The Department of Health Services has partnered with Drug Free Action Alliance to sponsor Parents Who Host, Lose The Most, a campaign to educate communities and parents about the health and safety risks of serving alcohol at teen parties.

Adults can be criminally prosecuted for hosting teen alcohol parties and be liable for injuries and property damage that may result from providing alcohol to teens.

Adults play a big role in shaping young people's attitudes toward drinking

Drug Free Action Alliance developed the Parents Who Host, Lose The Most campaign to encourage everyone, especially parents, to send a unified message that teen alcohol consumption is unhealthy, unsafe, and unacceptable.

According to the Wisconsin Epidemiological Profile on Alcohol and Other Drug Use, 2016, Wisconsin's rate of drinking among high school students has decreased since 2003, but there is further work to be done.

Underage drinking is hazardous to health and safety

Children who drink alcohol are more likely to:

• Use drugs: Frequent binge drinkers are more likely to engage in risky behaviors, including using other drugs such as marijuana and cocaine. (SAMHSA)
• Get bad grades: Children who use alcohol have higher rates of academic problems and poor school performance compared with nondrinkers. (SAMHSA)
• Suffer death: Excessive drinking is responsible for more than 4,300 deaths among underage youth each year, including 1,580 deaths from motor vehicle crashes and 1,269 deaths from homicides. (CDC, NIAAA)
• Make bad decisions: Drinking lowers inhibitions and increases the chances that children will engage in risky behaviors or do something they will regret when they are sober. (SAMHSA)
• Have health problems: Young people who drink are more likely to have health issues such as depression and anxiety disorders. (SAMHSA)

Learn more about the risks of underage drinking and ways to protect the health and safety of youth and young adults.

Tips to avoid being a party to underage drinking

• Don't be afraid to be the bad guy. Taking a tough stand on alcohol use can help youth say no when they are pressured to drink by their friends.
• Talk with other adults about hosting alcohol-free youth events. Unity creates a tough, enforceable message.
• Set a positive example. If you host a party, always serve alternative non-alcoholic beverages and do not let anyone drink and drive.
• Stay home if a teen is a hosting a party in your home. Observe the activities and confiscate any alcohol that may be brought by party goers.
• Report underage drinking to the police promptly.

 

In Wisconsin, the Parents Who Host, Lose The Most campaign takes place annually from April through June, covering the prom and graduation seasons for high school students. Local coalitions apply to be part of the campaign. For more information about how to bring this campaign to your community, contact Chino Amah Mbah (link sends e-mail) at 608-267-9446.

 

Lyme Disease Awareness Month

Symptoms

By Mayo Clinic Staff

The signs and symptoms of Lyme disease vary and usually affect more than one system. The skin, joints and nervous system are affected most often.

Early signs and symptoms

These signs and symptoms may occur within a month after you've been infected:

· Rash. A small, red bump may appear at the site of the tick bite. This small bump is normal after a tick bite and doesn't indicate Lyme disease. However, over the next few days, the redness may expand forming a rash in a bull's-eye pattern, with a red outer ring surrounding a clear area. The rash, called erythema migrans, is one of the hallmarks of Lyme disease. Some people develop this rash at more than one place on their bodies.

· Flu-like symptoms. Fever, chills, fatigue, body aches and a headache may accompany the rash.

Later signs and symptoms

In some people, the rash may spread to other parts of the body and, several weeks to months after you've been infected, you may experience:

· Joint pain. You may develop bouts of severe joint pain and swelling. Your knees are especially likely to be affected, but the pain can shift from one joint to another.

· Neurological problems. Weeks, months or even years after you were infected, you may experience inflammation of the membranes surrounding your brain (meningitis), temporary paralysis of one side of your face (Bell's palsy), numbness or weakness in your limbs, and impaired muscle movement.

Less common signs and symptoms

Several weeks after infection, some people develop:

· Heart problems, such as an irregular heartbeat. Heart problems rarely last more than a few days or weeks.

· Eye inflammation.

· Liver inflammation (hepatitis).

· Severe fatigue.

When to see a doctor

If you've been bitten by a tick and experience symptoms

Only a minority of deer tick bites leads to Lyme disease. The longer the tick remains attached to your skin, the greater your risk of getting the disease. If you think you've been bitten and experience signs and symptoms of Lyme disease — particularly if you live in an area where Lyme disease is prevalent — contact your doctor immediately. Treatment for Lyme disease is most effective if begun early.

 

See your doctor even if symptoms disappear
It's important to consult your doctor even if signs and symptoms disappear because the absence of symptoms doesn't mean the disease is gone. Left untreated, Lyme disease can spread to other parts of your body from several months to years after infection — causing arthritis and nervous system problems. Ticks also can transmit other illnesses, such as babesiosis and Colorado tick fever.

 

PARENTS WHO HOST LOSE THE MOST

The Department of Health Services has partnered with Drug Free Action Alliance to sponsor Parents Who Host, Lose The Most, a campaign to educate communities and parents about the health and safety risks of serving alcohol at teen parties.

Adults can be criminally prosecuted for hosting teen alcohol parties and be liable for injuries and property damage that may result from providing alcohol to teens.

Adults play a big role in shaping young people's attitudes toward drinking

Drug Free Action Alliance developed the Parents Who Host, Lose The Most campaign to encourage everyone, especially parents, to send a unified message that teen alcohol consumption is unhealthy, unsafe, and unacceptable.

According to the Wisconsin Epidemiological Profile on Alcohol and Other Drug Use, 2016, Wisconsin's rate of drinking among high school students has decreased since 2003, but there is further work to be done.

Underage drinking is hazardous to health and safety

Children who drink alcohol are more likely to:

• Use drugs: Frequent binge drinkers are more likely to engage in risky behaviors, including using other drugs such as marijuana and cocaine. (SAMHSA)
• Get bad grades: Children who use alcohol have higher rates of academic problems and poor school performance compared with nondrinkers. (SAMHSA)
• Suffer death: Excessive drinking is responsible for more than 4,300 deaths among underage youth each year, including 1,580 deaths from motor vehicle crashes and 1,269 deaths from homicides. (CDC, NIAAA)
• Make bad decisions: Drinking lowers inhibitions and increases the chances that children will engage in risky behaviors or do something they will regret when they are sober. (SAMHSA)
• Have health problems: Young people who drink are more likely to have health issues such as depression and anxiety disorders. (SAMHSA)

Learn more about the risks of underage drinking and ways to protect the health and safety of youth and young adults.

Tips to avoid being a party to underage drinking

• Don't be afraid to be the bad guy. Taking a tough stand on alcohol use can help youth say no when they are pressured to drink by their friends.
• Talk with other adults about hosting alcohol-free youth events. Unity creates a tough, enforceable message.
• Set a positive example. If you host a party, always serve alternative non-alcoholic beverages and do not let anyone drink and drive.
• Stay home if a teen is a hosting a party in your home. Observe the activities and confiscate any alcohol that may be brought by party goers.
• Report underage drinking to the police promptly.

In Wisconsin, the Parents Who Host, Lose The Most campaign takes place annually from April through June, covering the prom and graduation seasons for high school students. Local coalitions apply to be part of the campaign. For more information about how to bring this campaign to your community, contact Chino Amah Mbah (link sends e-mail) at 608-267-9446.

FACT SHEET ON OUR NEW WEBSITE

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has upgraded our website to better serve Wisconsin citizens. Our agency meets many different needs-but as a whole we are here to protect and promote the health and safety of the people of Wisconsin. A modern, well‐designed, and more responsive website will help us to achieve that.

We are using a web development tool called Drupal that has been adopted widely across both business and government. Drupal is an open source web content management system with an active development community. In other words, it is a free tool for building websites that has caught on as a practical and innovative solution worldwide.

The user experience is extremely important to us, and this upgrade has allowed us to greatly improve it.

**We studied how people navigate and why they come to   the website-and applied what we learned. Overall, visitors to our website should find it less complicated to browse, search, and find what they want.

**We are also using best practices for design. The new look is uncluttered and easier on the user's eyes.

**Our website is now optimized for mobile, which means you can view our site on any device with ease.

**We continue our ongoing agency commitment to accessibility and compliance with federal regulation, sec

The Iron County Wisconsin Health Department is here to serve the residents of Iron County Wisconsin by promoting health, protecting the enviroment, and preventing disease and injury.