FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 17, 2009

Contact
Matthew Swearingen, Environmental Health

Lori A. Holmes, Public Relations
(217) 531-2927

The Collecting and Testing of Dead Birds is an Important Component of Champaign-Urbana Public Health District’s West Nile Virus Surveillance Program

Champaign, IL – Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) routinely tests dead birds for West Nile Virus.  The results of these tests help determine the extent of West Nile Virus in Champaign County.  Since West Nile Virus generally appears and grows in local bird and mosquito populations before it is transmitted to humans, monitoring bird and mosquito populations helps predict when and where humans will be at risk for infection and affords the time to take additional precautions and control measures.

CUPHD invites the help of Champaign County residents to collect dead birds for testing.  Please call CUPHD at 217-373-7900 if you discover a dead bird.  Please do not handle or bring the bird to a CUPHD location.  An experienced member of the CUPHD staff will pick up the bird if it meets the following criteria:

• The bird must be dead and the carcass is in good condition. Birds should be dead no more than 24 hours prior to collection, and should show no signs of advanced decomposition such as maggots, strong odor, and dried or deflated eyes.
• The bird must not show signs of dying of causes other than disease. Birds with obvious injuries such as wounds or missing parts should not be submitted for testing.  Likewise, crushed carcasses and birds found along roadways will not be accepted.
• The bird must be an acceptable species. Acceptable bird species include crows, blue jays, grackles, starlings, robins, cardinals, sparrows, finches, hawks and owls.  Species other than those listed above will not be accepted for testing.  If you need help identifying the bird species, please refer to the CUPHD website at www.cuphd.org.

If the dead bird meets all these criteria, please call CUPHD Environmental Health at 217373-7900 to file a report.  CUPHD is authorized by the State of Illinois to collect a limited number of birds each season (May 1 – October 15).  Once the limit has been met in any given locality, no further birds will be collected.

Any bird not collected by CUPHD for testing should be disposed of properly.  Please do not have direct skin contact with the dead bird.  Use rubber or latex gloves, a plastic bag over your hands, or utilize a shovel, tongs or other instrument to place the dead bird in a plastic bag.  Make sure the beak or claws do not puncture the bag and seal the bag.  Place the sealed bag into a second bag and seal that as well.  Put the double-bagged bird with trash that will be picked up, or bury it away from water sources.  Wash your hands with warm water and soap immediately after disposing of the bird.

For more information about CUPHD's programs and services, visit us on the web at www.c-uphd.org.

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Download 2007-05-31-Dead-Bird-PR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 31, 2007

Contact
Penny Shonkwiler, Program Coordinator
(217) 531-5371

Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Urges Champaign County Residents to Become More Educated About the Effects of Tuberculosis in the Wake of the Recent CDC Federal Isolation Order

Champaign, IL – The recent federal isolation of a U.S. citizen by The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has draw attention to a disease which is responsible for over 2 million deaths a year, worldwide.  According to the CDC:

• One-third of the world’s population is infected with tuberculosis (TB)
• 9 million people become ill with TB each year
• TB is the leading cause of death among HIV infected individuals

The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) is committed to the worldwide effort to eradicate tuberculosis.  CUPHD is working to reduce the incidence of tuberculosis in Champaign County.  TB testing is offered every week at 710 North Neil in Champaign, and CUPHD works in conjunction with local healthcare agencies to provide follow-up testing and care for clients with active TB.  CUPHD nurses also perform TB testing in three local homeless shelters.

CUPHD sees a few active cases of tuberculosis per year.  In 2006, CUPHD performed over 1,000 TB tests.  Of those, 30 tested positive.  Additional testing revealed that 2 of those individuals had active (contagious) TB.  CUPHD diligently monitors all clients with active TB to minimize transmission of the disease to others.  Left untreated, one person with active TB can infect 10-15 people per year!

According to the Centers for Disease Control, TB disproportionately affects racial and ethnic minorities.  In 2005, 82% of all reported TB cases in the United States occurred in minorities.  Foreign-born individuals account for 55% of TB cases in the U.S.  In 2006 in Champaign County, that percentage was greater, with 100% of reported cases being foreign-born.  This high percentage is an unusual increase from last year’s 66%.

Symptoms of pulmonary TB include a persistent, phlegm-producing cough that lasts more than three weeks, chest pain, and coughing up blood.  Other symptoms include fever, chills, night sweats, loss of appetite, and weight loss.

There has been a global emergence of Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (XDR TB).  XDR TB is resistant to almost all drugs currently used to treat TB.  Over 1/2 million world wide cases of Multi Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR TB), with only 19% of those cases being XDR, were reported in 2004.  In 2006, there were 14,097 cases of TB reported in the United States – only 15 of those cases were XDR TB.  There have been no reported cases of XDR TB in Champaign County.     

Only through the vigilance of health authorities everywhere can the disease be checked and, it is hoped, eliminated throughout the world.

Champaign-Urbana Health District TB clinic at 710 N. Neil, Champaign:

Skin Tests: Mondays, 8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. or Tuesdays, 8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Test results are read the following Wednesday, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. or Friday 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

For more information, please contact CUPHD, Division of Infectious Disease Prevention & Management, (217) 239-7827.

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Download 2007-05-31-XDR-TB-Quarantine-PR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 17, 2009

Contact
Julie Pryde, Acting Public Health Administrator
(217) 531-5369 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Lori A. Holmes, Public Relations
(217) 531-2927

CDC Releases Early Report of Serious Eye Infections Associated with Soft Contact Lens Solution

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), collaborating with the Food and Drug Administration, state and other partners, has identified an outbreak of a serious but rare eye infection called Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK).  This infection is caused by a free-living ameba (Acanthamoeba) a microscopic organism found everywhere in nature. Infections can result in permanent visual impairment or blindness. AK primarily affects otherwise healthy people, most of whom wear contacts lenses. In the United States, an estimated 85% of cases of this infection occur in contact lens users. The incidence of the disease in the U.S. is approximately one to two cases per million contact lens users.

CDC has received reports of 138 cases of culture-confirmed AK in 35 states and Puerto Rico, with complete patient data available for 46 case-patients. Thirty-nine of the 46 case-patients wore soft contact lenses. Preliminary information obtained by CDC from patient interviews indicates that, among soft contact lens users who reported the use of any type of solution, 21 (58%) reported having used Advanced Medical Optics (AMO) Complete® MoisturePlus ™  Multi-Purpose Solution in the month prior to symptom onset. Out of the 37 case-patients for whom clinical data was available, 9 (24%) failed medical therapy and required or are expected to undergo corneal transplantation.

Based on these findings people who wear soft contact lenses who use Advanced Medical Optics (AMO) Compete® MoisturePlus ™ Solution should: 

• Stop using the product immediately and discard all remaining solution including partially used or unopened bottles. Choose and alternative contact lens solution.
• Discard current lens storage container. o Discard current pair of soft lenses.
• See a health care provider if experiencing any signs of eye infection: Eye pain, eye redness, blurred vision, sensitivity to light, sensation of something in the eye, or excessive tearing.

All contact lens users should closely follow prevention measures to help prevent eye infections, which include o See an eye care professional for regular eye examinations.

• Wear and replace contact lenses according to the schedule prescribed by an eye care professional.
• Remove contact lenses before any activity involving contact with water including showering, using a hot tub, or swimming.
• Wash hands with soap and water and dry before handling contact lenses.
• Clean contacts lenses according to the manufacturer’s guidelines and instructions from an eye care professional.
• Use fresh cleaning or disinfecting solutions and rewetting drops to disinfect lenses. Neither solution is an effective or approved disinfectant.
• Never use saline solution and rewetting drops to disinfect lenses. Neither solution is an effective or approved disinfectant.
• Store reusable lenses in the proper storage case.
• Storage cases should be rinsed with sterile contact lens solution (never use tap water) and left open to dry after each use.
• Replace storage cases at least once every three months.

Clinicians evaluating contact lens users with symptoms of eye pain or redness, tearing, decreased visual acuity, discharge, sensitivity to light, or foreign body sensation should consider AK and refer the patient to an ophthalmologist, if appropriate. Diagnosis requires a high degree of suspicion, especially in a contact lens wearer with a recent diagnosis of another form of keratitis, such as herpes simplex virus keratitis, who is not responding to therapy. Diagnosis if made on the basis of clinical picture and isolation of organisms from corneal culture or detection if trophozoites and/or cysts on histopathology. However, a negative culture does not necessarily rule out Ancanthamoeba may also assist with diagnosis. Early diagnosis can greatly improve treatment efficacy.

Clinicians should consider obtaining clinical specimens (e.g., corneal scrapings) for culture before initiating treatment. Clinicians or microbiology laboratories should report cases of AK to state and local health departments or directly to CDC at telephone, 770488-7775. Acanthamoeba isolates should be submitted to state laboratories according to instructions provided by local and state public health laboratories.

For more information, see the CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/acanthamoeba/index.htm

For more information, please contact CUPHD, Division of Infectious Disease Prevention & Management, and (217) 531-5361.

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Download 2007-05-29-CDC-Contact-Health-Alert-PR