July - August 2009

Dr. Guerra's Corner

Welcome to the introductory edition of Metro Health's first electronic newsletter, appropriately titled Health e-News. It is our hope that you will find this new e-publication informative and enlightening. If you have any suggestions or recommendations, please feel free to share them with the editor.

Every other month, Health e-News will bring you the latest updates on public health issues and inform you of various Metro Health programs, services and events. This particular space will provide me the opportunity to share my thoughts with you on some critical issues and prevention messages.

Summer Safety

As you might imagine, summer safety is at the top of my list at this particular time. Summer time is supposed to be fun time. Students look forward to the temporary release from structured educational pursuits. Families plan summer getaways and drivers look forward to a nearly three-month respite from the heaviest rush-hour traffic.

However, we must be mindful of the dangers that also arrive with the changing environments of summer time. More children and families will seek relief from the heat in their backyard and neighborhood pools or the lake. It’s a cool way to stay physically active this summer. However, a strong word of caution – water, even a small amount in a kiddie pool - combined with a lack of supervision can be deadly.

Drowning is the leading cause of death of children ages one to four and it’s the second and third leading cause of death for children under the age of one and in the 15 – 19 year old categories, respectively.

Take some precautionary measures now to insure the safety of your loved ones. Make sure your private or neighorhood pool has appropriate depth markings and perimeter fencing with self-closing and self-latching gates, a secure pool cover or an alarm. If not, be sure young children can never access the pool unless a responsible adult is there to closely monitor activities. Remove ladders to above ground pools or secure doors and windows that would allow young ones to wander into the backyard without you noticing.

For adults, remember that alcohol and swimming or other recreational water activities do not mix. Choose one or the other, drinking or swimming. Choosing both can have fatal consequences.

We have already experienced the drowning deaths of at least four young people in our community. Let us all be particularly careful and on watch to ensure there are no more unfortunate tragedies and loss of life.

In addition to water safety, there are a number of other issues to be mindful of when it comes to injury prevention and safeguarding youngsters.

Gun safety is another priority area. Gun owners and parents shoulder the responsibility of insuring that firearms are properly secured and only accessible by those in our household who are trained to use them. A locked cabinet, safe or high-quality gun lock could save the life of a young child or loved one. Proper security also decreases the risk of theft in a burglary.

Risky behavior among our youth during the summer can have life-changing consequences. Take time during family outings, road trips or quiet days to have an open and honest conversation with your teen about sex, relationships, values and future goals. Time after time, studies show parents are the most valued and respected source for young people when it comes to discussions about sex.

So, talk to your children and know with whom they are spending time this summer. Also, be aware of the environments they are in, paying particular attention to adult supervision, access to alcohol or drugs (prescription and illegal) as well as entertainment and communication tools such as online gaming, texting, chat rooms, and social networking. With a local teenage pregnancy rate that is 75% higher than the national rate, we need to be especially vigilant to help our young people live up to their fullest potential.

Finally, while we all need to take special precautions during what's shaping up to be a much hotter summer than last, we encourage children and adults alike to stay or become physically active. This is the time of the year where children gain weight because they spend their summer days watching TV, playing video games and chatting online rather than participating in fitness activities.

Despite the heat, youngsters can still enjoy exercise such as skateboarding, or a pick-up game of soccer, basketball or flag football especially during the morning, early afternoon or evening hours. Families can enjoy a walk, hike or bike ride in the neighborhood park or spend the day at the pool. And, the malls are always an attractive place for seniors to walk anytime of the day.

Whatever your choice, just be sure you participate actively with safety in mind. Let's do all we can to avoid packing on the pounds this summer and endangering our well being with chronic health conditions associated with obesity and being overweight.
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Motorcycle Safety

As many of you may have noticed, barely a week goes by without a crash involving a motorcycle. This form of two-wheel transportation and scooters became more popular during the height of our $4-a-gallon gas prices last year. Unfortunately, as these crashes have evidenced, riding a bike is not as simple as it appears.

In 2007, there was a seven percent increase in motorcycle fatalities from 4,837 in 2006, to 5,154. And, that's just on the nation's highways.

Motorcyclists are dying on our streets quite often due to a combination of factors, most probable are inexperience, drinking and driving, and inattention by others on the road. For those considering buying a motorcycle or those who have recently acquired one, following these tips from Metro Health and the Motorcycle Safety Foundation could be life-saving:

1. Get trained and licensed
2. Wear protective gear -- all the gear, all the time -- including a helmet manufactured to the standards set by the Department of Transportation
3. Ride unimpaired by ANY alcohol or other drugs. Even slight impairment is dangerous on a motorcycle due to balance and coordination needs.
4. Ride within your own skill limits
5. Be a lifelong learner by taking refresher rider courses

Drivers of motor vehicles can help protect motorcyclists by safely interacting with them and not making unnecessary and sudden lane changes or braking that could cause a motorcyclist to take evasive maneuvers that can have more dangerous results than for someone in a car. Motorcyclists often are in a driver's blind spot, so beware and look closely before changing lanes or turning.
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H1N1 Flu Response - Thank You!

And, last but certainly not least for my comments in this inaugural edition, I want to thank our partners, the medical community, businesses, educational leaders, and others who responded in such a professional manner during the H1N1 flu (or swine flu) outbreak. You sought accurate and informative data from your local public health team and assisted us in keeping this community calm and better protected.

I especially want to thank our educational leaders for making yourselves available to discuss critical issues impacting the group most highly affected by this virus. By communicating directly with parents, students, teachers, faculty and other stakeholders, you kept this situation in perspective and aided our public health response.

I certainly hope we can count on all of you again for the appropriate action steps when we move closer to the fall and into our normal influenza season. You can be assured that your public health team is ready to respond. With all of us working together, we can take preventive action to place our community in the best position possible to be protected from the novel H1N1 virus during its expected "second wave."

And, in spite of these concerns, we can not forget about immunizations for children to protect them against vaccine preventable illnesses, especially seasonal influenza.

With warm regards always,


Director of Health
San Antonio Metropolitan Health District

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