Garfield County proclaims National Public Health Week
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Over the past two years, COVID-19 propelled the public health field into the spotlight. But the public health system does far more than just pandemic response. Control of contagious diseases, safe food and water, maternal and child health services are only a few of the public health achievements that have prevented countless deaths and improved the quality of American life. At the April 3, 2022, Garfield County Board of County Commissioners meeting, the board issued a proclamation that the week of April 4 – 10 be recognized as National Public Health Week. The board acknowledged the work that the department
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Take precautions to avoid hantavirus
GARFIELD COUNTY, CO – The first confirmed Colorado case of hantavirus in 2019 has been reported by the Northeast Colorado Health Department. May, June, and July are the months when most human cases of hantavirus occur. Hantavirus is a serious and potentially fatal respiratory disease carried by deer mice. People may become exposed to hantavirus when cleaning out rodent-infested structures, breathing in dirt and dust contaminated with deer mouse urine and feces. There have been no hantavirus-related deaths in Garfield County, and the last human case was in 2017. Though hantavirus is rare, it is frequently fatal, with a case
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Wildlife is best left in the wild
GARFIELD COUNTY, CO – Garfield County Public Health is urging residents to let stray and wild animals be, check their pets’ vaccination status, and take other precautions to avoid rabies. In the past month, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) laboratory has seen a rapid increase in the number of bats submitted for rabies testing. All the bats that have been tested interacted with domestic pets, people, or were found in spaces where humans reside; four collected last week tested positive for the disease. Since 2007, four bats have been found carrying rabies in Garfield County. Bats
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