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Smallpox vaccination to begin

[DEC. 10, 2002]  SPRINGFIELD -- The Illinois Department of Public Health has developed a strategy to offer smallpox vaccinations to as many as 16,000 Illinois public health and hospital personnel to prepare for the possibility of a terrorist attack, Dr. John R. Lumpkin, state public health director, announced Monday.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked each state and some cities, including Chicago, to submit plans by Dec. 9 as part of an initial phase in an effort to strengthen the nation's smallpox preparedness.  Click here for Logan County's plan.

"The probability of an intentional release of the smallpox virus remains low, but since the consequences of such an attack would be so great, we must be prepared," Dr. Lumpkin said. "This effort will focus on offering personal protection from smallpox disease to those who would be called upon to investigate and to provide treatment in the event of a smallpox release or outbreak.

"By protecting these individuals, we improve our ability to safeguard the public, and we increase the capacity and capabilities of the public health system and hospitals to respond to and control a smallpox outbreak."

Dr. Lumpkin said the Illinois plan was developed with guidance from the CDC and relies on the state's 93 local health departments (excluding Chicago) to offer vaccine to an estimated 8,000 to 16,000 public health smallpox response teams and hospital staff who would be involved in treating possible smallpox cases. The vaccination effort could begin as early as January and will require 30 days to complete. Individual and hospital participation will be voluntary.

The Illinois plan outlines the overall smallpox vaccination effort. However, local health departments will have until Friday (Dec. 13) to provide the department with details on where the smallpox vaccine will be administered and how those receiving the shot will be evaluated for the week it takes to determine if the vaccine is effective. Between 20 and 30 clinics are expected to be organized throughout the state outside of Chicago.

It is estimated that as many as five to 10 staff at each local health department, about 20 state public health department staff and 50 to 100 workers at 152 licensed Illinois hospitals that provide emergency care will be offered the vaccine. Due to a number of medical and family considerations, about 40 percent are expected to take advantage of the voluntary vaccination.

The vaccination, which was discontinued in 1972 in the United States, can cause serious, potentially fatal side effects, and individuals with certain medical conditions or family considerations should not have the shot.

Those who have a higher-than-normal risk of a bad reaction include people with weakened immune systems (cancer patients, organ transplant patients, people infected with HIV, people taking steroids), women who are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, nursing mothers, and people with eczema or certain other skin conditions.

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In addition, individuals who share living quarters with people in the higher-than-normal risk categories should not be vaccinated. For a week, people who have been vaccinated may expose others to the vaccinia virus that is used to make the vaccine. Proper covering of the vaccination site should allow people to continue working, but home exposure is thought to pose greater risk.

Plans for a second phase of the vaccination effort are not yet finalized, but information from the federal government indicates it will include all hospital workers and first responders (police, fire and paramedics). It has been suggested that the third phase would most likely include offering the vaccine to the general public. The department has previously prepared a separate plan for the CDC that describes how Illinois would provide mass vaccinations in the event of a smallpox attack.

"Unless there is an actual smallpox attack or outbreak, the risk of become ill or dying from smallpox is zero," Dr. Lumpkin said. "If an attack did occur, the vaccine can still protect people after exposure if they are vaccinated within three to four days. Vaccination within seven days will lessen the severity of illness."

The primary reason for this initial phase, Dr. Lumpkin explained, is to ensure that people in critical positions are vaccinated so they can immediately respond to the needs of the public and not have to wait to be vaccinated.

"This pre-event vaccination plan will enable public health and hospital workers to rapidly take the steps necessary to protect the public, including identifying people who need to be vaccinated to control an outbreak, establishing vaccination clinics and providing care to those who may be ill," he said.

Smallpox is a disease caused by a virus (variola) and characteristically includes skin lesions that eventually scab over; at times it has been confused with chickenpox. In most cases, smallpox is spread by an ill person to others through infectious saliva droplets but also could be spread by contaminated clothing or bed linen.

If used in biowarfare, smallpox virus could be dispersed in the air, and potential victims in the area of the release would breathe in the virus; or infected people could be sent into crowded areas to attempt to spread the disease to others.

The last cases of smallpox in Illinois were recorded in 1947. The last naturally acquired case of smallpox in the world occurred in 1977 in Somalia.

[Illinois Department of Public Health news release]

What is Logan County doing?

How are we following the vaccination plan?

[DEC. 10, 2002]  LDN spoke with Lloyd Evans of the Logan County Heath Department. He informed us that Logan County is putting the smallpox vaccination plan into effect in the two phases outlined by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

In January, a small team from Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital, along with teams from all hospitals in our IDPH region, will be sent to Champaign for a clinic. The members of the team will be voluntarily vaccinated against smallpox.

The date for the second phase is not yet set, but it will involve the vaccination of all health care personnel, emergency care personnel and first responders (including fire and police). This will provide Logan County with a large enough group of vaccinated individuals to deal with an outbreak were one to occur. These personnel would be able to perform a mass vaccination if necessary.

According to the CDC website, "In people exposed to smallpox, the vaccine can lessen the severity of or even prevent illness if given within four days after exposure. Vaccine against smallpox contains another live virus called vaccinia. The vaccine does not contain smallpox virus.”

At this point there have not been any threats given to either local or state officials concerning a smallpox terrorist attack. Officials have determined that the chance of an attack is slim but extremely dangerous if it were to happen.

"Smallpox is a serious disease," warned Evans. "It is highly contagious and it can spread quickly in today's mobile society." He and other health officials hold to the creed, "The only thing harder than preparing for a disaster is explaining why you didn't."

[Gina Sennett]

ALMH raffle sponsors Lifeline units

[DEC. 6, 2002]  Bill Haak (center) was the winner of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital fall raffle sponsored by the ALMH Auxiliary. Haak is presented his winnings by Linda Martinie (left), president of the auxiliary, and Joan Horrom (right), secretary of the auxiliary. Money raised from the raffle will help purchase additional Lifeline units for the hospital.

Barb Dahm, director of volunteer and special services, indicated that Lifeline serves over 200 people in Lincoln and surrounding towns. "We have Lifelines in every community surrounding Lincoln as well as in town," said Dahm.

Lifeline, sponsored by the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, is a program that benefits citizens of the area who have health problems and are remaining in their homes.

Barb Dahm, Lifeline coordinator, stated, "While people choose Lifeline for a number of reasons, they remain subscribers largely because of the caring response they receive from the Lifeline monitors every time they touch their help-needed button. The highly trained Lifeline monitor who answers the help-needed call is aware of each subscriber's special needs. The subscriber's health and well-being is their only concern."

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Dahm continued, "Whenever a subscriber needs help, one press of their help-needed button activates a small in-house unit called a communicator. This puts the subscriber in touch with a caring Lifeline monitor who, once being in contact with the subscriber, will pursue the needs of the subscriber. The monitor will then be in contact with the subscriber's responders, who will check on the subscriber. If additional professional help is needed, the monitor will call for this immediately. In several instances where the subscriber is unable to speak, the Lifeline monitor knows exactly how to handle this special situation."

For additional information regarding the Lifeline program, please contact Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital at (217) 732-2161, Ext. 185.

[ALMH news release]

Health Matters

A monthly feature from  Logan County Health Department

How to quit smoking

[DEC. 2, 2002]  As the New Year approaches, we all begin to make resolutions for a healthy and happy New Year. If you smoke, you may be contemplating giving up cigarettes as your New Year's resolution. There is nothing easy about giving up cigarettes. But as hard as quitting may be, the results are well worth it. In the first year after stopping smoking, the risk of heart disease and lung disease drops sharply. Quitting will also save you money. With the average cost of a pack of cigarettes reaching $4.25, a pack-a-day smoker can save $1,400 a year by not smoking cigarettes.

Take time to think about other benefits of being an ex-smoker. This is an important first step in kicking the smoking habit — figuring out for yourself what you have to gain. And don't just switch to smokeless tobacco — the dangers and the addiction are just as damaging as with cigarettes.

Once you decide to stop smoking, a few preparations are in order. Set a target date for quitting. Don't choose a time when you know you will be under a lot of stress. To help you stick to your quit date, write the date on your calendar, find another friend or family member to give you special support in your efforts to quit or another smoker to quit with you, and make a list of how you'll reward yourself for becoming an ex-smoker.

On the evening before your quit day, throw away all cigarettes, matches and lighters and give away your ashtrays. Plan some special activities for the next day to keep you busy. Ask family members and friends not to smoke in front of you. Your goal is to get through that first important day smoke-free.

To quit successfully, you need to know your personal smoking "triggers." These are the situations and feelings that typically bring on the urge to light up. Especially during the first weeks after quitting, try to avoid as many triggers as you can.

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Replace "triggers" with new activities that you don't associate with smoking. For example, if you always had a cigarette with a cup of coffee, switch to tea for awhile.

Keep busy. Get involved in projects that require you to use your hands. When you feel the need to put something in your mouth, have low-calorie snacks on hand.

Know what to expect. You may experience some temporary withdrawal symptoms. It is important to know that these are signs that your body is recovering from smoking and symptoms will end.

Call the Illinois Tobacco Quitline 1 (866) QUIT-YES — 1 (866) 784-8937 — for help.

If you "slip," don't worry. It doesn't mean that you've become a smoker again. Most smokers "slip" three to five times before they quit for good. Get back on the nonsmoker track: (1) Don't get discouraged. Keep thinking of yourself as a nonsmoker because you are one. (2) Learn from experience. What was the trigger that made you light up? (3) Take charge. Make a list of things you will do the next time you are in that particular situation. Reread your list of all the reasons you want to quit.

You're on your way!

[Logan County Health Department]

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Honors & Awards

Announcements

The Rural Health Partnership has announced the schedule for its mobile health unit for 2002.

For more information on the mobile health unit schedule and services, contact Dayle Eldredge at (217) 732-2161, Ext. 409.

Community resource list

This family resource list to save and use is provided by the Healthy Communities Partnership and the Healthy Families Task Force, 732-2161, Ext. 409.         

(updated 2-15-02)

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