Monthly Archives: December 2016

Strive for a safer, healthier life in 2017

In 2017, be purposeful about changing habits, taking precautions and instituting preventive measures aimed at improving your health and quality of life. Making the right decisions could make 2017 your healthiest yet.

A few tips to consider

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that you:

Be smokefree. If you are ready to quit, call the S.C. Tobacco Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669), or for services in Spanish, call 1-855-DÉJELO-YA (1-855-335-3569). Read this blog post to learn more. For more information on the S.C. Tobacco Quitline, visit the DHEC website.
Protect yourself from injury or disease by wearing a helmet when biking, using sunscreen when outdoors and insect repellent to protect yourself from mosquito-borne illnesses.
Make an appointment for a check-up, vaccination or screening. Regular health exams and tests can help find problems early or even before they start.
Wash your hands often with soap and water to prevent the spread of infection and illness.
Make healthy food choices. A healthy eating plan emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products, includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs and nuts, and is low in saturated fats, transfats, cholesterol, salt (sodium) and added sugars.
Be active to improve overall health. Exercise. Also, try simple things such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
Get enough sleep. Insufficient sleep is associated with a number of chronic diseases and conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and depression.

More information is available

For more assistance in making 2017 your healthiest year yet, visit the CDC website.

Be sure to take preventative measures to avoid the flu

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Make no mistake: The single best way to protect against the flu is to get a flu vaccine each year. DHEC and the Centers for Disease Control and prevention recommend that everyone 6 months and older, especially people at high risk for developing serious complications from flu, get vaccinated each season.

That said, it is also important to take other preventive measures to combat the flu as well.

DHEC encourages South Carolinians to:

Stay away from people who are sick.
Stay home from work and school, as well as refrain from errands, if you are sick to help keep others from getting sick too.
Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. Use a tissue if one is handy. Throw it away immediately after use. Otherwise, use the crook of your elbow to keep germs off of your hands and surfaces that you touch.
Wash your hands often and thoroughly to prevent the flu and many other diseases.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs easily enter the body and cause infection when someone touches something that is covered with germs and then touches their eyes, nose or mouth.
Please consider other habits to stay healthy year round, including getting plenty of exercise and sleep, managing your stress, drinking water and eating nutritious foods.

Visit DHEC’s website for more information about the flu and to find a clinic near you www.scdhec.gov/flu. You can also view the video below to learn more.

Make Firework Safety a Priority for New Year’s Eve

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Come this New Year’s Eve, many Americans – and South Carolinians – will continue the long tradition of lighting up the night with fireworks at midnight.

If you desire to view a colorful pyrotechnic display to ring in the New Year, please remember that it’s best to leave fireworks to the professionals. But if you choose to handle fireworks yourself, be sure to take precautions that will protect you, your family members and your friends.

Fireworks can cause serious injuries, including burns, contusions, lacerations and eye injuries. And, yes, they also can be deadly.

Safety First!

Please observe the following safety tips to protect yourself and others from the perils of fireworks.

Smart Purchasing

Please obey local and state laws regarding the sale and use of state-approved fireworks. Buy only consumer-grade fireworks. Avoid buying fireworks packaged in a brown bag, which often means they were made for professional displays and could be dangerous for consumer use.

Handle with care

Read all warning labels and follow directions on each device. Never put your head or any part of your body over a firework. Never hold a lit firework in your hand. Fireworks should not be carried in your pocket. Don’t aim or throw fireworks at another person. Store fireworks in a cool, dry place and keep a fire extinguisher or bucket of water handy.

Adult supervision

Firework activities should be led by an adult; adults should never allow children to handle or ignite fireworks. Everyone should watch from a safe distance.

Safe lighting

Light fireworks from the side (never standing directly over) using a blunt or hand-held igniter. Wear protective eyewear. Remember that a dud is a dud; never attempt to re-light a short fuse or a firework dud. And, call 911 immediately if someone is injured from fireworks.

For more information on firework safety, visit www.cdc.gov/family/minutes/tips/fireworks/.

Santa’s Safety List: 12 Tips for Toys

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Toys are an essential part of the holiday gift-giving and while many parents are still crossing off presents on their children’s Christmas lists, DHEC wants to make sure little ones stay safe this holiday season.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, about 252,000 children were treated in U.S. emergency rooms for toy-related injuries in 2015. Here are 12 tips to make sure your family stays safe this holiday.

Make sure to follow the age recommendations for toys and games.
Always pay close attention to the age recommendations on toys and choose one according to a child’s age, interest, and skill level.

Take notice of warning and safety labels.
Be aware of other safety labels such as “Flame retardant/flame resistant” or “Washable/Hygienic materials” on dolls and other stuffed toys.

Plastic wrappings can be deadly for small children – discard them immediately.
Discard the plastic wrappings from toys immediately; they become deadly playthings to small children.

When choosing toys, keep in mind that kids under one like to see, touch, hear and taste.
For children one and under, choose toys that are colorful, lightweight, have various textures and are made of non-toxic materials. Children, this age learn through sight, touch, sound and taste and often put things into their mouths to explore them.

Small parts like removable eyes are choking hazards.
Don’t give young children any toys with small parts such as removable eyes, noses, etc., they are choking hazards.

Stay away from toys with sharp points, edges, and wires that stab, cut or shock.
Inspect all toys for sharp points or edges made from such materials as metal or glass—these toys should not be given to children under eight years of age. This includes stuffed animals with wires that could stab, cut or shock if exposed.

Never hang toys with strings, cords, or ribbons of any kind in cribs or playpens.
Toys with strings, cords or ribbons of any kind should not be hung in cribs or playpens. Young children can become entangled which can cause injury or death.

Teach older children to keep toys with removable small parts or sharp points away from younger siblings.
Teach older children to keep their toys that may have removable small parts, sharp points or toys ran on electricity out of reach of younger siblings. Young children are very curious and may investigate toys that aren’t appropriate for them.

Worn or broken toys can cause injuries.
Keep toys and play equipment in good condition, discard any toys that are broken to prevent injuries.

Check toys regularly for safety and durability.
Toys get used and abused by children; regularly conduct a toy maintenance check for safety and durability.

Provide safe hazard-free play environments both indoors and outdoors.
Supervision is essential; provide safe hazard-free play environments both indoors and outdoors.

Toys can be a tripping hazard!
Teach children early to put toys away when they are finished playing with them. This will prevent accidental falls over them.

To learn more about preventing your child from other injuries you can visit our website at http://www.scdhec.gov/Health/ChildTeenHealth/EarlyChildhood/PreventInjuries/

The 12 Days of Reducing, Reusing and Recycling

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As wonderful as the holidays can be, they also are a time when we tend to generate tons of waste, including uneaten food, shopping bags, packaging, wrapping paper, boxes — and much more.

Here are 12 recycling and waste reduction tips we hope you put to use this holiday season.

Keep a waste free kitchen by taking a look around to determine what you already have on hand before going shopping. Make a list of things you need before heading to the store. Compost or donate your unwanted food and recycle your cooking oil. Find other helpful tips at dhec.sc.gov/dontwastefoodsc.
Have hard-to-recycle items? Consider only buying materials packaged in what can be recycled in your area. Find where and what you can recycle at www.scdhec.gov/HomeAndEnvironment/Recycling.
Give waste-less gifts like your time to clean someone’s house, piano or guitar lessons, gym memberships or certificates for pampering.
Most wrapping paper cannot be recycled, BUT you can reuse something to wrap with instead like paper bags, newspaper, maps or use reusable grocery bags, scarves or flower pots. Also reuse greeting cards to make gift tags.
Stop the unwanted mail! Check out ecocycle.org/junkmail for 6 easy steps. Make sure to recycle mail with your paper as well.
Prevent food waste this holiday by providing reusable containers or asking your guests to bring their own for leftovers.
Use LED lights, which last 10 times longer and use 80 percent less energy. Recycle your old strings lights, find more information on hard-to-recycle items at scdhec.gov/HomeAndEnvironment/Recycling/WhatCanIRecycle/.
Go with an eco-deco theme by decorating with natural materials like greenery, gourds, fresh fruit and pine cones – all which can be composted after the holidays.
Set up a collection corner at your party by providing an area where guests can bring unwanted items to swap or donate.
Always let your guests know what can be recycled and composted. Clearly mark your bins and let guests know where they’re located.
Provide a green dining experience by using dishes and silverware instead of disposables. If you need more dishes for guests, shop thrift stores to find festive ones.
Grind those greens. If you decorated a real tree and are ready for it to go, remember to find out where your county will be accepting them for grinding.