Health departments within the North Georgia Health District will soon conduct Drive-by Flu Shot Clinics. There is no easier way to protect against the flu because the Drive-by Flu Shot Clinics are specially designed to process people quickly and conveniently as they remain in their vehicles.

The drive-by clinics will also be an opportunity for North Georgia Health District health departments in Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield Counties to test their ability to quickly administer medications to the public in a widespread public health crisis, such as pandemic influenza. Therefore, residents who receive a flu shot at their local drive-by clinic will not only find the experience to be fast and efficient, but they also will be assisting in a mass emergency preparedness drill for their county.

Cherokee County Environmental Health officials announced today that yet another raccoon in the county has tested positive for rabies. This makes a total of seven confirmed cases of rabies for the county this year, including four other raccoons, a dog and a fox.

In this most recent case, Cherokee County Environmental Health Specialist Glendon Gordy reported that on August 10, two dogs attacked and killed a raccoon at a Sardis Circle residence in Canton. The head of the raccoon was sent to the Georgia State Laboratory for rabies testing, and the positive result was received by county health officials on August 12.

To help keep our local communities safe, the North Georgia Health District is proudly joining the Georgia Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during August to participate in National Immunization Awareness Month.

National Immunization Awareness Month is the perfect time to catch up on our immunizations and to remind family, friends and coworkers to catch up on theirs.