Published: September 25, 2008 10:18 pm      

9-26 Health briefs

Benefit golf tournament helps heart patients

The Oklahoma Heart Hospital Volunteer Auxiliary is sponsoring it’s first annual golf tournament at the Coffee Creek Golf Club in Edmond. Fees range from $500 to $5,000. Individual registration is available for $150.

Funds for the Auxiliary will assist patients and families who cannot afford prescriptions and needed medical equipment for their successful recoveries upon discharge. The Auxiliary has addressed the educational aspect of its purpose by sponsoring much needed nurse extern scholarships as well as furnishing cardiac equipment utilized for one of the American Heart Association training sites and other public sites. Visit www.okheart.com or call 608-3388 for more information.

Mental wellness helps successful aging

Depression is not normal at any age, although it is common among older adults. Depression is a serious illness affecting approximately 15 out of every 100 adults age 65 and older in the United States. The Integris Third Age Life Center in partnership with Areawide Aging Agency and the Oklahoma Mental Health and Aging Coalition presents depression screening to coincide with national Depression and Mental Health Screening Month. Call the Integris HealthLine at 951-2277 or (888) 951-2277 for more information. A power-packed presentation by a mental health professional and a free depression screening will be 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., on Oct. 22 at Waterloo Road Baptist Church, 3100 E. Waterloo Rd.

Flu vaccination program to begin

Maxim Health Systems is set to launch its annual influenza vaccination program on October 1, making flu shots available throughout the Oklahoma City area in the coming days. Maxim is teaming with local retail stores as part of a national campaign to offer immunizations at more than 25,000 convenient locations across the U.S. Maxim’s Web site, www.FindAFluShot.com, helps users quickly locate nearby vaccination sites based on their local zip code.

Maxim conducts its flu clinics at convenient retail locations, such as pharmacies and supermarkets. Finding the nearest location in the Oklahoma City area is as simple as typing in your zip code on www.FindAFluShot.com.

World Rabies Day 2008: awareness is the best defense against rabies

Rabies is the oldest and deadliest disease known to mankind, killing 55,000 persons worldwide each year. Rabies is preventable and the Oklahoma State Department of Health is using the public health observance of World Rabies Day on Sept. 28, to reinforce that message.

The last reported case of human rabies in the United States was in October 2007 in Minnesota. In Oklahoma, the last report of a human rabies case was in 2004. This case resulted from transplantation of an organ harvested unknowingly from a person who died of rabies. The last animal-transmitted case of rabies to humans occurred in the state in 1981.

Vaccination prior to possible exposure is a crucial part of health management of domestic animals, and is the single most important factor in rabies prevention, which begins with the animal’s owner.

“Teach children to avoid stray animals and wildlife,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley. “If you are bitten, wash bite wounds with soap and water and seek medical attention immediately. If your pet is bitten, consult your veterinarian immediately,” she cautioned. “Prompt and appropriate treatment after being bitten and before the disease develops can stop rabies infection and/or prevent the disease in humans and animals.”

Local events in honor of World Rabies Day include Oklahoma State University’s student chapter of the American Veterinary Medicine Association’s (SCAVMA) 5K “Run for Rabies” on Oct. 11. The OSU SCAVMA chapter run will take place at 8 a.m. around Boomer Lake in Stillwater. Participants are encouraged to run with their dogs. Runner registration is $20, and will include a T-shirt and light breakfast. Prizes will be offered to the top runners and their dogs with proceeds donated to the non-profit organization “Alliance for Rabies Control” (www.rabiescontrol.net). For more information, contact Alicia Davis at renee.davis@okstate.edu.

More information on World Rabies Day can be found at the official Web site, http://www.worldrabiesday.org/. For general information on rabies, see www.ok.gov/health.