so get outside and play catch with your children.  Moderate physical activity like playing with your children just a few days a week can improve your health by burning calories and decreasing stress. 

Eat like a hummingbird.  Eating several small meals a day instead of 2 or 3 large meals may help you consume fewer calories and maintain more energy throughout the day.  Snack on healthy items such as raw fruits and vegetables or nuts in between larger meals rather than candy or junk food.   

Get outside! Spring means nicer, warmer weather and fewer excuses to stay inside on the couch.  So turn off the TV and do like your parents told you to when you were a kid and go outside!
  
Welcome to the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department 
  Division of Epidemiology 
 
 Protect yourself!
 
Infectious diseases can affect anyone regardless of race, gender, income, or lifestyle. Below is some information on what you can do to protect yourself.

  5 Easy Steps
 
Here are five easy steps you can take to help protect yourself and your loved ones from getting sick:
 
1. Wash your hands!
Wash your hands after you go to the bathroom, wash your hands before you cook, wash your hands before you eat, wash your hands before you hold a baby, wash your hands after changing a diaper, wash your hands after handling money, wash your hands after touching animals, wash your hands, wash your hands, and wash your hands.
 
2. Cook food thoroughly, especially poultry. 
Food can carry lots of harmful bacteria that can make you very sick, but being sure to cook it thoroughly will kill the bacteria and keep you healthy.
 
3. Wash fruits and vegetables.
 
Just like meat, fruits and vegetables can carry harmful bacteria as well.  Be sure to was them thoroughly, especially those that you plan to eat raw or uncooked. 
 
4. Clean.
Use anti-bacterial sprays or wipes, such as Lysol or Clorox, and clean common surfaces around your home such as countertops, door knobs, toilets, and faucets. Bacteria and viruses can live on surfaces anywhere from a couple of minutes to days on end. A little clean up can go a long way in preventing illness.
 
5. Stay home if you are sick! 
If you're feeling ill, stay home from work and other activities because you may cause others to get sick as well. A common cold that is just an inconvenience for you could be a life-threatening illness for an infant, an elderly person, or anyone with an underlying health condition. Do yourself, and everyone else, a favor and stay home until you feel better!

 

  Additional Information

Vaccine Information for the Public and Health Professionals

Vaccine Safety

WV Division of Infectious Disease Epidemiology

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)



 

 

 
 
  Get vaccinated!

Vaccinations exist for all kinds of different illnesses and will not only help protect yourself from getting ill, but it will help protect those around you as well. 

Vaccines are quick, easy, and very safe. Many vaccines are given in a single dose, while others may require additional doses or a booster later on in life. 

Some vaccines can provide lifelong protection against a disease, such as the hepatitis B vaccine, however others may only provide temporary protection such as the influenza vaccine, aka the flu shot.

Here is a list of diseases that can be prevented by vaccines:

  • Diptheria
  • Hepatitis A
  • Hepatitis B
  • Hib
  • HPV
  • Influenza
  • Measles
  • Mumps
  • Meningitis
  • Mumps
  • Pertussis
  • Pneumonia
  • Polio
  • Rabies
  • Rotavirus
  • Rubella
  • Shingles
  • Smallpox
  • Tetanus
  • Varicella

KCHD offers dozens of vaccines for children and adults at a low cost.  For more information about the vaccines we provide, visit our Clinical Services webpage, or call (304) 348-8080.
 

Contact KCHD
108 Lee Street East
Charleston, WV 25301