NH DHHS - Recognizes Stroke Prevention and High Blood Pressure Awareness Month

Concord, NH - The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services

(DHHS), Division of Public Health Services (DPHS), Heart Disease and Stroke

Prevention Program is recognizing May as Stroke Prevention Month and High

Blood Pressure Awareness Month to raise awareness about these common and

dangerous conditions. Since 1989 this day has been used to try to encourage

people to learn their risks about stroke, which is the 5th leading cause of

death in New Hampshire.



Somewhere in the U.S. someone has a stroke every 40 seconds. Stroke is

responsible for 133,000 deaths in the United States each year, or one in

every 18. A stroke is when a blockage causes blood flow to the brain to

stop or when a blood vessel in or around the brain bursts. This can cause

life-changing complications such as paralysis, loss of mental ability,

language difficulty, depression, and of course death. Strokes can happen to

people of any age, not just seniors.



“Many people probably don’t think that they would ever have a stroke,” said

Dr. José Montero, Director of Public Health at DHHS. “But anyone can be at

risk and many people don’t even realize they have risk factors, one of the

most important being uncontrolled high blood pressure. There are things we

can all do to live healthier lives and reduce our chances of stroke and

other related health problems. Everyone should also be aware of the signs

of a stroke whether to help themselves or someone else who may be having

one.”



In New Hampshire, according to the 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance

Survey (BRFSS), 28.6% of adults reported that they have high blood

pressure, 58.3% of people 65 years of age or older have high blood

pressure, and 25% of people who have high blood pressure do not take

medication for their condition.





In 2011, the Department of Health and Human Services launched the Million

Hearts™ initiative to prevent a million heart attacks and strokes by 2017.

A primary focus is on the ABCS to prevent cardiovascular disease, including

stroke, and contribute to overall health:





Know your ABCS of health:

Appropriate Aspirin therapy: Ask your doctor if taking aspirin is

right for you.

Blood pressure control: Keeping your blood pressure under control

reduces your risk of heart attack and stroke. More than half of

the world’s stroke deaths are caused by elevated blood pressure

levels.

Cholesterol management: Get your cholesterol checked regularly and

manage it with diet and physical activity or with medication, if

needed.

Smoking cessation: Get help at 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

Exercise regularly

Eat a healthy diet that’s low in sodium

Maintain a healthy weight

Prevent or control diabetes

Limit your alcohol intake (fewer than two drinks per day for men, or

one drink per day for women)



When responding to a stroke, every minute counts. The sooner a patient

receives medical treatment, the lower the risk for death or disability. If

you or someone you know exhibits the following signs or symptoms, call

9-1-1 immediately for medical attention.



Numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side

of the body

Confusion, trouble speaking, or difficulty understanding

Trouble seeing in one or both eyes

Trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance and coordination

Severe headache with no known cause



Remember, getting immediate medical attention for stroke is crucial to

preventing disability and death, so don’t delay—dial 9-1-1.



The NH Stroke Steering Committee, which is made up of state and community

partners, is working on strengthening stroke systems of care through

bringing partners together to implement heart and stroke activities

relating to the Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program objectives of

reducing the prevalence of stroke and stroke deaths.



For more information about National Stroke Prevention Month, visit

www.stroke.org . To learn more about stroke, visit the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention website at www.cdc.gov/stroke  To learn more about

the Million Hearts™ initiative, visit

http://millionhearts.hhs.gov/index.html.

NH DHHS Provides Update on Farm Rich Products Recall

Concord, NH – Farm Rich Products Corporation, a Buffalo, NY, firm, is

expanding its recall of various frozen mini meals and snack items to more

than 10.5 million pounds because of possible E. coli O121 contamination. A

total of 24 persons infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O121 have

been reported from 15 states. No cases of E. coli O121 linked to this

outbreak have been identified in New Hampshire.



These products were distributed to retail stores and restaurants nationwide

including in New Hampshire. A complete list of recalled products is

available on the company’s website at www.farmrich.com. If consumers have

any of these products at home they are advised to discard them immediately

and not eat them.



“It is important that all consumers check their freezers for this product,”

said Dr. José Montero, Director of Public Health at DHHS. “Since many of

these items are frozen, they could still be in many New Hampshire homes,

and with the recall expansion people should check again to be sure.”



Infection with E. coli O121 can result in dehydration, bloody diarrhea, and

abdominal cramps 2-8 days (3-4 days, on average) after exposure to the

organism. While most people recover within a week, some develop hemolytic

uremic syndrome (HUS). This condition can occur among persons of any age

but is most common in children under 5 and older adults. Symptoms of HUS

may include fever, abdominal pain, pale skin tone, fatigue, small,

unexplained bruises or bleeding from the nose and mouth, and decreased

urination. Persons who experience these symptoms should seek emergency

medical care immediately as it can result in kidney failure.



This may be an evolving situation so consumers are advised to check the

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website at www.fda.gov/Food/default.htm

or U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) website at www.fsis.usda.gov  for

updates. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is conducting

an investigation into possible cases of illness and has information about

the outbreak on their website at

www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2013/O121-03-13/index.html . For questions about E coli

infection, call the DHHS Division of Public Health Services, Bureau of

Infectious Disease Control at (603) 271-4496.

NH DHHS - Joint Effort Helps Vaccinate Adults against Pertussis

Concord, NH – The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS),

Immunization Program (NHIP) recently collaborated with Ammonoosuc Community

Health Center and the North Country Health Consortium to vaccinate 314

adults against pertussis, also known as whooping cough. These adults were

not eligible to receive the vaccine under the NHIP Adult Vaccine Program,

(they had insurance but no access to receive the vaccine) and the providers

wanted these individuals to have the opportunity to receive the recommended

vaccine to help protect the infants in their lives because they were

parents, grandparents, or caregivers.



Pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory infection which most often

affects young children, but anyone can get it. Young infants are

particularly at risk because they may be too young to be vaccinated and

have less well developed immune systems. Pertussis can be difficult to

diagnose because the symptoms often look like a cold with a nagging cough,

asthma, or bronchitis. In New Hampshire, pertussis rates have been

increasing. In 2012 there were 252 cases reported to DHHS, compared with

171 in 2011 and 22 in 2010.



The clinic was run as part of an emergency preparedness exercise. This

allowed the participants to practice providing vaccines on a large scale

while also providing a service to the community. The residents were given

the Tdap form of the vaccine at five locations over three days.



“This is a wonderful example of public health at work,” said Dr. José

Montero, Director of Public Health at DHHS. “Identifying a need,

collaborating to meet the need, and protecting the citizens of New

Hampshire are all parts of our mission and I commend NHIP and NCHC for this

work.”



For more information about NHIP visit

www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/immunization/index.htm. To learn more about the

vaccination against pertussis visit the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention website at www.cdc.gov/pertussis



This vaccination effort is one of the topics DHHS is focusing on this week

in recognition of National Public Health Week; for more information go to

www.nphw.org

NH DHHS Encourages Testing as Part of National STD Awareness Month

Get Yourself Tested Campaign


Concord, NH – April is STD Awareness Month and the New Hampshire Department

of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is raising awareness about sexually

transmitted disease (STD) prevalence during the month, especially among

young people. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

(CDC), as many as one in two sexually active young people will contract an

STD by the age of 25 and most of them won’t know it.



National STD Awareness Month along with the “GYT: Get Yourself Tested”

campaign began in 2009 to inform young people about STDs, encourage and

normalize routine testing for STDs, and connect young people to testing

centers. The GYT campaign encourages Americans, especially those under the

age of 25, to speak with their healthcare provider and partners about

getting tested. According to CDC, this age group represents half of the

estimated 19 million STDs occurring in the U.S. each year. When left

untreated, STDs can lead to an increased risk of HIV infection,

infertility, and cancer.



In New Hampshire, there were 3,068 of chlamydia in 2012, compared with

3,022 cases in 2011 and 2,484 in 2010. Consistent with the national data,

there has been a steady increase in chlamydia cases in the past decade,

essentially doubling in number. Syphilis cases have also been increasing

with 67 in 2012 compared with 35 in 2011 and 43 in 2010. Gonorrhea cases

have been consistently reported with 147 cases in 2012, compared with 136

cases in 2011 and 146 in 2010.



“STDs are a huge concern and the numbers of cases have been increasing in

New Hampshire lately,” said Dr. José Montero, Director of Public Health at

DHHS. “There is a stigma attached to this health topic as well as lack of

information and misinformation. This leads to people not being tested and

not knowing the risks. Since many STDs may have no symptoms, most of those

who are infected don’t know it. The only way to know for sure is to be

tested.”



For more information about STDs, visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/std,

the DHHS website at www.dhhs.nh.gov, or call the DHHS STD Program at

271-4502. For more information about the Get Yourself Tested campaign, go

to www.cdcnpin.org/stdawareness/GYT.aspx





The STD Awareness Month campaign is one of the topics DHHS is focusing on

this week in recognition of National Public Health Week; for more

information go to www.nphw.org

NH DHHS - Declares Through with Chew Week February 17-23, 2013

Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services

(DHHS) will declare February 17-23 Through with Chew Week, following the

lead of other states in the nation concerned with the oral health of their

residents, especially youth.



Through with Chew Week started in the state of Wyoming to draw attention to

the health issues related to smokeless tobacco. Among the health effects

caused by smokeless tobacco, cancer and poor oral health are the most

common. After increasing for many years, the use of smokeless tobacco by

New Hampshire youth has leveled off, according to the latest data from the

NH Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (2011 YRBS). The percentage of

female smokeless tobacco users (2.2%) is significantly lower than the male

students (14.2%) (2011 YRBS).



The use of smokeless tobacco is at 3% for New Hampshire adults, and 45% of

adult smokeless tobacco users also smoke cigarettes (2011 NH Behavioral

Risk Factor Surveillance System, BRFSS). Nationally, declines in the use of

smokeless tobacco by youth and young adults have stalled after years of

steady progress. New Hampshire has the opportunity to do more to educate

students about the harmful effects of smokeless tobacco and maintain the

gains currently being made in the oral health of the young.



“The use of smokeless tobacco is not a safe substitute for smoking

cigarettes,” said Dr. José Montero, Director of Public Health at DHHS.

“Smokeless tobacco can cause cancer and lead to nicotine addiction and

dependence. Scientific evidence clearly demonstrates the need for intense

and sustained efforts to prevent our young people from using tobacco.”



Smokeless tobacco is tobacco that is not burned. Other recent products on

the market are snus, orbs, sticks, and dissolvables. Smokeless tobacco is

associated with oral cancer, esophageal cancer, and pancreatic cancer.

Using smokeless tobacco may also cause heart disease, gum disease, and oral

lesions other than cancer, such as leukoplakia (precancerous white patches

in the mouth). The price of treating disease and disfigurement is costly

and many of these diseases result in deformation or death. But they can be

prevented.



"Effects from prolonged use of chewing tobacco are often visible on the gum

tissue where the user holds the wad of tobacco,” said Montero. “Gum

recession and pre-cancerous oral lesions may be the first sign of a problem

identified during a visit to the dentist. However, quitting is achievable,

especially when combined with counseling and nicotine replacement

therapies. Of course the best thing for youth is to never start.”



To hold your own Through with Chew Week or the Great American Spit Out,

visit www.ThroughWithChew.com. For information or free support in quitting,

call the NH Tobacco Helpline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) or visit

www.TryToStopNH.org  and www.MyLastDip.org . Visit www.DHHS.NH.gov  for more

information on the NH Oral Health Program.