G8 News Stories For the Week of June 1, 2004

Wednesday, June 2, 2004

Contact: Office of Communications 404-651-7774

 

Environment - Sea Island Beaches to be Closed During G8 Summit

Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Lonice C. Barrett has signed an Administrative Order that will close all of the foreshore of the beaches of Sea Island and the tidal waters adjacent to Sea Island from 8 a.m. on June 4, 2004 until midnight on June 10, 2004.  This closure will run from the ordinary high-water mark seaward for a distance of 1,000 feet.  The area will be closed to public usage for any purpose, including, but not limited to, boating, whether under power or not, walking, traversing, swimming, bathing, sunbathing, sailing and floating, except for usage by people credentialed by the U.S. Secret Service to be on Sea Island during the G-8 Summit.

Contact: Beth Brown , Department of Natural Resources

(770) 918-6791, beth_brown@dnr.state.ga.us

Public Health - Preparing for the G8 Summit

The Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health preparedness efforts for the G8 Summit are focusing on good public health practice for prevention of illnesses and injuries, while pre-positioning resources and training for response to a public health emergency. 

Epidemiology and Disease Detection

If there is an outbreak of an infectious disease (either intentional - bioterrorism or unintentional - natural) public health officials need to know so that they can respond quickly by shifting resources and identifying and mitigating the source of the outbreak.  Epidemiology staff from across the state are coordinating an epidemiology information center where they can detect outbreaks early.  Epidemiologists are working closely with hospitals, physicians, pharmacies and even hotels to identify unusual disease events. Events like a spike in emergency room visits for "flu-like symptoms" or "gastrointestinal illnesses" or an increase in purchase of over-the-counter stomach medication could signal a food-borne outbreak or bio-terrorist attack.

Emergency Response/SNS

If the need to respond to an outbreak or other public health emergency arises, health officials are prepared. Since 2003, health officials have been testing and honing plans to dispense critical medication and medical supplies to large numbers of people impacted by an emergency. They have held exercises that test the state's ability to receive and quickly dispense materials from the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). The SNS is a cache of emergency medical supplies, like pharmaceuticals, managed by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), that can be delivered anywhere in the country within 12 hours when local resources become overwhelmed. 

Contact:  Richard Quartarone, Division of Public Health

404-463-4627, rquartarone@dhr.state.ga.us