
The Chattooga County Health Department is now offering flu and updated COVID-19 vaccines on a walk-in basis at its office at 60 Farrar Drive in Summerville.

The Chattooga County Health Department is now offering flu and updated COVID-19 vaccines on a walk-in basis at its office at 60 Farrar Drive in Summerville.

The Georgia Department of Public Health says two additional measles cases have been confirmed in connection with an outbreak at a metro Atlanta daycare, bringing the outbreak total to 10 cases.

The Georgia Department of Public Health has confirmed three additional measles cases connected to the current metro Atlanta outbreak, bringing the number of cases associated with that outbreak to eight.

Georgia health officials have confirmed four additional cases of measles connected to a daycare in metro Atlanta, bringing the state’s reported total to 11 cases so far in 2026.

The Georgia Department of Public Health has confirmed another case of measles, bringing the state’s total to seven cases so far in 2026.

Nearly two-thirds of children and teenagers in the United States consume caffeine on any given day, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study found that 69% of Americans ages 2 to 19 consume caffeine, but soft drinks are no longer the primary source for many younger children.
Among children ages 2 to 11, the leading source of caffeine was sweet bakery products, including brownies, cookies, cakes and pastries made with chocolate. For teenagers, coffee was the top source, followed by soft drinks, tea and energy drinks. Overall, coffee accounted for about 31% of caffeine intake among youth, followed by soft drinks at 27%, tea at 16%, sweet bakery products at 10%, and energy drinks at 6%.
The CDC also found that caffeine consumption increases with age. About 52% of children ages 2 to 5 consumed caffeine on a given day, compared with 73% of those ages 12 to 19.
Health experts caution that while there is no federally established safe daily caffeine limit for children, excessive caffeine can interfere with sleep, increase anxiety, raise heart rate and blood pressure, and contribute to headaches and other health concerns. The CDC recommends that children younger than 2 years old avoid caffeinated beverages entirely, and parents are encouraged to pay attention to caffeine found in foods as well as drinks.

Federal health officials have identified shredded iceberg lettuce served at certain Taco Bell restaurants as the source of a multistate outbreak of cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness that can cause prolonged watery diarrhea.

The Georgia Department of Public Health is urging residents to take additional precautions when handling fresh fruits and vegetables following updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Public health officials are urging Northwest Georgia residents to take precautions against mosquito bites as the 2026 West Nile virus season gets underway earlier and more aggressively than it has in more than two decades.

Health officials are investigating a multi-state outbreak of a foodborne parasite that has sickened at least 145 people across the United States, including cases in Georgia.