Cherokee County Public Health Department

11/13/2025

The posts made on this social media site are meant to provide information to the citizens of Cherokee County, Texas. These posts will include, but are not limited to, information on conditions which affect the residents of this county, new services offered by Cherokee County Public Health, awareness promotions, and upcoming events within our community. To ensure that we can focus on the duties that we have, rather than moderate discussion online, all comments will be disabled on our postings. Should you have questions, concerns, or ideas, you may contact the appropriate department at our office at 1502 S. Bolton St. in Jacksonville, call our office at (903) 586-6191, or email us at [email protected] .

10/05/2024

Did you know that today is World Meningitis Day? Let's go over some facts. Meningitis can be causes by bacterial, viral and fungal infections.

Bacterial meningitis strikes suddenly and can kill within hours. It can cause lifelong disabilities and is largely vaccine-preventable. This is by far the worse kind of meningitis. The bacteria can also cause sepsis which can lead to loss of limbs due to amputation, hearing loss, kidney impairment, and brain damage.

Viral meningitis is a serious infection but is almost never life-threatening. It may cause short term, or more rarely, life-long after-effects.

Fungal meningitis is rare and usually only affects people with weakened immune systems.

So know the symptoms. Minutes can matter with meningitis.

09/16/2024

This is a little late, but it is still very important. September 8th was 988 Day—a day to raise awareness of the 988 Su***de & Crisis Lifeline, which only 18% of adults are aware of. The three-digit number has been available for two years at no charge.

Dialing this number connects people with a network of crisis call centers, so that when a person calls, a trained crisis counselor answers, provides emotional support, and helps connect people with other resources. More and more people have been using this resource, which means more people are seeking help and more suicides are being prevented.

Everyone can act to help save the life of someone who may be suicidal with these five steps:
• Ask
• Be there
• Keep them safe
• Help them connect
• Follow-up

08/31/2024

Vaccines are safe! Vaccines are effective! Vaccines save lives!

Today, because of vaccines, no one has to worry about getting smallpox. It no longer exists! We don't see children in the US dying because of diphtheria or being left with paralysis due to polio. Why...because of vaccines.

So as National Immunization Awareness Month comes to an end, we urge you to talk with your medical provider and make sure you and your family's vaccinations are up-to-date.

08/30/2024

As we are coming to the end of National Immunization Awareness Month, let's test your knowledge of vaccines. Take our vaccine quiz. Answers are below the quiz - but don't peak.

1. Tetanus can be fatal without a vaccine.
A. True
B. False

2. Pneumococcal disease can infect which of the following parts of the body?
A. Brain B. Lungs
C. Ears D. Blood
E. All of the above

3. At what age can a child start getting their annual flu shot?
A. 12 months B. 3 months
C. 6 months D. 18 months

4. About how long does protection, or passive immunity, from the mother's immune system last after birth?
A. 6 months B. 1 year
C. 18 months D. 2 years

5. Which of the following can cause cancer?
A. Diphtheria B. HPV
C. Hepatitis B D. Both B and C

6. Washing your hands is the most important thing to do to protect yourself against the flu.
A. True
B. False

7. The same virus causes both the chickenpox and shingles.
A. True
B. False

8. When do you need a Tdap booster?
A. Every 10 years B. Every 15 years
C. Never
D. every 10 years, or after 5 years in the case of a severe or dirty wound or burn

9. There is no need to vaccinate my child because of the low US infection rates today.
A. True
B. False

10. What is the only vaccine-preventable disease that is not passed person-to-person?
A. Diphtheria B. Human papillomavirus (HPV)
C. Rubella D. Tetanus

__________________________________________________________________________________________
Answers:

1. A - True
2. E - All of the above
3. C - 6 months
4. A - 6 months
5. D - Both B and C
6. B - False - the most important thing is to get your flu shot
7. A - True
8. D - Every 10 years, or after 5 years in the case of a severe or dirty wound or burn
9. B - False
10. D - Tetanus

08/29/2024

Have you ever wondered how vaccines work to protect us against certain diseases. National Immunization Awareness Month is a great time to learn about this. Check out this video.

Vaccines work with our immune system to keep us from getting sick.For a full list of credits, visit our website: http://to.pbs.org/1y6EMUK

08/28/2024

Did you know that as we age our immune system tends to weaken over time. This puts us at higher risk for certain diseases. National Immunization Awareness Month is a great time to make sure you are protect from these diseases.

If you are 50 years or older, talk to your medical provider to make sure you are up-to-date on the vaccines you need.

 Flu vaccine - all adults need a seasonal flu vaccine. This is especially important for people with chronic health conditions
 Pneumococcal vaccine (PCV) – PCV is recommended for all adults 65 and older who haven’t already received a PCV.
 Shingles vaccine – Adults 50 years and older should get two doses of shingles vaccine.
 Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine – Adults 60 and older should talk to their medical provider about getting a single dose of RSV vaccine.
 Tdap vaccine – Every adult should receive a Tdap shot and then get a booster every 10 years.
 COVID 19 vaccine – Every adult should stay up-to-date with the latest COVID-19 vaccine recommendations.

Immunization Awareness Month

08/27/2024

Did you know immunizations are not just for children? They are also important to keep adults healthy. If you are wondering what vaccines you may need check out this vaccine quiz.

https://www2.cdc.gov/nip/adultimmsched/

Immunization Awareness Month

Adolescent and Adult Vaccine Quiz

08/26/2024

As we continue to recognize National Immunization Awareness Month, NIAM, let's talk about vaccines needed during pregnancy.

Tdap - Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis - this vaccine is actually for the baby. When a pregnant woman gets the Tdap shot, preferably during the 27th through 36th week of pregnancy, her body creates protective antibodies against pertussis or whooping cough. These antibodies are passed from mother to baby giving baby some protection from pertussis until he or she is old enough to get vaccinated.

Flu - pregnant women are more likely to have severe illness from the flu. This is possibly due to the changes in immune, heart, and lung functions during pregnancy. It is recommended to get your flu shot by the end of October. This helps protect pregnant women before flu activity starts to increase.

RSV - There are two ways to protect your baby from getting very sick with RSV. You can choose to get the RSV vaccine during the 32nd to 36th week of pregnancy if those weeks fall between September to January. Or, your baby aged 8 months and younger can get the RSV immunization during their first RSV season.

COVID-19 - Pregnant women are more likely to get severely ill with COVID-19 compared with non-pregnant women. Stay up-to-date with your COVID-19 vaccine. Getting a vaccine during pregnancy can protect you and your baby from severe illness.

08/22/2024

Tdap is very similar to DTaP, they prevent the same diseases but at different times.

Tdap is given around the ages of 11-12 years old and a booster every 10 years after that. This vaccine protects against Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis. Tdap should not be given to children younger than 7 years of age. Instead, they will receive DTaP to prevent the same three bacteria.

The latest safety information from CDC on DTaP, Tdap, DT, and Td vaccines: safety studies, common side effects, vaccine schedules, vaccine package inserts, and more.

08/21/2024

HPV infections are more common than you’d think.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is an infection that is transmitted sexually or through skin-to-skin contact and commonly causes warts and can lead to different types of cancers.

Anyone can become infected with HPV if in contact with someone who already has the virus. Most will never know they have the virus; symptoms can appear weeks, months or even years after being infected.

HPV stands for human papillomavirus. It is a common virus that can be spread through skin-to-skin contact during sexual activity. Each year, over 10,000 peop...

08/20/2024

The MenB vaccine helps protect against serogroup B of Meningococcal disease, whereas MenACWY protects against serogroups A, C, W & Y. There are two doses given with this vaccine, one at 16 years old and the second a month after the first.

See this video below to see how Meningitis B has affected this family.

Patti talks about losing her teenage daughter Kimberly to Meningitis B.