Preventing Melanoma/Skin Cancer!

May has been declared National Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month, a time to raise public awareness of the importance of prevention, early detection and treatment of the most common form of cancer in the United States.

Most of the three most common types of skin cancer - basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma - are caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. These invisible rays of radiation come from the sun, tanning beds, and sunlamps. UV rays penetrate skin cells, leaving a sunburn, a change in skin texture,

premature aging in skin, and can lead to cancer.

2017 estimates for melanoma in the United States reveal about 87,110 new melanomas will be diagnosed and about 9,730 people are expected to die from melanoma (American Cancer Society, 2017).

Colorado Melanoma & Skin Cancer Stats

• -Stage IV: 15-20%

• -Stage IIIC: 40%

• -Stage IIIB: 59%

• -Stage IIIA: 78%

• -Stage IIC: 53%

• -Stage IIB: 70%

• -Stage IIA: 81%

• -Stage IB: 92%

• -Stage IA: 97%

  

To lower your skin cancer risk, protect your skin from the sun and avoid indoor tanning.

While there is not enough research to recommend for or against routine screening, report any unusual moles or changes in your skin to your doctor. Early diagnosis and treatment is key.

Research shows that 97% of people survive at least five years when melanomas of the skin are found early.

Early diagnosis 5-year survival rates:

1183

cases of melanoma

each year in Colorado

 Ocular Melanoma:

This is the most common form of eye cancer in adults, and accounts for 5-12% of all melanoma cases. Approximately 2,000 U.S. adults are diagnosed each year. In about half the cases, it spreads to other organs in the body.

The Truth About Tanning:

A tan does not indicate good health; it is a response to injury because skin cells signal that they have been hurt by UV rays.

Not all skin cancers look the same! A change in your skin is the most common sign of skin cancer, whether it be from a new growth, a sore that doesn't heal, or a change in a mole.

To remember the signs of melanoma, remember the A-B-C-D-Es

If you have any of these signs, talk to your doctor.

May is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month

Hundreds of thousands of teens nationwide are expected to participate in National Teen Pregnancy Prevention
Month this May.  The purpose of National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month is to focus the attention of teens on the importance of avoiding too-early pregnancy and parenthood through an interactive online quiz and game.

Throughout the month of May, teens nationwide are asked to visit StayTeen.org and take the National Day Quiz and play Level Up: An Epic Swiping Adventure, two interactive, engaging digital resources that challenge them to think carefully about what they might do “in the moment” though a series of interactive scenarios. The goal of these resources is simple: young people should understand that they have the power to decide if, when, and under what circumstances to become pregnant and that they need to think seriously about what they would do in a stressful moment of peer pressure.

The National Day Quiz and Level Up! game deliver important messages about teen pregnancy prevention, bully- ing, risky behavior, and challenge teens to think carefully about what they might do “in the moment.”
More than 600,000 teens participated in The National Campaign’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month activities in 2016 and nearly 6 million individuals have taken the National Day Quiz since it was launched in 2001. Among the findings from a group of teens who participated in the 2015 National Day Quiz:

• 92% said the Quiz made them think about what they might do in such situations;
• 70% said the Quiz made the risks of sex and teen pregnancy seem more real to them;
• 67% said the Quiz made them think about things they hadn’t thought about before;
• 66% said they’d talk to their friends and 49% said they’d talk to their parents or other adults about the situations described in the Quiz;
• 53% said they’d learned something new from the Quiz about the consequences of sex.

For more information about sexual health and birth control services at Jefferson County Public health you can call 303-239-7078, or email publichealthnursing@jeffco.us, or visit the JCPH Webpage

 To find out more about the National Day and ideas on how you can help promote the event, please visit
TheNationalCampaign.org/event/national-teen-pregnancy-prevention-month.

Don't Procrastinate, Vaccinate!!

The public is strongly urged to vaccinate all of their domestic pets and valuable livestock against rabies and to be sure vaccinations are kept up-to-date. Now that rabies has been found in a terrestrial animal within the county, any domestic animal encounter with any wild animal will be treated like an exposure to a rabid animal. Domestic animals with one expired rabies or without any rabies vaccinations will be classified as high risk and be required to undergo a120-day quarantine.



Rabies is caused by a virus that affects the nervous system of humans and other mammals and is nearly always fatal. The virus is shed in the saliva of infected animals. People or animals can get rabies from the bite of a rabid animal or from a rabid animal’s saliva if it comes in contact with their eyes, nose, mouth or open wounds. Immediate medical treatment is required after exposure to an infected animal. Skunks, bats, foxes, raccoons and other wildlife should not be handled or fed to prevent exposure to this virus.  

In addition to rabies vaccinations for pets and livestock, here are additional precautions to prevent possible exposure to rabies:

• Avoid contact with any wild animals, especially any that act unusually. A healthy wild animal will generally avoid human contact.
• Teach children to stay away from all wild animals, stray domestic pets or any dead animals and tell an adult if they are scratched or bitten.
• Wildlife suffering from rabies will often be out during the day, act aggressively and violently approach people or pets. Rabid wildlife might also stumble or have trouble walking.
• Do not let pets roam freely, since this can increase the chance that they could be exposed without your knowledge. 
• Contact your veterinarian if your dog or cat is bitten or scratched by a wild animal.
• If a person has been bitten or scratched by a wild mammal, they should wash the area thoroughly with soap and water, seek immediate medical attention and notify their local public health agency. Prompt medical treatment is key to preventing rabies after a possible exposure.
• Do not feed wild animals, since this reduces their natural fear of humans 
• Do not leave pet food or livestock feed outside or feed more than your outdoor pet will finish in one feeding. 

Resources:

• Wildlife Rabies and You  (brochure)
• For more information or to report a suspicious animal, please contact your local animal control agency or Jefferson County Animal Control: 303-271-5070
• For more information about rabies contact Environmental Health Services Animal Borne Disease Program at 303-232-6301 or visit http://jeffco.us/public-health/healthy-environments/animal-borne-disease/
• Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Rabies Data: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/rabies-data

Healthy and Safe Swimming Week 2017

The week before Memorial Day (May 22–28, 2017) is Healthy and Safe Swimming Week. The goal of this Week is to maximize the health benefits of swimming by promoting healthy and safe swimming. Just 2.5 hours of water-based (or other forms of) physical activity per week has health benefits for everyone. Each of us plays a role in preventing illnesses and injuries linked to the water we share and swim in, this summer and year-round.

Why Is This Important?	A Few Simple and Effective Prevention Steps We Can All Take
Illnesses caused by the germs in the places we	Every swimmer should:
swim:	·   Stay out of the water if you have diarrhea. ·   Shower before you get in the water.
In 2011–2012 (the last years for which national	·   Don’t pee or poop in the water.
data are available), 90 outbreaks were linked	·   Don’t swallow the water.
to swimming; almost half of these outbreaks
were caused by Cryptosporidium (or “Crypto”	Every hour—everyone out!
for short). Chlorine can kill most germs within	·   Take kids on bathroom breaks.
minutes at concentrations recommended by	·   Check diapers and change them in a bathroom or diaper
CDC and typically required by state and local	changing area—not poolside—to keep germs away from the
health departments. But Crypto can survive	pool.
more than 1 week at these chlorine
concentrations. Diarrheal incidents in the	FREE printed English and Spanish Healthy Swimming brochures
water we share and swim in can easily spread	are available at
germs and potentially cause outbreaks.	www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/materials/brochures.ht
Because chlorine and other disinfectants don’t	ml
kill germs instantly, it’s important to keep
these germs, particularly Crypto, out of the
water in the first place and not drink the water
we share and swim in, this summer and year-
round.
For more info, visit
www.cdc.gov/healthyswimming
Drowning:	Keep swimmers safe in the water.
Every day, two children less than 14 years old	·   Make sure everyone knows how to swim.
die from drowning. Drowning is a leading	·   Use life jackets appropriately.
cause of injury death for children ages 1–4	·   Provide continuous, attentive supervision close to swimmers.
years.	·   Know CPR.
For more info, visit	Prevent access to water when pool is not in use.
www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Wa	·   Install and maintain barriers like 4-sided fencing and weight-
ter-Safety/waterinjuries-factsheet.html	bearing pool covers. ·   Use locks/alarms for windows and doors.

Injuries caused by mishandling pool chemicals (for pool operators and residential pool owners): Pool chemicals are added to maintain water quality (for example, kill germs). Each year, however, mishandling of pool chemicals by operators of public pools and residential/backyard pool or hot tub/spa owners leads to 3,000–5,000 visits to emergency departments across the United States. For more info, visit www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/aquatic s-professionals/preventing-pool-chemical- events.html	Pool operators and residential pool owners should: ·   Read and follow directions on product labels. ·   Wear appropriate safety equipment (for example, goggles), as directed on product labels, when handling pool chemicals. ·   Secure pool chemicals to protect people, particularly young children, and animals. ·   Add pool chemicals poolside ONLY when directed by product label and when no one is in the water. Prevent violent, potentially explosive, reactions. ·   NEVER mix different pool chemicals with each other, particularly chlorine products and acid. ·   Pre-dissolve pool chemicals ONLY when directed by product label. o Add pool chemical to water, NEVER water to pool chemical.
	FREE printed and laminated poster on safe storage and poster on safe handling available at www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/materials/posters.html
Harmful Algal Blooms:	Avoid water that contains harmful algal blooms—when in
Algae can grow in warm, nutrient-rich fresh	doubt, stay out!
and marine waters. When there is an abundant	·   Look for waterbody or beach advisories announced by local
growth of algae that harms people or animals,	public health authorities or beach managers. If the beach is
it is referred to as a harmful algal bloom (HAB).	closed, stay out.
HABs in fresh and marine waters can produce	·   Don’t swim, water ski, or boat in areas where the water is
toxins that cause a variety of illnesses including	discolored or where you see foam, scum, or mats of algae on
skin irritation, coughing, sneezing, diarrhea,	the water’s surface.
stomach pain, numbness, and dizziness.	·   Avoid entering or swimming in bodies of water that contain
Symptoms can vary depending on the type of	or are near dead fish or other dead animals.
HAB toxin and the type of exposure, such as	·   Keep children or pets from playing in or drinking scummy
skin contact, ingestion by eating food or	water.
drinking water contaminated with HAB toxins,	·   If you do swim in water that might contain a harmful algal
or breathing in tiny droplets or mist	bloom, get out and rinse off with fresh water as soon as
contaminated with HAB toxins.	possible. ·   If pets, especially dogs, swim in scummy water, rinse them
For more info, visit	off immediately. Do not let them lick the algae off of their
www.cdc.gov/habs/index.html	fur.