Press Releases
Year
First Mosquitoes Test Positive for West Nile Virus in Champaign County
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 11, 2010
Contact
Jim Roberts, Director of Environmental Health
(217) 531-2908
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
First Mosquitoes Test Positive for West Nile Virus in Champaign County
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Urges Residents to Continue to Take Precautions
Champaign, IL – A mosquito sample collected last week in the City of Champaign has tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV). Additionally, a dead crow collected the last week of July in the City of Champaign also tested positive for West Nile virus (2nd positive bird in Champaign County). “Hot summer temperatures help to create stagnant water with organic matter that is prime breeding sites for Culex mosquitoes, the primary vector of WNV. As the number of WNV infected Culex mosquitoes increase, the risk of WNV disease-to-humans increases,” said Jim Roberts, Director of Environmental Health at the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD).
Late summer is the time of the year that you are most likely to come in contact with a WNV infected mosquito. CUPHD urges residents to take personal actions to avoid mosquito bites when outdoors:
- Avoid times when mosquitoes are most active, especially between dusk and dawn.
- Apply insect repellent that includes DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR3535 according to label instructions. Consult a physician before using repellants on infants.
- Wear shoes and socks, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt.
Since most of the Culex mosquitoes are produced locally (typically do not fly more than two miles from its breeding site), CUPHD urges residents to also reduce the number of mosquito breeding sites around backyards and neighborhoods. Eliminate all sources of standing water that can support mosquito breeding, including water in bird baths, ponds, flowerpots, wading pools, gutters, old tires, and any other receptacles. CUPHD, along with the City of Champaign, the City of Urbana, and the Village of Savoy, has a Culex mosquito abatement program that includes the application of mosquito larvicide to areas of standing water on public property, e.g. catch basins and roadside ditches, in these communities. Contact CUPHD at (217) 373-7900 to report areas of stagnant water in roadside ditches, abandoned swimming pools, and similar locations that may produce mosquitoes.
As of August 6, 2010, there have been 18 counties in Illinois reporting either a positive West Nile virus bird or mosquito batch. No human cases have been reported.
West Nile virus is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito that has picked up the virus by feeding on an infected bird. Most people with the virus have no clinical symptoms of the illness, but some may become ill three to 14 days after the bite of an infected mosquito. Only about two out of 10 who are bitten by an infected mosquito will experience any illness. Symptoms of West Nile virus are usually mild and include fever, headache, body aches, occasionally with a skin rash on the trunk of the body, and swollen lymph glands. About one in 150 people infected will develop serious illness; encephalitis, meningitis, and death are possible in these serious cases. Persons older than 50 years of age have the highest risk of severe disease.
For more information about Mosquito Surveillance and West Nile virus programs, call (217) 373-7900 or visit the web at www.c-uphd.org.
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SPROUT! Comes to the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 4, 2010
Contact
Charlotte Miles, Nutritionist
(217) 531-4284
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
SPROUT! Comes to the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Hosts a Supplemental Food Program.
Champaign, IL – The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) is hosting a supplemental program to the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) called SPROUT! The program allows children ages 1-18 to do arts and crafts, play games and sports, and learn about healthy habits. SPROUT! runs until September 30, 2010 and is held in the lobby of CUPHD from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and from 9:00 am - 4:30 pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
SPROUT!, a summer food program planting the seeds for safe, active, and empowered kids, works together with SFSP to keep children safe, healthy, and fit during the summer. SPROUT! is sponsored by the Illinois Action for Children and the Illinois Department of Human Services.
The Summer Food Service Program is sponsored by the Illinois State Board of Education and will run until August 18, 2010 in the lobby of CUPHD. Breakfast is served from 9:00 am – 10:00 am, lunch from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm, and snacks from 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm. All meals are free to children ages 1-18.
The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District proudly sponsors programs such as these to help children learn and grow. For more information, please contact CUPHD at (217) 531-4284 or visit www.c-uphd.org.
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Pound for Purchase Program at Farmer’s Market Benefits Clients
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 27, 2010
Contact
Brandon Meline, Director of Maternal & Child Health
(217) 531-4297 /
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
Pound for Purchase Program at Farmer’s Market Benefits Clients
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Makes Eating Healthy A Little Easier
Champaign, IL – The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) issues approximately $40,000 worth of Farmer’s Market vouchers each year. The vouchers are available to those who participate in the supplemental food program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). In August of 2008, CUPHD piloted a Farmer’s Market program to better meet the needs of clients by providing a one-stop-shop with access to fresh fruits and vegetables. This year, the market is open on Tuesday afternoons from 1:00 PM to 5:30 PM.
With these vouchers, clients can immediately purchase healthy fruits and vegetables from local growers at CUPHD’s market or various other markets around the county. Each woman and child over one year-of-age that are active in the WIC program in Champaign County receives one book of Farmer’s Market coupons per year. Each book contains $15.00 worth of coupons in five $3.00 amounts. Farmer’s Market coupons can not be used at grocery stores and should be used as close to the full amount as possible because change is not permitted. The vouchers are only good on the purchase of fruits and vegetables. Baked goods, flowers, plants, honey, or crafts do not apply.
This year, in conjunction with the USDA’s Three Sisters Garden initiative located on the University of Illinois campus, clients are able to get a free bag of additional produce for every purchase they make from a local grower (a ‘pound for purchase’). The Three Sisters Garden will provide sweet corn, green beans, vegetable soybean (edamame), and pumpkin throughout the remainder of the growing season. In its’ first week of collaboration, the pound for purchase program provided fresh produce to upwards of 100 families.
CUPHD’s scheduled pick-up day for remaining clients to receive WIC Farmer’s Market vouchers is Tuesday, August 3, 2010 beginning at 1:00 PM and continuing until 5:00 PM. All participants should look for the BROWN “WIC Farmer’s Market Coupons Accepted Here” signs at vendor’s booths. The use of LINK benefits is also available at this market and the products are available for purchase by the general public.
For additional information on CUPHD’s Farmer’s Market vouchers or WIC services, please contact CUPHD at (217) 531-4319 or visit CUPHD on the web at www.c-uphd.org.
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