Residents urged to take action to prevent cold-related illnesses 

With temperatures falling below freezing, Fulton County residents should take precautions to avoid cold-related illness. Our team of health officers, lead by Dr. Patrice A. Harris, director of Fulton County Health Services is working hard to provide as much timely information to citizens so that we all make it through the frigid temperatures.

“In the south, we are familiar with the dangers related to severe heat but may not be as prepared to cope with extremely cold weather,” says Harris. “When winter temperatures drop significantly below normal, staying warm and safe can become a challenge.”

Dangers associated with sub-freezing weather lurk both outdoors and indoors. 

“Many homes will be too cold, because of power failures or inadequate heating systems, and the economic downturn means more people may be doing without heat or may be homeless. Extreme cold is a dangerous situation that can bring on health emergencies in susceptible people, such as those without shelter, those who are stranded outdoors and those who live in homes that are poorly insulated or without heat,” says Harris.

For more information about cold weather health hazards, and how to prevent them, go to http://www.fultoncountygahealth.org or www.cdc.gov.