FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 22, 2007

Contact
Matthew Swearingen, Environmental Health

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

First Mosquitoes Test Positive for West Nile Virus in Illinois – Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Urges Residents to Take Simple Precautions

Champaign, IL – Illinois State Public Health, announced that mosquito samples collected in DuPage County have been confirmed as the first positive test results in Illinois this year for West Nile Virus.  A positive mosquito sample was collected from the communities of Naperville, Lisle and Woodridge.  There has not been any reported positive mosquito samples in Champaign County.

“The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District is very diligent in sampling local mosquitoes and birds.  CUPHD realizes that West Nile Virus is a concern for our community, but would like to stress that the disease is not as prevalent nor as serious as many people think.” said Garry Bird, Director of Environmental Health at the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District.  “It is estimated that only 20% of those infected will develop West Nile Fever, and of those only 1 in 150 will develop a more severe form of the disease.”

Last year 77 of the state’s 102 counties were found to have a West Nile positive bird, mosquito, horse or human case.  A total of 215 human cases of West Nile disease, including 10 deaths were reported last year.

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 are usually mild and include fever, headache, body aches, occasionally with a skin rash on the trunk of the body and swollen lymph glands.  Serious illness, such as encephalitis, meningitis, and death are possible in extreme cases.  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.  Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are most active, especially between dusk and dawn.  Use prevention methods whenever mosquitoes are present.

• When outdoors, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and apply insect repellent that includes DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus according to label instructions. Consult a physician before using repellants 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.

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

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Download 2007-05-22-WestNile-PR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 21, 2007

Contact
Nikki Hillier, Program Coordinator
(217) 531-2916

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

Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Helps the Students of Dr. Howard Elementary School “CATCH” the Spirit of Good Health!

Champaign, IL – Dr. Howard Elementary School has partnered with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) to implement the Coordinated Approach To Child Health (CATCH) Program.  The CATCH Program is a multi-component program that promotes positive healthy behaviors in students and emphasizes the need for a healthy lifestyle to improved both living and learning.  CATCH has three core components – nutrition, physical activity, and health education.

On Tuesday, May 22, 2007 Dr. Howard Elementary School will be celebrating the success of the this year’s CATCH program with a Field Day.  Field Day will encourage the students at Dr. Howard Elementary to engage in physical activity by making physical activity FUN!  Students will be able to participate in a variety of relays, activity stations and the ever-popular inflatable bounce house.  Field Day will be open to all Dr. Howard Elementary students during their physical education period.

 “CATCH is a fun, well-rounded program that affords students the ability to excel through a series of consistent messages from a variety of sources.”  said Nikki Hillier, Program Director of Health Promotions for CUPHD.  “CATCH builds an alliance of children, parents, teachers, and school staff to teach skills and behaviors associated with maintaining healthy lifestyles.”

As part of CATCH, students were encouraged to participate in and complete a “Homework Health Journey”.  This journey consisted of a series of activities for students to complete at home with the assistance of their parents.  This journey further expands awareness by incorporating the new lifestyle behaviors at home as well as at school.  15 students at Dr. Howard Elementary School have completed all the lessons and will receive a tennis racquet and tennis ball to promote the start of a new physical activity.

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

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Download 2007-05-25-CATCH-PR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 24, 2007

Contact
Awais Vaid, Epidemiologist
(217) 531-5360

Rachella Thompson
217-531-5361

April Showers Bring May Flowers and the Need for Hand Washing

Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Urges the Public to Wash Their Hands Often to Prevent the Spread of Disease

Champaign, IL – Keeping your hands clean is one of the best ways to keep from getting sick and spreading illnesses.  Cleaning your hands gets rid of many germs that are picked up from other people, touchable surfaces and animals.  Teaching the importance of proper hand washing, as well as, frequent, supervised hand washing by adults for all young children should be encouraged.  If soap and water are not available, the use of an alcohol based wipe or hand gel is recommended.

Proper hand washing should include the following steps:

• Wet your hands and apply soap.
• Rub hands together vigorously to lather and scrub all surfaces.
• Continue washing for 20 seconds (the time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday”- twice!).
• Rinse hands well under running water.
• Dry hands using a single use paper towel or air dryer.
• If possible, use the paper towel to turn off the faucet and open the bathroom door to avoid contaminating your clean hands.

Hand washing is an important step to good health.  Children are particularly susceptible to picking up germs and bacteria.  They can unknowingly become infected simply by touching infected objects or surfaces.  An infected child or adult can easily spread the disease among other family members.

Good hand washing is your first line of defense against the spread of many illnesses, not just the common cold. For example, many types of infectious gastroenteritis are spread person- to person via fecal-oral route by improper hand washing technique.

To minimize the germs passed around your family, make frequent hand washing a rule for everyone, especially:

• before eating and cooking
• after using the bathroom
• after cleaning around the house
• after touching animals, including family pets
• after visiting or taking care of any sick friends or relatives
• after blowing one's nose, coughing, or sneezing
• after being outside (playing, gardening, walking the dog, etc.)

Don't underestimate the power of hand washing! The few seconds you spend at the sink could save you a costly trip to the doctor's office.

For more information, please contact CUPHD, Division of Infectious Disease Prevention & Management, (217) 531-5361 or visit our website at www.c-uphd.org.

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Download 2007-04-24-Shingellosis-PR