News Release

April 16, 2021

MCHD works with pharmacies to share warning of drug abuse

MOBILE, Alabama — In an effort to inform the public about the dangers of opioid abuse, the Mobile County Health Department’s (MCHD) Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) program is beginning an initiative to spread the message with a unique partnership with pharmacies. OD2A is providing the bags in which pharmacies place medications for their customers. In bold letters is “Opioids. Serious Addiction Can Start With A Simple Prescription.” Next are bullet points containing “misuse and abuse” information, as well as “actions you can take” regarding opioids. A telephone number to the OD2A program is included at the end.

“We wanted a campaign to get out the message of our overdose prevention program at MCHD,” said Veronica Mercadel, the program administrator. “The program is not just about opioids. It is about all substance abuse and overdose.”

Along with Mercadel, her team of John Richardson, Deirdre Johnson, Ashley Nicholson, and LaShundra McMillian worked with Pebbles King, the Bureau of Community and Nutrition Services director, and MCHD graphics specialist James Currie to complete the project.

“It is an impactful way to get the message out about prescription opioid abuse by putting our message on a pharmacy bag,” Currie said. “We have included misuse and abuse information and a call to action for the patient to help us stop the abuse of prescription medications. I have used this direct marketing approach many times in my career, and I know how impactful this component can be for a campaign.”

Signed up to give out the bags include locally owned medical drug dispensaries (Springhill Pharmacy, Medicap Mobile and Spanish Fort, Dawes Point Pharmacy, Royal Pharmacy, Rx Express Pharmacy, Deuel Drugs, Three Notch Pharmacy, Midtown Pharmacy, Saraland Pharmacy, Compound Pharmaceutical Technologies, Semmes Pharmacy, Saraland Pharmacy, McConaghy Drug Store), as well as Sam’s Club at 601 East I-65 Service Road in Mobile.

OD2A is funded by a grant through the Alabama Department of Public Health along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They also partner with Project Thrive (Trauma Healing and Resiliency In the Wake of Violent Events), a program run by the Mobile Police Department’s Office of Strategic Initiatives.

OD2A focuses on the complex and changing nature of the drug overdose epidemic. It highlights the need for an interdisciplinary, comprehensive, and cohesive public health approach. For more information on OD2A and the pharmacy bag project, call 251-554-2134.

April 15, 2021

Swim advisory lifted for Dog River and Fowl River

MOBILE, Alabama — A swimming advisory issued by the Mobile County Health Department (MCHD) for Dog River near the Alba Fishing & Hunting Club and Fowl River near Highway 193 has been lifted. Recent water samples at these locations indicate bacteria values are back below the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) threshold of 104 enterococcus organisms per 100 milliliters for marine water.

The Alabama Department of Public Health and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management operate the bacteriological water quality monitoring and notification program under a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency’s BEACH (Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health) Act Program. This program involves the routine collection of water samples from a total of 25 coastal recreational sites in Mobile and Baldwin counties (to see the testing locations please visit http://adem.alabama.gov/programs/coastal/BeachMonitoring.cnt).

In the summer months, samples are taken once or twice a week at the most highly used sites and biweekly at the other sites. All sites are tested once a month in the cooler months.

Samples are analyzed for enterococci bacteria. High counts indicate that the possibility that other disease-causing germs could be present in the water. Based on EPA’s “Criteria for Bathing (full body contact) Recreational Waters,” samples are checked for enterococcus bacteria. These indicator bacteria are inhabitants of the intestines of humans and other warm-blooded animals.

Bacterial concentrations in recreational waters can increase during and immediately following rainstorms because of overflowing sewage collection and treatment facilities, storm water runoff and malfunctioning septic systems.

When monitoring results exceed the EPA standard, the affected site is immediately retested. If the results of the second test identify enterococci levels persisting above the EPA standard, the health department through the cooperative efforts of the news media will issue a public advisory.

April 9, 2021

Sentinel chicken program receives its newest recruits

MOBILE, Alabama — For more than 25 years, the Mobile County Health Department’s Vector Control has monitored sentinel chickens placed throughout the county to help detect the presence of viruses carried by mosquitoes.

The process began again this week as MCHD received 100 newly hatched chicks. A special facility houses the flock at Vector Services (a vector is any insect, rodent, or animal capable of harboring or transmitting diseases to humans) in Downtown Mobile. Each day the staff will feed the baby chicks, put in fresh water, and clean the cage that is heated by lamps. This process will continue until the chicks can be moved into the larger hen house located on the grounds at Vector Services.

“The arrival of spring brings the promise of showers, flowers, and mosquitoes,” said Dr. Rendi Murphree, an Epidemiologist who oversees the Bureau of Disease Surveillance and Environmental Services. “This week the Mobile County Health Department’s Vector Services division welcomed a flock of chicks that will serve as sentinels for surveillance of mosquito-borne infections once mature.”

It takes several months for the chicks to mature enough to be placed in the field. Vector Services staff said it would likely be May or June before these chickens are put into service.

Once mature, the chickens are vaccinated for fowl pox and the initial blood draw is made to ensure they test negative for any diseases. At that point, the hens — roosters are not included in the study — are banded for identification and tracking purposes. The birds are dispersed to 13 coops located in various predetermined locations throughout Mobile County.

Blood samples are collected weekly from the wings of two hens at each location, usually on Mondays. MCHD processes the blood samples and sends them to a lab in Tampa, Florida. Tests results are available later that week. The tests can reveal the presence of Eastern Equine Encephalitis, West Nile Virus and St. Louis Encephalitis.

With the use of 13 coops, only 52 hens are used at one time. The rest are kept in reserve. If one tests positive for a disease, it is removed from the field. If two birds from the coop test positive, all four birds are replaced.

MCHD began a project with the University of South Alabama in 2018 to test adult mosquito samples. This expanded disease detection to include Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya using high-throughput molecular methods.

The program continues into the fall, usually ending in November. At that point, the hens are given away to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis. A new group of 100 chicks will start the program the following spring, as it did this week