Jîortlanh (¡Observer
April 02. 2003
Page AS
H ealth
Health Workers Vaccinate Against Deadly Virus
lic health. In Oregon, smallpox and
other deadly diseases were major
factors in the creation of the state
Board of Health in 1903. One of the
first state health officer’s priorities
was to develop a smallpox preven
tion and vaccination program.
Thanks to public health pro
by D r . G rant H igginson
grams of vaccination and disease
Oregon has begun vaccinating investigation, the disease was de
up to 800 health workers across the clared eradicated from the entire
state against smallpox in prepara earth in 1980. Routine smallpox
tion for the unlikely, but possible, vaccination programs here and in
release of the virus by a terrorist. other countries were discontinued.
Smallpox is a devastating dis
Smallpox is once again a public
ease that, over thousands o f years, health concern because there is a
has probably caused more deaths small chance that terrorists could
worldwide than any other infec obtain the virus. Although the prob
tion. About a third of those who ability that they would intention
become ill with the virus die.
ally use it as a weapon is low, we
The disease is no stranger to pub- need to be prepared.
State prepares for
unlikely, but
possible,
smallpox threat
and response. The second plan,
underway now, is to vaccinate
health workers.
This month, health workers from
all overOregon will travel to o n eo f
three locations toreceive smallpox
vaccination. Once vaccinated, they
are able to serve on a smallpox
response team. This means they
can immediately and safely be de
ployed to investigate a suspected
case, provide care to the smallpox
patient and vaccinate others.
Oregon is among the last of the
states to begin vaccination. We
Dr. Grant Higginson
have taken a conservative and cau
In Decem ber, O regon’s two tious approach, weighing the need
smallpox preparedness plans were to prepare for smallpox against the
approved by the federal Centers for risk of side effects that the vaccine
Disease Control and Prevention. carries. These side effects, though
One plan calls for disease control not common, can be severe.
OMW
Smallpox vaccination involves
extensive pre-screening, informed
consent procedures and clinical
follow-up. The vaccination itself is
time consuming, involving more
than a simple shot.
We are not vaccinating profes
sional groups other than health
workers, nor is a smallpox vaccina
tion a good idea for the general
public right now. The last smallpox
case was in 1978 and the vaccine is
not completely safe. If Oregon ever
had an outbreak, we would control
it using "ring vaccination,” which
worked before, finding cases and
vaccinating their contacts. If given
within four days o f exposure, the
vaccination will prevent the dis
ease or lessen the symptoms.
The health workers now being
vaccinated do so voluntarily. I re
spect and thank them for their com
mitment to protecting public health.
I sincerely hope the day never
comes when we need to rely on
them for a response to smallpox in
Oregon. But the fact that they have
taken this step means we are better
prepared.
For public health, it is ironic to
find ourselves preparing for an old
enemy that we already vanquished.
As we prepare for this unthinkable
threat, it’s important to remember,
we conquered smallpox once. We
can beat it again if need be.
Dr. Grant Higginson is state
publii ■ health officer in the Oregon
Department o f Human Services and
oversees the state's bioterrorism
preparedness program.
Spring Forward Without Sleep Loss Hospital Offers Birth Control Procedure
Doctors offer
tips to reduce
sleep depravation
It happens in the middle o f the
night once a year, and can affect
adults and children for several
days. It's the return of daylight-
saving time, which happens this
year at 2 a.m. Sunday, April 6.
The annual spring forward ritual
can cause disruptions in normal
sleep patterns. However, experts
from the Providence Sleep Disor
ders Center say there are steps
that can be taken to minimize sleep
loss.
National Sleep Foundation polls
reveal that most adults already get
less than the recommended seven
to nine hours of nightly sleep
needed to he fully alert the next
day.
“Too many people will sacri
fice yet another hour of sleep when
the clocks change - an hour they
cannot afford to lose, particularly
For adults there are a few steps
to help transition into daylight-
saving time. Try to sleep more
than usual a few nights prior to
and immediately following the
time change. Also, napping in the
middle of the afternoon on Sun
day can help. Be sure not to nap
within a few hours of regular bed
time because nighttime sleep may
be distrupted.
™ Too many people will
To help children with the time
change adjustment, Dr. Libby of
sacrifice yet another
fers suggests maintaining regular
hour o f sleep when the
sleep, wake and nap times. Try not
clocks change.
w
to compensate for the lost hour by
-Louis Libby, M.D.
delaying bedtime or allowing a
child to sleep in. Gradual adjust
ments should also be made. Some
on the weekend, when people try to parents find it best to try to start
catch up on the sleep they missed making adjustments on Saturday
during the week,” said Louis Libby, night rather than wait until Sun
M.D., medical director of the Provi day, a school night.
To learn what can be done to
dence Sleep Disorders Center.
By making a few simple lifestyle improve sleep and to learn how
changes, m ost people can find recognize signs of potentially seri
the sleep needed to feel alert, ous sleep disorders, visit the Provi
refreshed and ready to take on dence Sleep Disorders Center Web
site at www.providence.org/sleep.
the day.
A new permanent birth control
technique is being offered at Or
egon Health and Science Univer
sity.
The Essure permanent birth con
trol method, developed by Con-
eeptus Inc., was approved by the
U.S. Food and Drug Administra
tion in November 2002. It has been
used in A u stra lia , E u ro p e ,
Singapore and Canada for several
years. It is the first alternative to
invasive surgery for women seek
ing permanent birth control in the
United States.
The procedure does not re
quire any incisions and can be
perform ed w ithout general anes
thesia in an outpatient setting in
about one hour. Tubal ligation,
an o th er form o f ste riliz a tio n
widely used by women, requires
one or tw o incisions and usually
is perform ed under general anes
thesia.
Dr. M ark N ichols, associate
professor of obstetrics and gy
necology in the OHSU School of
Medicine and m ember of the Cen
ter for W om en’s H ealth Nichols,
said that Essure is irreversible, so
women should be absolutely cer
tain they w ant this permanent
type o f contraception.
“For some, that is a very attrac
tive way to have perm anent birth
control," he said. "There are no
hormones involved and it doesn’t
require using som ething at the
time o f sexual activity. It has been
attractive to w om en as perm a
nent birth control because it gives
w omen control."
To perform the procedure, the
physician places a scope through
the vagina, the cervix and into the
uterus. A flexible tube is inserted
through the scope into both of
the fallopian tubes. A ttached to
the end of the tube is the micro
device that is inserted into the
fallo p ian tube. T he device is
about the size o f a pencil lead in
diam eter and about two inches in
length. O nce in place, the tiny
device uncoils and stays in the
fallopian tube. It is designed to
p ro m o te tis su e g ro w th , th u s
blocking the fallopian tube so that
sperm can not reach the egg. The
tissue grow th is sim ilar to that in
a vasectom y. T he insert is m ade
o f m aterial sim ilar to that used in
heart vessel surgery for years.
The patient usually returns hom e
about 45 m inutes aftei the p ro ce
dure. Only minor cramping, which
generally can be controlled by
o v er-the-counter pain m ed ica
tions, has been reported in som e
cases during clinical trials. A fter
12 weeks the patient must return
for an X-ray to ensure the insert
has been effective. Until then,
patients must use another form of
contraception. In clinical trials
Essure was found to be greater
than 99.8 percent effective.
At Bryan Bickmore Dodge we know you have choices when it
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Racial & Ethnic Approaches to Community Health
A program of the African American Health Coalition. Inc
Sponsored by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Wellness Within REACH: Mind, Body, and Soul
Activity Calendar
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H b u D s In u
77 NE hott
Tues
Mon
Wed
Strength Trs.no?
Strength Training
8-9am and 2-3pa
8 9am and 23pm
Brown
Brown
Fri
Thurs
Sat
Strength Training
African Dant e
M am and 2 .3pm 10:00-11.00am
Brown
Addo
Chungo Step
Kendrick
Salvation Anay
5 3 2 5 N W ÌU L
Saha
6:30-730*01
Waler Aetibies
•
Ha »gland
2:00 - 3:00pm
Hampln«
Water Aerobus
6 3 0 -7:30pm
2:00 - 3:00pm
tries
Hampton
Begins 4/16/03
Yoga
Nature's
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730-830 p«
O'Rmirke
Penhsala Park.
700N P «rtbd
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Yoga O'Ronikr
B«dv Conditioning
7:45-8:45 pm
9:30 10:30am
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Keller
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“ Must be 21 or older to participate Please check with AAHC before showing up to the first class
503-413-1850. Please receive approval from your doctor before beginning exercise class.
All classes are free of charge!
African American Health Coalition, Inc.
2800 N. Vancouver A v e , Suite 100 • Portland, OR 97227 • Phone 503-413-1850
E-mail kdempsey@aahc-portland org • Web
k
www aahc-portland
1
org
9500 S.W. Canyon Rd • Portland, OR 97225