North Central District Health Department

08/14/2026

🌟 August is National Immunization Awareness Month — vaccines are for EVERY age!
💉 NCDHD Vaccine Clinic is in O'Neill this week!
👴👵 National Senior Citizens Day is August 21 — a perfect reminder that vaccines aren't just for kids! Seniors are among the most vulnerable populations when it comes to vaccine-preventable diseases. If you have an elderly parent, grandparent, or neighbor, this is a great week to help them get vaccinated!
🌿 Vaccine Fact: As we age, our immune systems naturally weaken — making vaccines even more important for older adults. Staying up to date on vaccines helps seniors stay healthy, independent, and active in their communities. HPV, Hepatitis A, and Hepatitis B vaccines are all available at our NCDHD clinics!
Come see us this week:
Thursday, August 20th · 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM, NCDHD Office · 422 E. Douglas St, O'Neill, NE
Preregister and get more info at: www.ncdhd.ne.gov

08/14/2026

Emergency tip: Know how to share your location with family and friends in an emergency—it can help them find you quickly!

And if you're anything like me, this trick is also handy for marking your parking spot so you can find your car after shopping.

Useful in an emergency and at the store! Follow me for more tips!

08/13/2026

Take steps against prediabetes.
Prediabetes can be prevented or reversed.
Take this quick prediabetes test today!
https://ncdhd.ne.gov/diabetesprevention
8 simple questions. 1 minute. Know your risk.

Pasos para prevenir la diabetes.
La prediabetes se puede prevenir o revertir.
¡Realice esta breve prueba de riesgo de prediabetes hoy!
https://ncdhd.ne.gov/diabetesprevention
8 preguntas sencillas. 1 minuto. Conozca su riesgo.

08/13/2026

Vaccines are an important part of cancer prevention. Some vaccines can protect against infections that may increase the risk of certain cancers.

Staying up to date on recommended vaccinations is one way to help protect your health and reduce your risk.

08/12/2026

08/12/2026

Please take all potential bat exposures seriously. If you, a family member, or a pet may have had contact with a bat, never hesitate to contact your veterinarian, medical provider or our office for guidance and to determine whether additional follow-up is needed.

🚨 RABIES WARNING — CHERRY COUNTY, NEBRASKA 🦇

This is not a “wait and see” situation. We are currently seeing increased bat activity, and this week a bat found interacting/playing with puppies in Cherry County tested POSITIVE for rabies.

This is a serious reminder that rabies is present in our area and that any contact with a bat should be taken seriously.

🦇 Did you or your pet have contact with a bat? Even if you did not see a bite or scratch, exposure can still occur. Bat bites can be tiny and may go unnoticed.

⚠️ Especially concerning: A bat found inside a home where people or pets were sleeping may represent a possible rabies exposure, even when no direct contact was witnessed.

DO NOT handle a bat with your bare hands, and do not simply release it if there has been possible exposure. (The paper towel is also not enough - but this bag tested negative last year). Use thick leather gloves. Contact your veterinarian or local health department immediately for guidance on rabies testing and/or appropriate post-exposure treatment. Nebraska recommends testing suspected rabies exposures through the state’s established process.

🐶 Pet owners: Please make sure your dogs, cats, and other pets are current on their rabies vaccinations. If your pet has had any contact with a bat, call your veterinarian right away.

With a rabies-positive bat confirmed in Cherry County this week, now is the time to be especially vigilant.

Take bat encounters seriously. When it comes to rabies, early action matters.

🦇🚨 Please share this information with your family, friends, and fellow pet owners.

08/12/2026

🌾 Farming & Memory: Supporting Loved Ones With Dementia 🌾
Have you been enjoying our coalition meetings? This next one is a must!
Join us September 10th as Kanika Arora gives a special introduction to the Farm Families Coping with Dementia program, designed for farming families dealing with memory or cognitive changes.
✅ Learn more and RSVP here: https://ncdhd.ne.gov/post/farming-memory-supporting-loved-ones-with-dementia

08/11/2026

Vaccines are an important part of staying healthy at every age. As we grow older, recommended vaccines can help protect us from preventable diseases and support our overall health.

Are you up to date on your vaccinations? If not, talk with your doctor to ensure you receive the recommended vaccines.

08/10/2026

A new executive order will upend the childhood vaccine schedule again. Per the order, MMR should be given as three separate single-disease shots once those products become available domestically, and all childhood immunizations should be administered at separate medical visits wherever feasible.

Those separate products don't exist. There are no standalone measles, mumps, or rubella vaccines licensed in the United States. Merck announced in October 2009 that it would not resume production of them, and said at the time there was no medical reason to give the three antigens separately. Bringing them back would mean restarting production, generating the evidence FDA requires, and getting approval-- this takes years.

So please don't delay your child's MMR waiting for a product that isn't available. Measles is circulating right now, and every month of waiting is a month your child isn't protected.
MMR was combined on purpose. Researchers tested whether putting three live viruses into one shot would make them work less well or cause more reactions, and it didn't. The other half of the reasoning is something any parent already understands: fewer needles and fewer trips to the pediatrician.

We've seen people claim the combination was never properly tested. That is absolutely not true. It was studied as a combination, and children were followed for years afterward. When GSK wanted US approval for a second MMR vaccine, it had to prove itself directly against Merck's in randomized trials under modern standards.

Does MMR carry risks? Of course. Everything does. About one fever-triggered seizure per 3,000 to 4,000 vaccinated children, and roughly one case of a temporary bleeding condition called ITP per 40,000. Splitting doesn't make those go away, and there is no published evidence that separating MMR provides a safety benefit.

Splitting would add needles and appointments. Two doses of MMR is two shots. Two doses of three separate vaccines is six. In one study, completion of recommended vaccines fell from 99.5% when two injections were needed to 88.9% when five were needed.

Nothing about your child's schedule changes today. MMR is available, and it keeps millions upon millions of children (and adults!) safe every single day.

https://ow.ly/V1fg50Zye2r

08/10/2026

A healthy start can make all the difference this school year! As your family gets ready to head back to the classroom, use this checklist to help your student build a healthy foundation that supports learning, growth, and success all year long.

Here's to a happy, healthy, and successful school year! 🍎✏️