Health & Safety

Information to assist with healthy living and lifestyle choices; patient, child and elder care.

Flu season may be worse this year with relaxed COVID-19 mitigation efforts, experts warn

Some epidemiologists say the upcoming flu season is a bit of uncharted territory with respect to its expected intensity. That’s because, over the last...

As monkeypox cases slow, state health department is ‘cautiously optimistic’

State health epidemiologists say they are cautiously optimistic about a decline in monkeypox cases over the past few months in Georgia as well as...

High number of rural Georgians call in to new 988 suicide prevention phone line

(GA Recorder) — The mid-July launch of a new three-digit national suicide prevention phone line has driven an increase in call volume in Georgia,...

COVID-19 vaccine may become annual, like flu shot

WASHINGTON (GA Recorder) — COVID-19 boosters shots are on track to become as frequent as the annual flu shot, though high-risk people may need...

Drive-thru flu shots coming to a health department near you

County health departments across North Georgia will soon be administering drive-thru flu shots. District 2 Public Health announced this week that all 13 county health...

Georgia public health releases monkeypox vaccine scheduling tool

The Georgia Department of Public Health has launched an online, centralized scheduling tool and helpline to locate and make appointments for the monkeypox vaccine. The...

Is reversing early-stage Alzheimer’s disease possible? A new study finds it may be

Rather than treating patients in clinical trials with a specific drug, doctors are taking a more personalized approach by attempting to understand root causes of...

Local health departments offer school immunizations and health screenings

District 2 Public Health officials encourage parents to plan early for back-to-school immunizations and health screenings. "Certain age groups have specific requirements for their back-to-school...

New COVID-19 tools help citizens understand pandemic information, risks

Athens, Ga. – Are you more likely to die from COVID-19 or in a car accident? A new risk assessment tool can help you...

Menthol cigarettes next up for FDA ban list after Juul vaping products

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration announced a ban on the electronic cigarette Juul. This follows a proposal to do away with menthol...

How to prevent a stroke

In last week's Your Health Matters, we discussed the different types and prevalence of strokes. This week I want to guide you through some steps...

Habersham Medical Center offers new service to simplify sharing health scans

Habersham Medical Center announced today that it's offering a new service to make it easier for patients to collect, store, and share their medical...