Press Releases
Year
Bird Tests Positive for West Nile
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 26, 2010
Contact
Jim Roberts, Director of Environmental Health
(217) 531-2908
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
Bird Tests Positive for West Nile
Champaign County Receives Its First Confirmed Case of West Nile Virus in 2010
Champaign, IL – A crow collected by the Champaign County Health Department tested positive for the West Nile virus. The bird was collected outside the city limits on the west side of Champaign on July 13, 2010. “Birds testing positive for West Nile virus serve as a reminder that mosquitoes are active and people should protect themselves against mosquitoes,” said Jim Roberts, Director of Environmental Health.
To date, there have been no human cases reported in Champaign County and no mosquito batches have tested positive for West Nile virus. Mosquito batches or birds testing positive for West Nile virus have been reported in 14 other counties.
Last year, 36 of the state’s 102 counties were found to have a West Nile positive bird, mosquito, horse or human case. A total of five human cases of West Nile disease were reported in Illinois last year. In hotter summers, such as 2005 and 2006, more human cases were reported:
- 2008 – 20
- 2007 – 101
- 2006 – 215
- 2005 – 252
- 2004 – 60
- 2003 – 54
Surveillance for West Nile virus in Illinois began on May 1 and includes laboratory tests on mosquitoes, dead crows, blue jays, robins, and other perching birds as well as the testing of sick horses and humans with West Nile-like disease symptoms. Citizens who observe a sick or dying crow, blue jay, robin or other perching bird should contact their local health department, which will determine if the bird will be picked up for testing.
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 illness, but some may become ill three to 15 days after the bite of an infected mosquito. The first human case in Illinois is not usually reported until July or later.
Only about two people in 10 who are bitten by an infected mosquito will experience any illness. Illness from West Nile is usually mild and includes fever, headache and body aches, but serious illness, such as encephalitis and meningitis, and death are possible.
Persons older than 50 years of age have the highest risk of severe disease.
The best way to prevent West Nile disease or any other mosquito-borne illness is to reduce the number of mosquitoes around your home and to take personal precautions to avoid mosquito bites. Precautions include:
- Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are most active, especially between dusk and dawn.
- When outdoors, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and apply insect repellent that includes DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR 3535 according to label instructions. Consult a physician before using repellents on infants.
- Make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens. Repair or replace screens that have tears or other openings. Try to keep doors and windows shut, especially at night.
- Eliminate all sources of standing water that can support mosquito breeding, including water in bird baths, ponds, flowerpots, wading pools, old tires, and any other receptacles. In communities where there are organized mosquito control programs, contact your municipal government to report areas of stagnant water in roadside ditches, flooded yards, and similar locations that may produce mosquitoes.
Public health officials believe that a hot summer could increase mosquito activity and the risk of disease from West Nile virus.
Additional information about West Nile virus can be found on the Illinois Department of Public Health’s Web site at www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/wnv.htm.
###
High Temperatures Mean Extra Precaution
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 15, 2010
Contact
John Dwyer, Emergency Preparedness Planner
(217) 531-2932
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
High Temperatures Mean Extra Precaution
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Urges the Public to Watch for Symptoms of Heat-Related Illness
Champaign, IL –The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) urges everyone to watch for the symptoms of heat-related illness, and to take precautions to keep their families and communities safe.
Heat-related illness can take many forms ranging from a mild case of heat exhaustion to a more serious and life-threatening case of heat stroke. Heat-related illnesses occur when the body becomes unable to control its temperature. The body’s temperature rises rapidly and the body looses its ability to perspire and cool down. Rising to temperatures of 106° F or higher within 10 to 15 minutes can result in death or permanent disability if emergency treatment is not provided.
Signs and symptoms of heat-related illness include:
- An extremely high body temperature of 103° F or higher
- Red, hot, and dry skin (no signs of perspiration)
- Rapid, strong pulse
- Throbbing headache
- Dizziness or confusion
- Nausea
Never leave children, elderly persons, or pets in a parked car – even for a few minutes with the windows partially open. The metal of the vehicle conducts and concentrates the intense heat and brain damage or even death can occur from the rapid rise of temperature in the vehicle. Children, the elderly, and pets are especially susceptible to heat-related illness due to a variety of factors including, but not limited to, the inability to adjust to sudden changes in temperature, the tendency to retain more body heat, dehydration due to over activity or exertion, and the lack of access to adequate fluids.
Precautions to avoid heat-related illness:
- Stay hydrated. Drink at least 48-64 ounces of cool non-caffeinated and nonalcoholic beverages (caffeine & alcohol are diuretics and will increase dehydration). Don’t wait until you are thirsty to drink.
- Reduce the amount of activity during the hottest parts of the day. If you must be active during those times, strive to take frequent breaks in a shady or cool area.
- Wear light-colored and lightweight clothes.
- Take a cool shower or sponge bath if you begin feeling over heated.
- Retreat to an air-conditioned environment if you begin to feel overly warm. If you do not have air conditioning, consider visiting a mall, grocery store, or other public place to cool off.
If you or someone you know shows signs of a heat-related illness, have someone call for medical assistance while you begin the cooling process:
- Take the person to an air-conditioned, cool, or shady area.
- Cool the person rapidly by spraying cold water from a shower or garden hose.
- Monitor the body temperature carefully until the temperature drops below 101°102° F.
- Give plenty of cool (not cold) non-caffeinated, non-alcoholic beverages to drink.
- Get medical assistance as soon as possible.
Anyone can suffer a heat-related illness. CUPHD urges everyone to take precautions in the summer heat and to check on children and the elderly frequently.
For more information, please contact CUPHD at (217) 531-2932 or visit www.c-uphd.org.
###
Mosquito Abatement Bikers aka MAB
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 8, 2010
Contact
Jeff Blackford, Program Coordinator Environmental Health
(217) 531-2919
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
Mosquito Abatement Bikers aka MAB
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Assists with Mosquito Prevention and Abatement
Champaign, IL – The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) has teamed with the City of Champaign, City of Urbana, and the Village of Savoy to help reduce mosquitoes in a very unique way, with Mosquito Abatement Bikers (MAB).
Mosquito Abatement Bikers ride a bicycle throughout Champaign, Urbana, and Savoy dispensing larvicide treatment in catch basins on city property. All MAB employees received bicycle safety training, pesticide training, and obtained an operator license through the Illinois Department of Agriculture before they started any applications. All larvicide and application equipment is carried in a backpack while the bikers travel along their assigned treatment routes. While in the community, Mosquito Abatement Bikers can also answer citizen’s inquiries about the program and what they can do to reduce mosquitoes on their own property and what they can do to protect themselves.
As part of the Culex Mosquito Prevention Program, CUPHD is taking preventative action through the treatment of catch basins as well as conducting surveys to locate mosquito breeding sites and applying mosquito larvicide, as needed, to abate breeding sites. The program also provides surveillance for West Nile virus (WNV) and Saint Louis encephalitis (SLE) through mosquito testing and epidemiological investigations.
This intergovernmental agreement replaces the encephalitis prevention program that was discontinued by the University of Illinois’ Illinois Natural History Survey. The program is seasonal and runs from May through October.
For additional information on mosquitoes or the abatement program, please contact CUPHD at (217) 373-7900 or visit CUPHD on the web at www.c-uphd.org
###