Buncombe County eGov Weekly eZine - Vol. 5   Issue 40
October 5 - 12, 2009

A lot of information has been circulating lately about the H1N1 (or Swine flu) vaccine that is expected to arrive soon. The information below should answer some of the questions many people are having.

What is a novel virus?
A novel virus is one that has never before infected humans, or hasn't infected humans for a long time. It's likely that almost no one will have immunity to protect them from the novel H1N1 virus. Therefore, anyone exposed to the virus--young or old, healthy or weak--could become infected and get sick.

What’s the difference between Novel H1N1 and seasonal flu?
The virus that causes seasonal flu changes a little bit each year, but the changes are small. Getting a yearly flu vaccine helps to protect us from those small changes. The H1N1 flu virus is new and so different that many people, especially younger people, do not have much resistance. This is the reason why so many people got sick in the spring and we expect to see many more people, especially children, come down with the novel flu this fall.

Is the H1N1 flu really in our area now?
YES! Because the H1N1 virus has been very mild so far, you probably know friends and family in Buncombe County and the surrounding area that have had it but didn’t realize it at the time. Seasonal flu usually occurs sometime between November through March or April. Most of those who have had flu symptoms over the spring and summer very likely had H1N1 flu. According to the CDC some people may be infected with this novel flu and have respiratory symptoms without a fever.

Flu symptoms include: fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills or fatigue.

What’s in the H1N1 vaccine? Isn’t it dangerous?
The H1N1 vaccine is made in eggs exactly like the seasonal flu vaccine. The only difference is the strain of flu that’s in the vaccine.

Some people have expressed concern about this vaccine because it hasn’t been tested long. Because this is a completely new strain of virus, much of the testing has been to determine whether we need to have one or two doses of the novel flu vaccine for it to be effective. Fortunately for us, scientists have found that those over 9 years of age can be sufficiently protected after only one vaccine. Current testing shows that children under 9 years will need to have a second H1N1 vaccine a few weeks after their first to be fully protected.

All flu vaccines have changed ingredients in the past 2 years or so and no longer contain additives as they once did. Flu vaccine that is produced in ‘multi-dose vials’, small containers with enough vaccine for about 10 shots, contain the inactivated influenza virus and thimerosal, a preservative. Some people are concerned about thimerosal because it contains mercury; however the amount is so small that FDA reports have found no evidence of harm except for minor skin reactions in some people.

Why aren’t older people a priority for getting the early H1N1 vaccines?
Only about 3% of those over the age of 65 are known to have become ill with the H1N1 virus. It’s suspected that older people may have been exposed to a similar flu strain years ago. Because this is a new flu strain, those who are more likely to become ill and experience the worst symptoms are people 24 years of age and under, pregnant women and people of any age with chronic health conditions such as asthma. We expect there to eventually be enough H1N1 vaccine for anyone who would like it, including those over age 65.

Those who will be a priority to receive the first doses of H1N1 vaccine are:

• Pregnant women;
• Household contacts of infants under 6 months;
• Healthcare and emergency medical services workers;
• Young people between 6 months and 24 years of age;
• Non-elderly adults (ages 25-64) with chronic medical conditions that make them at higher risk of flu-related complications.

Shouldn’t we all be given Tamiflu if we have flu symptoms?
Experience with Tamiflu has shown that only those who are very sick or have chronic medical conditions and are at risk of complications from H1N1 should be given Tamiflu. Scientists and medical professionals believe that Tamiflu could become ineffective if used too much. Because of this, Tamiflu is now recommended for seriously ill or at-risk patients within the first 3 days of their illness.

I’m healthy. Why should I be vaccinated for H1N1?
This is a common question, especially from those who aren’t in a high risk group. Think about it this way – Getting an H1N1 vaccine (or even a seasonal flu vaccine) isn’t entirely about keeping yourself from getting the flu. It’s also a Social Responsibility to protect people who are at risk of serious complications or even death.

We know that H1N1 has been a very mild illness for some. But by protecting yourself from illness you also protect those people you’re around. The more of us who are vaccinated against flu, the more likely that pregnant women, babies, young people and those who have other chronic health problems won’t get flu.

For more information:
Information about H1N1 flu changes constantly as more is learned about it. To keep up-to-date about this virus and also know when and where the vaccine will be available you may check www.buncombecounty.org. Links are available on our website that come directly from the CDC. Soon you will also be able to call our Flu Vaccine Hotline and hear information about H1N1 as well as seasonal flu. The hotline number is 250-6400.

The public is encouraged to attend the Health Center’s large flu vaccination clinic at Biltmore Square Mall on October 8, 9 & 10. This year the Health Center is working collaboratively with Maxim Health Care, which should help us provide more vaccines to more people. Vaccines at the mall will be available for anyone age 6 months and above. Mall clinics will be held:

• October 8 from 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
• October 9 from 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
• October 10 from 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Cost for flu vaccine is $30 and may be paid by cash, check, MasterCard, VISA or through health insurance.

To bill insurance, cards must be presented before a flu shot may be given. If insurance is billed and refuses payment, those who receive a shot will be responsible for payment of the bill.

For more information, call the Flu Vaccine Hotline at 250-6400 or check the website, buncombecounty.org.

During the recent 3CMA (City-County Communications and Marketing Association) Annual Conference, the County received two national awards.  The County's website won for its "unique design and inviting and interactive features that appropriately highlighted the County's hottest news and services."  The County also received an award of excellence in the category of "Most Creative Activity with Least Dollars Spent" for its "Kindness Matters - Pass it On" campaign to encourage good customer service.

The County's website is designed and managed in house by County employees and is the main hub of all County information including daily updated news and a presence on social media sites including Facebook and Twitter.

The Kindness Campaign was founded out of the County's Human Services' efforts to improve customer service.  The County wanted employees to stop and think about being kind to each other and to citizens. The campaign encouraged employees to be on the lookout for an act of kindness; to acknowledge the act and to pass it on.  This caught the eye of the judges as "an awesome way to enlist a new take on the customer service theme." 

The 3CMA is an association of over 900 Cities and Counties across the nation that work together to improve the communication skills of governments.  Buncombe County was selected from over 675 entries from governments all across the nation.

Accepting the awards were members of the County's PR Team:  Stacey Keith, PR Coordinator; Jeremy Twiggs, Webmaster; Anthony Peronne, Web Assistant; Kathy Hughes, PR Director and Ben Atkins, Web Assistant. 

Support Special Olympics Buncombe County athletes and have a great time at the Semi-Annual "Spare Me" Bowling Tournament. Entry fee includes two games, shoe rental and a t-shirt. Bowlers and their cheerleaders will be able to participate in a silent auction -- so come prepared to bid on some great items.

The entry fee is $20 per person or $100 for a five person team. Sign up your own team of five bowlers or let us place you on a team. There are two game times. 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. is set aside as family games. The 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. games are for adults only. All profits will benefit the athletes of Special Olympics Buncombe County.

Registration form

• Date:  Saturday, October 17, 2009
• Times:  11 a.m. – 2 p.m. (Family Games) and 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. (Adult Games)
• Where:  AMF Star Lanes, 491 Kenilworth Road, Asheville, NC 28805
• Cost:  $100 per five person team or $20 per person

Questions? Call 250-6702.

Flu season is expected to be especially bad this year. In order to prevent flu, the Buncombe County Health Center will go to elementary schools throughout October to provide seasonal flu vaccines for children in kindergarten through 5th grade. Although the seasonal flu vaccines do not provide immunization from the H1N1 virus, they will help keep other flu strains from spreading.

The flu vaccines will be given at no charge, although for families with insurance, their insurance company will be billed. In order for students to receive the seasonal flu vaccines, parents must give consent for either the nasal spray or flu shot to be given.

To learn more about seasonal flu shots in your child’s school, go to:

• Buncombe County Schools
• Asheville City Schools

For answers to your questions about the flu vaccination program:

School Flu Vaccine FAQs for Parents

Take time this month to learn more about the facts of breast cancer.

Statistics:

• There is a 1 in 8 chance of a woman getting invasive breast cancer at some time during her life
• There is a 1 in 35 chance of death from breast cancer although breast cancer death rates are decreasing with improved treatments and early detection

Risk Factors:

• age, race, personal history, positive family history, excessive alcohol use, physical inactivity, obesity, late onset of menopause, use of hormone replacement drugs, and not having children or having children late in life

Signs & Symptoms include:

• Presence of a breast lump, change in lump size or shape, change in breast size or shape

Be Pro-Active:

• Schedule an annual mammogram beginning at age 40 or 30 if you have a positive family history
• If results are abnormal follow up with your healthcare provider
• Do a regular breast self exam

Lawns:

• This is still a good time to core aerate compacted soils. (See September Mountain Gardener).
• If you have reseeded the lawn, it will be important to keep the tree leaves from accumulating.
• A leaf blower would be gentler on the seedling grass than the rake.

Ornamentals:

• If you have hemlock trees, inspect them for signs of hemlock woolly adelgids. This is a good time of year to treat smaller trees with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil. Fall is also a good time to apply a systemic soil drench treatment on larger trees. See Recommendations for Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Control or view BCTV 2's Hemlock Woolly Adelgid video, hosted by Linda Blue of Buncombe County Cooperative Extension.
• Plant pansies. Don’t be skimpy – they are small plants.
• Purchase spring blooming bulbs. Plant late in October or in November.
• Limit pruning of shrubs to sniping stray branches and removing dead or damaged stems.
• Move house plants indoors before temperatures drop below 50° F. Start checking house plants for signs of insects so they can be treated a few times before moving back indoors. While you are at it, go ahead and give the plants a good bath with the garden hose, remove dead leaves and cut back long stems.

Fruits:

• There have been a lot of diseases in the gardens and orchards this year, making good sanitation especially important. As you rake leaves, also remove any fruit left in the trees and pick up all fruit from the ground.
• Most blackberries and raspberries produce fruit on second year canes. An exception is ‘Heritage’ red raspberry, which will produce two crops each season if pruned in the traditional manner. But they can also be managed by simply cutting all of the canes to the ground in late fall to produce one larger crop in late summer.

Vegetables:

• Good sanitation is important here as well. Remove spent plants to the compost pile or turn them into the soil to rot.
• If tomato plants were infected with late blight, it is best to destroy those plants by burying deeply or bagging them and sending them out in the trash.
• Harvest pumpkins and winter squash before frost.
• Spray all crucifers (cabbage family crops) with organic B.t. (Bacillus thruingiensis) every 7 to 10 days to kill the various caterpillars that eat the plants.

Other:

• Leave hummingbird feeders out for late migrating birds.
• In addition to cleaning up the garden, fall is a good time to clean up the garden supplies. Pesticide labels will tell you how they should be stored for winter.
• Clean and repair tools.

For more information, watch BCTV 2's "Garden Chores with Linda Blue" video or call Buncombe County Cooperative Extension at 255-5522.

The Buncombe County Sheriff's Office Animal Services Division will be offering low cost vaccination clinics to allow you to keep your pet's vaccinations current.

• Rabies shot $7 per pet
• Combination shot $15 per pet (dogs)
• Combination shot $20 per pet (cats)
• Microchip $10  

To receive a three-year rabies vaccine, you MUST bring the one-year certificate with you. Keep in mind that the rabies tag your pet wears around its neck does not include a date and cannot be used to verify prior vaccination. Please make sure to bring restraints for all your pets.

Clinics will be held on the last Saturday of every month at the following times and locations:

• October 31
• November 28

For more information, contact Buncombe County Animal Services at 253-1195.

This week we are featuring some animals available for adoption from FurEver Friends. Please consider making one of these animals your "FurEver" friend by giving it a loving home.

Sylvester Breed: Domestic Long Hair-black and white [Mix] Sex: Male Age: 18 months "Hi, my name is Sylvester and I was found wandering with a group of feral cats. But I am NOT feral!! I'm really a house kitty looking for a human to share a sofa with. I'm FIV/FeLV negative, current on all vaccines, neutered, and have a clean bill of health. I have a very sweet disposition, love to talk to you, and to have my silky black and white fur stroked. If you consider adopting an animal a LIFETIME commitment, please contact my foster parents to meet me." To meet Sylvester, please contact Robbie Coleman at 828-670-0080.

Baby Breed: Short Hair-black and white [Mix] Sex: Female Age: Adult I'm about 6 years old and I'm very sweet and gentle, but a little shy with strangers. Once I get to know you, I'm very affectionate and loving. The kittens attract so much attention around here that I'm not sure I'll ever get noticed, but I hope in my heart of hearts that I do. I would be a great companion for anyone and would be  fine with children if they are gentle.

Grey Lady Breed: Dilute Calico [Mix] Sex: Female Age: Adult "Look into my eyes... you want to take me home with you." You can tell how sweet Grey Lady is, just by looking at her. Can you give her a chance to be your best friend?

All of these cats have been spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and tested for FIV and FeLV and they are already house trained. If you are interested in adopting one of these pets, or would like to look at any of the other wonderful animals that need homes, FurEver Friends conducts a weekly adoption event every Sunday at the SuperPetz store located at 825 Brevard Road in Asheville (across from the Biltmore Square Mall) between the hours of 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.

The volunteers can't transport all of animals to the adoption event every week, so if you would like to meet one, or you are looking for a certain kind, age, etc., call or email ahead to make sure that it will be there: (828)-670-6723 / fureverfriends@att.net. Alternately, animals may be seen by special appointment as time and scheduling permit.

Visit the FurEver Friends website to see more animals available for adoption.

Ingredients:

CHICKEN

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3-4 pounds chicken pieces (legs, breasts, thighs)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
• 3 cups plus 1/2 cup water
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Black pepper, to taste
• 5 medium-size carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

DUMPLINGS

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1. For the chicken, heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or other large covered saucepan. Add the chicken pieces and brown them on each side for 2 minutes.
2. Stir in the onion and celery. Sauté briefly.
3. Add 3 cups of water, bay leaf, bouillon cubes, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the chicken, covered, for 30 minutes.
4. Remove the chicken, add the carrots to the pot, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes or until the carrots are tender.
5. Meanwhile, remove the chicken meat from the bones.
6. Whisk together the flour and the remaining 1/2 cup of water in a medium bowl until smooth.
7. Add the mixture and the chicken meat to the simmering saucepan. Cover and continue to simmer.
8. To prepare the dumplings, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and fresh parsley in a large bowl.
9. Make a well in the dry mixture and add the milk, egg, and oil. Stir briskly to make a batter.
10. For each dumpling, spoon a rounded tablespoon of batter into the simmering broth. Cover and simmer for another 13 to 15 minutes, without stirring.
11. Ladle into wide soup bowls and serve hot. Makes 5 to 6 servings.
    
    

Please select the “Recipe of the Week” icon in the sidebar of the eZine if you are interested in entering the contest. If your recipe is selected you will receive a prize!

• Are You a Caregiver?
  Do you help your mother with her medications? Do you spend your break time on the phone trying to contact your father’s doctor? Do you help a friend or relative with bills? These are signs that you are a caregiver. 
  
  On Thursday, October 15, Pat Hilgendorf will present a workshop at the Administrative Offices of Buncombe County Parks, Greenways and Recreation Services. Pat Hilgendorf has worked in the area of caregiving for 19 years. She was a caregiver for her own mother who died of Alzheimer’s disease. Pat also developed an elder care resource and referral program for the 4,000 employees of the General Motors plant where she worked. The program worked so well that it became a nation-wide organization in 1996. Pat was active with the Alzheimer’s Association for 20 years, working the last few years in the Asheville office.  
  
  Bring your lunch and join us for this workshop. The Administrative Office is located at 59 Woodfin Place in Asheville. The workshop is from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. and is free. Drinks and dessert will be provided.
  
  For information or to register, please call Grace Young at 250-4265. Please register by Monday, October 12.

• Insects to Watch For
  

  Continue to keep an eye out for insects in your garden:

  • Ornamentals:  Check evergreens for bagworms. Half of those bags contain eggs which will hatch in the spring, so remove and destroy them. Spruce mites are cool weather mites that become active now. Shake a branch vigorously over white paper to check for them.
    
    
  • Vegetables:  Aphids and several species of caterpillars can be a problem on broccoli, cabbage, collards and other cabbage family plants.

  For more information, call Buncombe County Cooperative Extension at 255-5522.

• Helpful Hints for Packing Away Your Summer Clothes
  

  Strong smelling mothballs will repel moths; however, herbs will do the same thing and smell better.  Lavender, wormwood, cedar and patchouli along with a small amount of rosemary or cinnamon will work well.  Mix any combination and place in the toe of a used stocking.  Tie open end and hang in closet or place in a drawer. 

  Moths do not eat wool -- they eat the food stains and perspiration left on clothes or blankets.  Keep wool items clean and stored in sealed plastic bags or containers.

  Source:  Farmers Almanac

• It's Time to Recycle
  

  As of October 1, plastic bottles, oil filters and wood pallets are banned from being disposed of in any North Carolina Landfill.  These items must now be recycled. Complete story...

  Find out more about how you can recycle by watching this edition of Buncombe Life.