DOVER — The Division of Public Health (DPH) is announcing two laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza, just three weeks before the official start of the 2018-2019 flu season, which begins September 30. Two women, one 50 years old from Sussex County, and one 70 years old from New Castle County, were diagnosed with the flu within the last week. Both were diagnosed with A strain influenza; neither was hospitalized. During the 2017-2018 flu season, Delaware recorded 9,041 flu cases, (including the above) the highest number of laboratory-confirmed flu cases since record keeping began in 2005, and 35 flu-related deaths. Last season’s first flu cases were not confirmed until late October.

“While it is unusual to see flu occur this early, we should not rush to assume that means this coming season will be a harsh one,” said DPH Director Dr. Karyl Rattay. “The flu is unpredictable. But what is predictable is that getting your annual flu vaccine can prevent you from getting the flu, and from spreading it to family, friends, neighbors and co-workers. The flu is highly contagious and can even be deadly so we urge you to get your flu vaccine now. It is not too early.”
The flu vaccine is recommended for Delawareans 6 months of age and older. Since it takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies that protect against influenza virus infection to develop in the body, it is important to get vaccinated as early as possible to give your body time to build immunity. Getting the flu vaccine now will also provide protection during the entire flu season.

On Friday, Oct. 5, DPH will hold a free flu clinic at the Porter State Service Center, 511 W. 8th St., Wilmington, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The first 200 people to get their flu vaccines will receive a free gift card. On Tuesday, Oct. 9, DPH will hold a drive-thru flu clinic at the DelDOT Administration Building, 800 S. Bay Road, Dover, from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or until vaccines run out. Eagle 97.7 and Cool 101.3 will hold live broadcasts. Both clinics will be held rain or shine.

DPH will also offer various other flu clinics throughout the season. A schedule can be found at https://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/fluclinics.html. Flu vaccines are also offered through physician offices, many pharmacies and some grocery stores. To locate where flu vaccines near you are being offered, Google “CDC flu finder” and enter a ZIP code.

The flu is easy to transmit and you can get it even from seemingly healthy, but unvaccinated, children and adults. Vaccinations not only prevent people from getting the flu, but they can also reduce the severity of flu illness and prevent visits to the doctor, clinic, emergency room, along with hospitalizations and serious consequences (including death) from influenza. Vaccinated people have less chance of missing family, school and work events due to influenza illness.

In addition to getting an annual flu shot, Delawareans can prevent the spread of the flu and other respiratory illness with good hygiene: Wash hands frequently with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizers, cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, and dispose of tissues immediately. If a tissue is not available, cough or sneeze into your inner elbow. Droplets from a sneeze can travel up to six feet. Also avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Keep your distance from people who are coughing or sneezing.

Flu symptoms come on suddenly, and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headaches and body aches, chills and fatigue. Some people get complications including pneumonia, bronchitis, and sinus and ear infections. Those sick with the flu should stay home from work, school and other gatherings and not return until they have been free of fever — with temperature less than 100 degrees F (37.8 degrees C), without the use of fever-reducing medications for at least 24 hours.

They should avoid close contact with well people in the household and stay well-hydrated by drinking plenty of water and other clear liquids. Over-the-counter medicines can provide symptom relief but if you suspect you have influenza, call your doctor as they may decide to provide antiviral medications to help hasten recovery and prevent serious complications. This is particularly important for those who feel very sick, are pregnant or have chronic medical conditions.
For more information about the flu and where to get vaccinated, visit flu.delaware.gov or call 1-800-282-8672.

A person who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind or speech-disabled can call the DPH phone number above by using TTY services. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-232-5460 to type your conversation to a relay operator, who reads your conversation to a hearing person at DPH. The relay operator types the hearing person’s spoken words back to the TTY user. To learn more about TTY availability in Delaware, visit http://delawarerelay.com.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations. DPH, a division of DHSS, urges Delawareans to make healthier choices with the 5-2-1 Almost None campaign: eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day, have no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time each day (includes TV, computer, gaming), get 1 or more hours of physical activity each day, and drink almost no sugary beverages.

LEWES – DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife has confirmed a new state record in the Delaware Sport Fishing Tournament: a 79-pound, 6.4-ounce cobia, caught in the Atlantic Ocean on Aug. 10 by John Burbage of Ocean View. The fish was 56½ inches long and had a girth of 28¼ inches.

Burbage was fishing alone about a mile and a half off the Bethany coast when he caught the record fish. He hooked the cobia by sight casting a whole Atlantic menhaden (bunker) and fought the fish for an hour and 10 minutes before finally landing his trophy.

The record catch was weighed at Hook’em & Cook’em, an official Delaware Sport Fishing Tournament weigh station near Rehoboth Beach, and confirmed by Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police officers Sr. Corporal Oran White and Officer First Class Timothy Koebel.

For a listing of all state fishing records, please visit the Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Delaware Fishing Records webpage.

More information on the Delaware Sport Fishing Tournament is found in the 2018 Delaware Fishing Guide. The guide also is available in printed form at DNREC’s Dover licensing desk in the Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901, and from license agents throughout the state.

• Follow the Division of Fish & Wildlife on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/DelawareFishWildlife.

Media contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 48, No. 244

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NEW CASTLE (Sept. 11, 2018) – A record number of people died in Delaware from suspected overdoses in August, according to reports from the Delaware Division of Forensic Science. The monthly total of 39 deaths was the highest since the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) began tracking deaths from suspected overdoses in late 2013. The previous high monthly total was 27 deaths, which occurred in April 2018.

“It is heartbreaking and alarming to see so many lives lost to suspected overdoses,” said DHSS Secretary Dr. Kara Odom Walker, a board-certified family physician. “We suspect that many of the overdoses involved fentanyl so we are warning people who are in active use to assume that the illicit drugs they are using contain this highly toxic and dangerous synthetic opioid. Any use of such a substance could kill them.” Fentanyl is up to 50 to 100 times more potent than heroin.

If a user has ingested fentanyl or a drug laced with fentanyl, time is critical because the powerful opioid quickly affects the central nervous system and the brain. Users often have trouble breathing or can stop breathing as the drug sedates them. If someone is too drowsy to answer questions, is having difficulty breathing, or appears to be so asleep they cannot be awakened, call 911 immediately. Under Delaware’s 911/Good Samaritan Law, people who call 911 to report an overdose and the person in medical distress cannot be arrested for low-level drug crimes.

In 2017, about 61 percent of the overdose deaths in Delaware involved fentanyl and 40 percent involved heroin. In many overdose deaths, multiple substances are found in a person’s system during toxicology screens.

“Despite significant seizures of heroin and fentanyl by law enforcement agencies, we continue to see an increase in the presence of fentanyl and heroin throughout the state,” said Department of Safety and Homeland Security Secretary Robert Coupe. “Law enforcement is committed to continuing to seize and interrupt the distribution of these deadly drugs, while working with our community partners to support the treatment initiatives that assist those afflicted with substance use disorder.”

As of Sept. 8, the Division of Forensic Science (DFS) has reported 202 deaths from suspected overdoses in Delaware this year. Because there is a lag of six to eight weeks for toxicology analyses to be finished at DFS, the total number of deaths likely is much higher. In 2017, 345 people died in Delaware from overdoses, up 12 percent from 2016, according to DFS.

Elizabeth Romero, director of DHSS’ Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, encouraged individuals in active substance use in Delaware to see a medical provider immediately, ask police or other first responders for help, or to call DHSS’ 24/7 Crisis Services Hotline to be connected to trained crisis professionals who can discuss treatment options.

“Substance use disorder does not discriminate,” Romero said. “Across the state, we’ve seen people succumb to overdoses in all three counties, men and women, from young people in their 20s to people in their 60s, and including people from the well-to-do suburbs to people who are homeless. While we are working hard in new ways to prevent addiction in the first place, it is critical that people in active use seek help for their disease. Treatment is available, providers and peers are ready to help you navigate the treatment system, and recovery is possible. The first step in recovery is to ask for help.”

In New Castle County, the 24/7 Crisis Services Hotline number is 1-800-652-2929. In Kent and Sussex counties, the number is 1-800-345-6785. Individuals and families also can visit DHSS’ website, www.HelpIsHereDE.com, to find addiction treatment and recovery services in Delaware or nearby states.
“Because of the widespread availability of fentanyl in multiple types of illicit drugs and the related increased risk of death, if you or anyone you know is using substances we urge you to carry the overdose-reversing medication naloxone,” said Dr. Karyl Rattay, director of the DHSS’ Division of Public Health. “Our first priority is to reduce harm and save lives. From there, we can connect people to the treatment options that will work best for them.”

Naloxone is available at many Delaware pharmacies without a prescription, or by attending community trainings through Brandywine Counseling and Community Services or through atTAcK addiction, which is able to conduct trainings through a BluePrints for the Community Highmark grant. Brandywine Counseling’s next community training is at 6 p.m. Sept. 19 at Bethel United Methodist in Lewes, in coordination with atTAcK addiction’s Sussex County chapter.

“This epidemic is devastating to the citizens of Delaware,” said Don Keister, who founded the grassroots group atTAcK addiction with his wife Jeanne, after the 2012 accidental overdose death of their son Tyler. “The increase in overdose deaths is overwhelming. In 2012, when Tyler succumbed to an overdose there were 126 deaths. The number for this year could very well be four to five times higher, and this does not count the number of near-deaths reversed by naloxone. We must provide a continuum of care that is readily available; an education component that speaks to our children, beginning in elementary school; and public awareness that removes the stigma.”

Naloxone, the overdose-reversing medication carried in Delaware by community members, paramedics, some police officers and other first responders, can be administered in overdoses involving opioids – fentanyl, heroin or opioid painkillers. Because fentanyl is more potent than heroin or opioid painkillers, multiple doses of naloxone may be needed to reverse an overdose. In 2017, Delaware paramedics and police officers administered naloxone 2,714 times in suspected overdose situations to a total of 1,906 patients.

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife announced today regulatory changes that expand Delaware’s recreational black sea bass fishing season. The change eliminates the previously closed fall season of Sept. 22 through Oct. 21, providing Delaware recreational anglers continued access to black sea bass for 30 additional fishing days. The new black sea bass season runs uninterrupted from May 15 through Dec. 31. The 12.5-inch recreational minimum size limit and 15-fish daily possession limit remain unchanged.

The new regulation is consistent with federal measures and complies with Addendum XXX to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass. The ASMFC’s Black Sea Bass Management Board approved measures that require the southern region states (Delaware to North Carolina) to implement recreational fishery management measures for black sea bass consistent with those measures required for federal waters.

For more information on black sea bass regulations, please call the Fisheries Section at 302-739-9914 or visit www.dnrec.delaware.gov/fw/Fisheries. Delaware’s online fishing guide is available at http://www.eregulations.com/delaware/fishing/ and is updated as regulations change.

• Follow the Division of Fish & Wildlife on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/DelawareFishWildlife.

Media contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 48, No. 245

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For Immediate Release

Contact: Julia Lawes – 302-577-8901

New DOJ Screening Effort Keeps Juveniles Out Of Justice System

Since June, dozens of juveniles have been kept from going to court for low-level misdemeanor offenses as part of a new Delaware Department of Justice effort to keep kids from being exposed to the delinquency court system.

Designed by DOJ Family Division Director Abigail Layton, the new DOJ Juvenile Misdemeanor Screening Process has identified approximately 25 percent of the state’s charged juvenile misdemeanor cases as cases that could potentially be resolved without a court appearance. Of those cases that are identified, almost half have been resolved since the program’s start without the juvenile appearing in court.

Involvement in formal court proceedings can be a traumatic event for juveniles, and although court proceedings are warranted in some cases, DOJ sought to make earlier identification of low-level cases where court was not necessary in order to minimize juvenile exposure, Attorney General Matt Denn said.

The cases identified by the Misdemeanor Screening Process are:

• misdemeanors that do not have identifiable victims, such as property crimes
• driving charges involving incidents where no one was injured
• domestic charges where parents are the alleged victims of misdemeanors committed by their children

Two Deputy Attorneys General now review all such cases on a weekly basis, and defense attorneys are notified of misdemeanor cases that are judged to be candidates for the process. The cases are reviewed by prosecutors based on several criteria, including the evidentiary merit of the cases and the prior record of the defendant. In every domestic case that involves a victim, the victim is interviewed to determine the victim’s judgment as to whether a formal court proceeding or an alternative resolution would be best for the family.

“Instead of going to court, the cases are resolved with entry into a diversion program, a plea, or dropping charges,” Family Division Director Layton said. “Those are all options that have existed for resolving cases, but the purpose of the program is utilizing those outcomes to focus on low-level cases with a goal of reducing court appearances for the kids and possible delinquency adjudications.”

Since the Juvenile Misdemeanor Screening Process began on June 20, 82 misdemeanor cases have been identified as eligible for the program, and 41 of those cases have been resolved without the juvenile needing to appear in court.

“I am very grateful to Family Director Layton and Deputy Attorney General Anthony Longo for developing and implementing this new program to reduce juvenile exposure to the criminal justice system,” Attorney General Denn said. “This is an important part of a broader effort to balance public safety and the need to intervene more directly with juveniles committing serious offenses, against our desire to keep juveniles out of the criminal justice system when possible.”