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COMMUNITY
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Welcome
Welcome to the first edition of Community Health for 2014.
Hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year!
Last year, the team immunised over
3800 people in the community through
their public immunisation sessions. The
secondary school immunisation program
immunised over 5000 Year 7, 9 and
10 students – with the majority of these
vaccines provided free under the National
Immunisation Program.
In this edition
1. Our immunisation service
1. Flu season is fast approaching –
be prepared
2. Lunchbox food safety warning
Our immunisation service
The Immunisation team at Maroondah
City Council is involved in a variety of
services for the community including
• public immunisation sessions
• a secondary school immunisation
program
• 4-year-old dress up party sessions
• opportunistic immunisation
• corporate immunisation.
March
2014
2. Disease profile: Meningococcal
The team also updates immunisation
records; documents vaccines that have
been administered overseas; determines
catch up immunisations; and provides
general immunisation advice.
Council’s Immunisation Service has full
accreditation in compliance with AS/NZS
ISO 9001:2008 Quality Standards, so
Maroondah families can be confident of
receiving a safe, effective service.
For more information regarding
Maroondah City Council’s immunisation
service, dates and locations visit Council’s
website www.maroondah.vic.gov.au or
contact the Immunisation Team on
9294 5627.
Some of the members of Council’s
immunisation team
Flu season is fast approaching – be prepared
Influenza (the flu) is a contagious
respiratory illness caused by the influenza
virus. In Australia, there are, on average,
dozens of deaths and thousands of
hospitalisations recorded as being due to
influenza illness each year.
The best way to avoid getting the flu is to
have an annual flu vaccination.
People most at risk of complications from
influenza include the elderly, those with
pre-existing medical conditions (such
as chronic heart or lung diseases) and
pregnant women. However, even healthy
people can get severe influenza.
Vaccinations
The flu vaccine is provided free under the
National Immunisation Program for the
following groups:
• people over 65 years of age
• pregnant women
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
over 15 years of age
• anyone aged six months and over, who
have a medical condition that may
cause them to get a severe case of
influenza.
Maroondah City Council Community Health Services
Adults and children over six months
can be vaccinated against influenza,
but should be vaccinated yearly as the
virus changes regularly and vaccines are
modified.
Council provides the influenza vaccine, at
a cost of $20 per dose and administers it
at various public immunisation sessions
(available on Council’s website).
The Immunisation Team can also attend
your workplace to offer flu vaccine for
staff. If you would like to discuss the
corporate immunisation program please
contact the team on 9294 5627.
Civic Square, Croydon | PO Box 156 Ringwood 3134 | Telephone (03) 9294 5603 | Fax (03) 9294 5631
www.maroondah.vic.gov.au
COMMUNITY
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Lunchbox food safety warning
Choose, Clean and Chill are three
key actions vital for healthy, food safe
lunchboxes according to the Food
Safety Information Council.
Packed lunches are great for healthy
eating but we need to be extra careful
when packing and transporting food
to work or school to ensure we don’t
become one of the estimated 5.4
million cases of food poisoning in
Australia each year.
Top tips for a safe lunch box:
Choose
•Choose low risk foods such as hard
cheeses; freshly cooked meats and
poultry; fresh, well-washed fruits and
vegetables; canned tuna or salmon;
shelf stable snacks; and sandwich
spreads.
•Choose lunchboxes that are easy to
clean and dry. Insulated lunchboxes
are a great idea, but not if they are
difficult to keep clean.
Clean
•When preparing food, always
thoroughly wash your hands.
•Wash and dry lunchboxes and drink
bottles daily. If cracked
replace as bugs love
hidey holes.
•Ensure cutting
boards, benches
and utensils are
clean and dry.
•Wash all fruits
and vegetables
thoroughly.
Chill
•When preparing lunches ahead of
time, make sure they are kept in the
fridge or freezer.
•When leaving home, pack a frozen
juice box, water bottle or commercial
ice pack with the lunch. Place
perishable foods such as cheeses
and sandwiches between the frozen
items.
•Divide cooked leftovers into small
lunch-sized portions so they
refrigerate or freeze quickly.
General advice
•If in doubt throw it out!
•Warn children against sharing drink
bottles and lunches. Sharing lunches
is not a good idea as it is difficult to
know what allergies other children
may have, or whether the foods have
been prepared using the basic food
safety tips.
•If you or your child has food
poisoning don’t go to work or school,
and avoid handling food for others
for 48 hours after symptoms such as
vomiting and diarrhoea stop. If food
poisoning symptoms persist, visit a
doctor.
For more information on
lunchbox safety visit
http://www.foodsafety.asn.au/
resources/work-and-schoollunch-safety/
For healthy lunchbox ideas
visit the Dietitians Association
of Australia website
http://www.daa.asn.au/
Maroondah City Council Community Health Services
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Disease profile
Meningococcal
There are a number of different
meningococci bacteria, however the most
common types in Australia are Serogroup B
and Serogroup C.
Meningococcal disease usually occurs
in one of two forms: Meningitis - an
inflammation of the protective coverings of
the brain and spinal cord; and Septicaemia
- a blood poisoning that is a more
widespread infection throughout the body.
The infection can develop quickly and
can cause serious illness or death. Early
diagnosis and treatment with antibiotics are
vital.
Although meningococcal disease may occur
at any age, babies and children under the
age of 5 are at greater risk. Teenagers and
young adults aged 15 - 24 years are also
at increased risk, along with those with a
damaged spleen, or have had their spleen
removed.
Symptoms
The symptoms of meningococcal disease
can take up to seven days to present and
may include:
•fever
•headache
•Photophobia (dislike of bright lights)
•loss of appetite
•aching, joint and back pains and sore
muscles
•vomiting and/or diarrhoea
•extreme tiredness or floppiness
(in children)
•Convulsions or twitching (in children)
•rash of red/purple pinprick spots, or
larger bruises
Immunisation
Meningococcal C vaccine is funded for
babies at 12 months of age and it provides
good protection against Serogroup C. A
combined vaccine against Serogroups A, C,
Y and W is useful for travellers. A vaccine
for Serogroup B has recently been made
available in Australia, however must be
purchased privately through your GP.
For further information regarding
immunisations, please call 9294 5627 or
visit www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au
Civic Square, Croydon | PO Box 156 Ringwood 3134 | Telephone (03) 9294 5603 | Fax (03) 9294 5631
www.maroondah.vic.gov.au