Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding

                The practice of nursing or breastfeeding has been around since the beginning of time. In some places around the world, and even in the United States, breastfeeding is seen as taboo and inappropriate, especially when done in public places. Some women today are becoming more and more uncomfortable with breastfeeding their infants because of fear of others reactions if they choose to nurse in public, inconvenience, or because the process of breastfeeding can sometimes be painful for the mother. Breastfeeding is a great way for mother and baby to bond with each other during the early months of the infants life. This practice, although sometimes difficult, is very beneficial for both mother and baby. This paper will cover the benefits and challenges of breastfeeding, tips for the mom returning to work, as well as laws and the government’s stance on the subject.

                Nursing your infant the natural way has a number of benefits. In our current economy, one benefit that always resonates with most people is money. Breastfeeding the infant can save the parents thousands of dollars on formula, which can range from $25-$50 per can. Parents also save money on many bottles, nipples and cups for the baby. They also save time because they no longer have to continue to wash and sterilize the baby’s bottles. Breast milk is known to some as “liquid gold” (womenshealth.gov) because breast milk contains just the correct amount of nutrients, vitamins and antibodies for the baby’s body. These antibodies help improve the infants immune system making him/her sick less often and these antibodies also give the baby passive immunity from these nutrients found in mothers breast milk. Store bought formula also has nutrients, but no antibodies. Breastfeeding also is a great way for mother and baby to bond. Skin-to-skin contact is ideal for babies because it makes them feel safe and it also gives the mother time to relax. This skin-to-skin contact is great for the baby, but even better for the mother because it can boost levels of the hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin can increase the mother’s milk flow and also help her to relax. Mothers who breastfed their children are also shown to be a lower risks for diabetes, breast and ovarian cancer, as well as postpartum depression. In the event of an emergency, breast feeding your baby could also protect your baby from a contaminated water supply. Breast milk is also always available and at the right temperature for the infant (U.S Dept of Health and Human Service Office of Womens Health, 2010).

                Challenges to breastfeeding include sore nipples because the baby is not latching on correctly. In the event that this happens, the mother should remove her nipple and allow the baby to try again. Another common challenge to breastfeeding is and under or over supply of milk. Most mothers can make an adequate amount of milk for their babies, but for some women, they produce an excess amount which can lead to uncomfortable feeding for both mother and baby and can lead to another complication for breastfeeding which is engorgement of the breasts. This can be relieved by massaging or a cold compress. Having a plugged duct is another challenge to breast feeding. Sometimes a duct will clog and pressure will build behind it causing the breast tissue to become inflamed. To help with this the mother should try to nurse the baby on the affected side to help loosen the plug (U.S Dept of Health and Human Service Office of Womens Health, 2010).

                If the mother is a working woman then she only has a limited amount of time to be on maternity leave and eventually she will have to return to work. When she does return to work there are things that she can do to make the process of breastfeeding run as smoothly as possible. When going back to work, the mother should return to work gradually so as to make the transition easier for her, the baby and the employer. The mother should continue to pump breast milk and freeze it 2-4 ounce bags. If your infant is in daycare then the bottle should be labeled. She should make sure that whoever is taking care of the child knows how to properly handle breast milk and how to preserve it. The mother should also try to find a quiet place in her office to continue breastfeeding throughout the day. A quiet place could be somewhere like a private office with a door to keep intruders out, an empty conference room or a large closet. Bathrooms are assumed to be the best place to pump, however, they are actually the worst because they are full of bacteria, easily accessed by many other people, they often don’t have many outlets (for the mother using the electric breast pump) and they also make it hard to breast pump in general because the mother would be in a bathroom stall (U.S Dept of Health and Human Service Office of Womens Health, 2010).

                Forty-five of the fifty states, as well as the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands allow mothers to breastfeed in public. Twenty-eight states exempt the practice of breastfeeding from public indecency laws. Members of the Federal Interagency Working Group on Women's Health and the Environment worked together to create the HHS Blueprint for Action on Breastfeeding. This work was releases in 2000 by the Surgeon General and served as the first comprehensive work for breastfeeding for the country. This blueprint “focuses attention on the importance of breastfeeding and recommends action steps for the health care system, families, the community, researchers and the workplace to promote breastfeeding.” It also focuses on disparities of breastfeeding and how there is an extremely low rate of breastfeeding among African-American mothers and children (U.S Dept of Health and Human Service Office of Womens Health, 2010).

                Breastfeeding is a frugal, and beautiful way for mothers to bond with their infants. It is also a way to keep both mom and baby healthy. The working mother can still live her life and not worry about being inconvenienced when her child needs to be fed and now that we know that the government is back up the movement, there is no reason why more mothers should not try to breast feed all of their children for the first 6 months of life. In Missouri, we are one of the states with one of the lower breastfeeding rates(Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013) and hopefully with ongoing movements like the National Breastfeeding Campaign we can work to change this statistic for Missouri and every other state.

Sources:

U.S Dept of Health and Human Service Office of Womens Health. (2010, August 04). Breastfeeding.    Retrieved from http://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/why-breastfeeding-is-important/index.html

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013, January 22). 2012 breastfeeding report card- united states. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/data/reportcard.htm

Bruce Normile Juvenile Justice Center: Mentoring Program

            A mentor is an adult who is willing to support and spend quality time with a youth in the community.  In today’s society, youth are in need of a positive role model.  The Mentoring Program carefully pairs an adult/mentor with a youth based on interests and other commonalities (“2^nd Judicial Circuit Court,” 2013).  DuBois, Portillo, Rhodes, Silverthorn, and Valentine (2011) suggest that similar programs have been more effective when participating youth have had pre-existing difficulties with behavior problems, mentors and youth are paired based on similarities, and when a mentor’s educational/occupational background fits well with the goals of the program.  By spending quality time with a youth on a regular basis, a mentor is able to help the youth to develop self-esteem, positive attitude, and socially appropriate behavior (DuBois et al., 2011).  Other benefits for youth include improved interpersonal skills, increased high school graduation rates, and increased likeliness of healthier relationships and lifestyle choices later in life.  There are also several benefits for mentors, such as increased self-esteem, a sense of accomplishment, and increased patience and improved supervisory skills (“Findyouthinfo.gov,” 2013). 

            To become a mentor, one must go through an extensive background check and a careful evaluation to determine the level of commitment they will put into the program.  The Mentoring Program stresses that mentors know that a high level of commitment is key to success with the youth.  The youth not only grow to depend on their mentors, but also enjoy and look forward to spending time with them.  The Mentoring program recruits individual volunteers and volunteers from different organizations in Adair County and the surrounding areas.  Youth that are involved in the Mentoring Program are referred in several different ways.  Most youth are referred from the Children’s Division of Juvenile Officers.  Others are referred from Mark Twain Behavioral Health, Juvenile Office, and different schools located within Adair County and the surrounding areas.  Lastly, some of the youth are referred to the Mentoring Program because they are beginning to go down the wrong path and need a positive role model that they can depend on (“2^nd Judicial Circuit Court,” 2013).     

            As previously mentioned, the process of applying to be a mentor is quite extensive.  First, one must complete an application providing medical information, proof of automobile insurance, and provide consent for a background check.  If the background check comes back clean, the mentor is selected for a personal interview.  This interview allows the mentor to express their hobbies and interest.  The youth complete a similar interview.  This allows the program to carefully match a mentor with a youth of similar interests.  This process helps the match to be more successful.  From there, the first meeting is scheduled.  It takes place with the project coordinator present to verify that the match is positive.  Parents or guardians are often present at the first meeting so they can meet the mentor, too.  From there on, it is up to the mentor and youth to schedule their meetings.  Evaluation forms are sent once a month to the mentor to allow the Mentoring Program to keep track of how often they are meeting and how the visits are going (“2^nd Judicial Circuit Court,” 2013).

            By joining the Mentoring Program, you can change a youth’s life by helping them become a successful, productive member of society.  These children need someone to depend on.  It has been proven that similar programs have been an effective way to connect with youth.  The Mentoring Program at Bruce Normile Juvenile Justice Center is a wonderful opportunity for both the mentor and the youth.

           

                                

References

DuBois, D. L., Portillo, N., Rhodes, J. E., Silverthorn N., & Valentine, J. C. (2011). How effective are mentoring programs?  A systematic assessment of the evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 12 (2), 57-91. 

Findyouthinfo.gov (2013). Benefits of mentoring for young people. Retrieved from http://www.findyouthinfo.gov/youth-topics/mentoring/benefits-mentoring-young-people.

(2013). 2nd judicial circuit court juvenile center. Retrieved from http://www.juvenilecircuit2.org/juvenile-center-history.

NERMC Bioethics

            The Biomedical ethics, commonly called bioethics, committee at North East Regional Hospital is put together of at least one or two doctors and an interdisciplinary team that is available for educating, policy making, community communication, and consultation on bioethics issues in the hospital.   North East Regional Hospital needs to better educate people about thinking ethically as well as to let community members know that the bioethics team is readily available.   I will first explain what bioethics entails and later define what it is that I will be doing for the North East Regional Hospital bioethics committee.

            Bioethics is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “a discipline dealing with the ethical implications of biological research and applications especially in medicine” ("Merriam-Webster," 2011).   Bioethics education for medical practice is essential in today’s multifaceted world because of many reasons.  Medical policies and patient rights are ever changing, health care systems function differently than that of the past, and clinical practice now involves decision-making about many new issues.   Bioethics is starting to become a bigger, more popular target as the complexity of caring for patients grows and the demand for changing technology remains endless.   Some trending categories of bioethics include the human genome project, cloning, patenting of human products, and transplants.   However, there are less visible but more common issues present as well such as ensuring patient self-determination and proper informed consent for medical procedures, end-of-life decision-making, research ethics, reproductive medicine, and managed care and related economic issues.   The type of bioethics that is most needed will depend upon reasons why bioethics is taught.   There is a need for better assessment of the impact of teaching bioethics upon the way people make decisions.              

“There are a set of principles or ideals which people use as a common ground for bioethics.   They include the autonomy of individuals to make choices, while respecting the choices of others, justice.   In all things we do, the ideal is to avoiding doing harm, and trying to do good” (Macer, 1999).   Each of the following principles plays a key role in the composition of bioethics: respect, beneficence, justice, and do no harm.   Individuals have autonomy (the right to make ones own decisions about their own actions freely and without concern) and we should respect people for the simple reason that they are counterparts to our health community.   Beneficence is defined as having benefits that are proportionate to risks.   For example, in researching treatments for a certain health problem, potential side effects should be weighed against the potential benefits and the weight distribution should be somewhat of an equal balance.   Justice is seen as the even distribution of risks/benefits throughout the general public.   In biomedical research, groups should potentially benefit and/or potentially be exposed to risk at the same rate of other groups unless there is some factor that justifies unequal distribution.  And lastly, there is the principle of do no harm.   This principle is quite clear in that certain ideas should not be presented nor should experiments/treatments be performed if we know that they will ultimately produce harm.   

Resources

Van McCrary, S.  (2001).  Role of bioethics in medical education.  Retrieved from http://www. actionbioscience. org/biotechnologymccrary. html

Macer, D.  (1999, November).  Why bioethics is needed and what bioethics is needed: Results of iubs member survey.  Retrieved from http://intl. concord. org/cbe/pdf/macer. pdf 

Merriam-webster.  (2011).  Retrieved from http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/bioethics

Importance of an Envoronmental Public Health Tracking Program

Importance of an Environmental Public Health Tracking Program

      Throughout the twentieth century, industrialization was a key factor for the shift in the way Americans lived. The shift to a more urban population came with its advantages and disadvantages. A lot of negative impacts came up in the health field due to overcrowding, scarce water resources, and a no effective waste disposal system (McGeehin, Qualters, & Niskar, 2004, p. 1409). These inadequate supplies led to infectious diseases that scoured the country. McGeehin et al. (2004) stated that one-third of all deaths were caused by pneumonia, tuberculosis, and diarrhea with forty percent of the deaths being children under the age of five. Much of the deaths during this time had relation with environmental public health issues: water and food regulations, and housing improvements. Advances in the scientific field have led to more chemicals being found in food, water, and air, which could attribute to the shift of health disparities in communicable diseases to cancer, asthma, and birth defects (McGeehin et al., 2004)
           
     Unlike in the beginning of the twentieth century, the people in the United States believe that the environment has an effect on one’s health (McGeehin et al., 2004). However, as Seachrist (2012) noted, there is an “environmental health gap” in today’s society, meaning there is not a clear understanding how the environment affect an individual or population’s health. The increased interest in the relationship between health and the environment has only helped fuel the need for some action to be taken in finding the answer.
        
     The Pew Environmental Health Commission(PEHC)  assessed the environmental public health in 1999, and found the environmental public health system did not have the capability to respond to environmental threats effectively (McGeehin et al., 2004) The PEHC recommended there be a developmental system to track exposures, environmental agents, and diseases, and then take action when necessary (Kyle, Balmes, Buffler, & Lee, 2006, p. 980). This led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to launch the Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) Network in 2001. The CDC then selected 24 state and local health departments, and three schools to participate (Kyle et al., 2006) The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services was selected in 2002, and launched the Missouri Tracking Network in 2008.

      The EPHT is a free system put in place to provide user-friendly health and environmental data in the forms of graphs, charts, maps, and tables. The ultimate goal of EPHT is to improve health and reduce disease (Kyle et al., 2006) To do this, the CDC decided on the three surveillance elements and how to define them: health, exposure, and hazard. Hazard surveillance is the “assessment of the occurrence of, distribution of, and secular trends in levels of hazards (toxic chemical agents, physical agents, biomechanical stressors, or biological agents)” (Kyle et al., 2006)  Exposure surveillance is defined as the “monitoring of individuals, communities, or population groups for the presence of an environmental agent or its metabolite” (McGeehin et al., 2004) Health is considered the” traditional public health surveillance efforts” used for tracking gathered from vital statistics data or health surveys(McGeehin et al., 2004) Through the use of EPHT it allows users to be able to “generate hypotheses, identify patterns and trends, facilitate education and outreach efforts, and develop and evaluate public health actions” (Seachrist, 2012, p. 11).The development of this system has been the first effort of taking multiple standardized data sets and linking them for the betterment of overall health made by the United States.

      The tracking system is one that is multi-tiered at the federal, state, and local levels. While providing confidentiality to individual records, it allows for linking and analyzing data for the three elements: health, hazard, and exposure (McGeehin et al., 2004) Each tier has to do its part in supporting EPHT for it to be effective. The EPHT is useful at all tiers in the system. The policy makers can use it when deciding where to target the resources and intervention in the environmental public health field (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). Health practioners and nurses can find it beneficial by using the data to research environmental health risk factors, plan treatments, and meet their educational needs as well as their patients (Seachrist, 2012, p. 11). Environmental Public Health Tracking is beneficial to anyone to find out how the environment may be affecting their self, family, or community. It is a tracking program that is in use every day for the betterment of the communities. The areas covered by the EPHT include: air quality measures; containments in drinking water; carbon monoxide, asthma and myocardial infarction hospitalizations; birth defects/premature births; childhood blood lead data; vital statistics/birth outcomes;  and type of cancer (current and future datasets) (Seachrist, 2012, p. 11).  All areas covered by the EPHT are useful to the different tiers.

        Missouri could be looked at as an ideal location for the developmental stages of EPHT. It has both rural farming and industrial settings that come with their own public health challenges (CDC, 2012). Elevated blood lead levels and extreme heat are two challenges faced and improved with the help of EPHT. Both of these challenges are important not only to public health officials and health practioners, but to parents and the elderly as well. While using EPHT, one can pull up an interactive map on where the closest cooling center is in cases of extreme heat, or where cases of elevated blood lead levels have been to see if your children are at risk (CDC, 2012).

           With a project this big and new, it does not come without limitations. The linkage of environmental and health data is limited to only those effects with scientific evidence that the health effect has possible environmental etiology (McGeehin et al., 2004) Because of the fact that there is not already a surveillance system existing at the national, state, and local levels using standard questions to assess the exposures and health effects of environmental hazards, there may be a lot of building necessary (McGeehin et al., 2004) There may also be some misunderstanding towards the general public and media on what EPHT is actually offering. Although it can help one formulate a hypothesis on the etiology of an outbreak, it cannot directly answer questions about diseases (McGeehin et al., 2004) Putting a specific cause to an outbreak through the EPHT may never be possible due to imperfections in the diseases themselves. There may be some lag time between a health effect associated with an environmental hazard of possibly months or years, and most health effects have multi-casual pathways that cannot be narrowed down into one specific cause for a disease (McGeehin et al., 2004) In the development of a National EPHT Program, there are going to be limitations and setbacks, but the benefits outweigh the disadvantages when looking at it from a public health point of view.

        With the ultimate goal of Environmental Public Health Tracking being to improve health and reduce disease, moving it from the developmental stages to a national tracking system is necessary. In order to do this, the citizens at the national, state, and local levels need to be held accountable for the job provided to them in terms of EPHT. When looking at the benefits in a place like Missouri, which has both urban and rural settings, it is hard to say that it is not for the betterment of the communities. With time, there can only be improvements made.

  WORKS CITED
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). CDC’s National Environmental and Public Health Tracking Network, Missouri. Retrieved from             http://ephtracking.cdc.gov/docs/State_Tracking_2012_MO.pdf.

Kyle, A. D., Balmes, J. R., Buffler, P. A., & Lee, P. R. (2006). Integrating Research, Surveillance, and Practice in Environmental Public Health Tracking. Environmental Health Perspectives, 114(7), 980-984. doi:10.1289/ehp.8735

McGeehin, M. A., Qualters, J. R., & Niskar, A. (2004). National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program: Bridging the Information Gap. Environmental Health Perspectives, 112(14), 1409-1413. doi:10.1289/ehp.7144

Seachrist, N. H. (2012). Environmental Public Health Tracking Program. Pennsylvania Nurse, 67(1), 11-13.

Blood Lead Levels: Silent Dangers

            Lead is a metal that is naturally found in the environment and is derived from the earth’s crust (North Carolina department). Lead is abundant in the environment due to human activities, such as fossil fuel burning, mining, and manufacturing (North Carolina department). It is also used in other industries, such as construction (Missouri Department). Lead is combined with other metals to produce alloys, which is another way lead is introduced into the environment. Lead and lead alloys are frequently used to make batteries, ammunition, and many other metal products (Missouri Department). With this, workers are at risk of lead exposure by contact, inhalation and ingestion (Missouri Department).  Workers that are exposed to lead have the potential to transport the lead elsewhere once leaving the worksite. Workers can transport lead on clothes, skin, hair, tools, and in vehicles, which can potentially expose families to lead and the harmful health effects (North Carolina department). It is estimated that over 90% of adults in the United States with elevated blood lead levels are exposed occupationally (Missouri Department). Lead has many harmful health effects once a person has been exposed. Those exposed to lead can experience anemia, nervous system dysfunction, kidney problems, hypertension, decreased fertility, and increased miscarriages (Missouri Department). Specifically, children exposed to lead experience symptoms of neurologic damage, including learning disabilities and short attention spans (Missouri Department). These symptoms are not specific to lead exposure only, but are also symptoms of other health conditions and diseases. This makes it difficult to pinpoint lead exposure or poisoning as the problem. Workers should make use of personal protective equipment to minimize exposure (North Carolina department). Personal protective equipment includes gloves, eye protection, good personal hygiene practices, and other items that prevent skin contact (North Carolina department). Respiratory protection may be necessary as well in extreme cases where exposure levels exceed the standard limits (North Carolina department). Many people are affected by lead exposure nationally. This calls for more awareness and protective measures to be taken nation-wide.

References

(2012). Retrieved from Center for Disease Control website: http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/ACCLPP/blood_lead_levels.htm

Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services. (n.d.). Adult blood lead epidemiology and surveillance. Retrieved from http://health.mo.gov/data/ables/index.php

North carolina department of labor. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nclabor.com/osha/etta/A_to_Z_Topics/lead.pdf

Donate Life: A final gift of compassion

An average of 18 people die every day in the United States due to a shortage of donated organs. There are currently 115,000 people in the United States waiting for an organ transplant, and there are thousands more who could benefit from cornea transplants or tissue donations. In 2011 there were 28,535 organ transplants performed, more than 46,000 cornea transplants, and more than one million tissue transplants. Each organ donor can save or improve the lives of 50 people (Donate Life, 2012).

Organ donation is a final act of love and kindness. What better way to make a difference in the lives of others than to help save their lives? With the sadness of the death of one person can come the hope and happiness of a life-changing transplant for many others. If reading the statistics is not enough to persuade you to become an organ donor, perhaps you should watch some of the inspirational videos about organ donation. Donate Life America has worked to spread awareness and encourage people to register as organ donors. They have produced a set of videos that tell the stories of donors' families and the recipients. A selection of these videos can be found at http://donatelife.net/stories-of-hope/.

There are many misconceptions about organ donation out there. Here are three important facts to keep in mind:

1. Everybody can be a donor regardless of age, race, or past medical history.
2. All major religions in the United States support organ donation.
3. The top priority when you are in the hospital is to save your life. Doctors will not hasten your death in order to get your organs faster.

If you are not already an organ donor and you wish to register, you can also register on the Donate Life America site at http://donatelife.net/register-now/.

You have the ability to save the lives of others! Please consider registering today!

References

About Donation and Transplantation. (n.d.) U.S. Department of Health and Senior Services: Organdonor.gov. Retrieved from http://www.organdonor.gov/about/index.html.

Get the Facts. (n.d.) Donate Life Missouri. Retrieved from http://www.donatelifemissouri.com/get_the_facts/index.html.

Mayo Clinic Staff. (April 3, 2010). Organ Donation: Don’t Let these Myths Confuse You.  Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/organ-donation/FL00077.

Understanding Organ Donation. (n.d.) Donate Life America. Retrieved from http://donatelife.net/understanding-donation/. 

Blue and Green Algae in Missouri

            Cyanobacteria, commonly known as Blue-green algae, are microscopic organisms that are naturally present in lake and steams.  Under the normal conditions, they will be present in low numbers.  But blue-green algae can become very abundant in warm, shallow, undisturbed surface water that receives a lot of sunlight.  When this kind of situation occurs in water, blue-green algae can form blooms that looks like scums or floating rafts that occupies the surface of the water.  Some of the blue-green algae are harmless but some could produce toxins that could pose a serious health risk to people and animals when they are exposed to them in large enough quantities.  People’s health could be in danger when water containing high levels of blue-green algal toxins is swallowed, through contact with the skin or even when airborne droplets containing toxins are inhaled while swimming, bathing or showering.  Over exposure to these toxins could cause irritation of the skin, eyes, nose and throat and inflammation in the respiratory tract.  Although recreational contact to such toxins, such as swimming and household contact is not expected to cause health effects, individuals who are especially sensitive could experience mild symptoms such as skin, eye or throat irritation or allergic reactions.   Even though the potential health effect of long –term exposure to low levels of blue-green algal toxins has not been studied, knowing and understanding the serious health and environmental effect of the blue-green algae could be very useful when time presents itself. 

            In order to control the over growth of blue-green algae in Missouri waters, one must first obtained the scientific knowledge of such organism.  As mentioned before, blue-green algae are very primitive cyanobacteria.  Even though they carry the name of algae, they are truly bacteria.  The word cyano means blue, hence the fact that these organisms often appear blue-green in color.  So why do we still call them blue-green algae?  Because cyanobacteria photosynthesizes like algae, which explains why they are very abundant in warm, shallow, undisturbed surface water that receives a lot of sunlight. 

            There are mainly two groups of blue-green algae:  the planktonics and the mat-formers.  The first type, planktonics blue-greens are microscopic organisms we often see in typical pea-soup green color waters.  Of this type of blue-green algae, the most common types of planktonics are Anabaena, Aphanizomenon, and Microcystis. (Purdue, Lembi) The abundance of such bacteria causes the water to appear green and turbid.  And when these blue-green algae rise to the surface of somewhat static waters, they could bind with each other to form a yellowish-green scum.  This kind of formation is very typical of most planktonic blue-green algae.  The planktonics form surface scums in order to deflect and block sunlight to other types of algae and aquatic plants that live in deeper part of the water column.  By doing so, blue-green algae can cut off the proton supplies that the sunlight provided in order to starve the other competitors in the water to death.  Because of the fact that cyanobacteria feed on nitrogen and phosphorus, runoff of fertilizers, organic waste compounds and other sources of Nitrogen and Phosphorus into surface waters could stimulate the growth of blue-green algae, causing heavy infestations or blooms.  These mats are not only toxic but odorous as well. 

            The toxicity among these cyanobacteria in general is well researched and characterized.   There are reports of cyanobacteria in water consumed by livestock causing deaths, bacterial infections among them.

References:

http://www.archwaterworks.com/Docs/ManagmentofBlueGreenAlgae.pdf

http://www.btny.purdue.edu/pubs/APM/blue-green_factsheet.pdf

Get Your Flu Vaccine!

Influenza is a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death. Every flu season is different, and the influenza infection can affect people differently. Even healthy people can get very sick from the flu and spread it to others (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). The flu vaccine is the best way to protect yourself against the flu and by getting the flu vaccine, “you are 60% less likely to need treatment for the flu by a healthcare provider” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013). The flu vaccine can also lower the severity of the illness so less time lost from work or school.  To find out where to get a flu shot a person can go to flushot.healthmap.org and it will locate the closet facilities that can provide vaccines and other services  (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013).  

During the flu season viruses are traveling throughout the population. An annual seasonal flu vaccine is the best way to decrease the chances that you will get seasonal flu and diminish the chance that you will spread it to others. The Center for Disease Control recommends that people get a flu vaccination as soon as the vaccine becomes available in their area.  The more people who get vaccinated against the flu, the less the flu can spread throughout a community (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013).

Sources

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Key facts about seasonal flu vaccine. (2013, January 16). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Vaccination & Vaccine Safety. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.flu.gov/prevention-vaccination/vaccination/index.html