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Features
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Illinoisans urged to take
precautions to avoid rabies
[MAY
27, 2003]
SPRINGFIELD --
Dr. Eric E. Whitaker, state public
health director, urges Illinois residents to take precautions to
lessen exposure to bats, the most commonly identified rabid animal
in the state, as well as to other animals.
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"As the weather warms up, bats become
more active and the possibility of human contact with these animals
increases," Dr. Whitaker said. "Bats may carry rabies. In fact, 5
percent to 10 percent of all bats tested in Illinois are positive
for rabies. It is best never to approach a bat. If found in a home,
citizens should call their local public health department or animal
control agency for removal of the bat and to assess whether rabies
treatment is needed. If bitten by an animal, wash the affected area
thoroughly with soap and water and seek medical advice immediately."
The
Illinois Department
of Public Health has recently received two reports of human
exposure to bats. In one case, a young girl was bitten while petting
a bat and, in another, a boy was exposed to a bat he was keeping in
a bucket. One of the two bats was found to be rabid and the affected
child received anti-rabies treatment.
Of the nearly 4,000 animals tested in
2002 by the IDPH and Illinois
Department of Agriculture diagnostic laboratories, 31 bats
tested positive for rabies. No other animals were found to be rabid.
A decade ago, skunks were the most commonly identified animals with
rabies in Illinois.
Any wild animal -- like a raccoon,
skunk, fox, coyote or bat -- can have rabies and transmit it to
people. The animal need not be foaming at the mouth or be exhibiting
rabies symptoms. Changes in the animal's normal behavior, difficulty
with walking or just an overall appearance of illness can be early
signs of rabies. For example, skunks, which normally are nocturnal
and avoid contact with people, may appear friendly or ill and may
approach humans during daylight hours.
A bat that is active by day, is found
in a place where bats are not usually seen, such as in your home or
on the lawn, or is unable to fly is far more likely than others to
be rabid. Such bats are often the most easily approached but should
not be handled.
"Adults should teach children not to
pet or try to help any wild or unfamiliar animal," Dr. Whitaker
said. "Unfamiliar stray and wild animals should be avoided, even if
they seem friendly or injured."
[to top of second column in this
article]
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Rabies is an infectious viral disease
that affects the nervous system of humans and other mammals. People
get rabies from the bite of an infected animal or if infectious
material from a rabid animal, such as saliva, gets directly into
their eyes, nose, mouth or a wound.
Over the past century, rabies in the
United States has changed dramatically. More than 90 percent of all
animal cases reported annually now occur in wildlife, while before
1960 the majority were in domestic animals. There is an average of
one or two human cases of rabies in the United States each year, but
no human case has occurred in Illinois since 1954. Bats are of
particular rabies concern because the majority of human cases in the
United States since 1990 have been due to strains of the rabies
virus associated with bats.
The following tips can help prevent
rabies:
--Teach children never to handle
unfamiliar animals, wild or domestic, even if they appear friendly.
"Love your own, leave other animals alone" is a good principle for
children to learn.
--Wash any bite wound thoroughly with
soap and water and seek medical attention immediately.
--Have all dead, sick or easily
captured bats tested for rabies if contact with people or pets may
have occurred.
--Prevent bats from entering living
quarters or occupied spaces in homes, churches, schools and other
similar areas where they might contact people or pets.
Be a
responsible pet owner by keeping vaccinations current for all dogs,
cats and ferrets, by keeping your cats and ferrets inside and your
dogs under direct supervision, and by calling animal control to
remove stray animals from your neighborhood
[Illinois
Department of Public Health
news release]
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Health Matters
A monthly feature from
Logan County Health Department
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Health
officials advise mosquito control and personal protection
[MAY
19, 2003]
As you know, mosquito
season is upon us again. Last year, West Nile virus, which can be
transmitted by mosquitoes, was prevalent in Illinois. Although we
don't know what 2003 will bring, it is always best to be prepared.
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First of all, no amount of larvaciding
or adult mosquito fogging will kill all mosquito larva or adult
mosquitoes. It can have a tremendous impact, but it is only one way
to help eliminate the mosquito population. Each person must do his
or her part. Since mosquitoes need only a small amount of water for
breeding, look to your own back yard.
*Remove or empty water in old tires,
tin cans, buckets, drums, flower pots or bird baths
*Empty plastic wading pools at least
once a week and store indoors when not in use. Also, swimming pools
that are not used should be covered or drained during the mosquito
season.
*Change the water in bird baths and
plant pots at least once a week.
*Level the ground around your house so
water can drain away and not collect in low-lying areas.
*If you have an ornamental water
garden, stock it with mosquito-eating fish such as minnows,
"mosquito fish" or goldfish. They eat mosquito larva.
*Keep weeds and tall grass cut short;
adult mosquitoes look for these shady places to rest during the hot
daylight hours.
*Small impoundments of water may be
treated with "Bti," a bacterial insecticide. Many hardware stores
carry doughnut-shaped Bti briquets (Mosquito Dunks) for this
purpose.
[to top of second column in
this article] |
Since we will not eradicate the
mosquito, we must also be responsible about personal protection. You
can protect yourself by:
*Avoiding places and times when
mosquitoes bite. This is usually just before and after sunset and
just before dawn. Each species has its own peak period of biting.
*Be sure doors and screens are
tight-fitting and in good repair.
*Check to see that your mosquito
repellent contains DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide)
Generally, repellents with a
concentration of 25 percent to 35 percent DEET work best on adults;
use lower concentrations of 10 percent or less for children between
the ages of 2 and 12. Do not use on infants.
For more information, go to
http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/wnv.htm and
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/
index.htm.
You may also
contact the Logan County Health Department at (217) 735-2317.
[Logan
County Health Department news
release]
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Red Cross
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West Nile Virus
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West Nile virus links
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LDN articles
Federal websites
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State websites
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Honors & Awards
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Announcements
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CICBC
blood drives monthly at paramedics' building
Blood supplies across the
nation are critical. In some areas, there is less than a one-day
supply. Fortunately, thanks to the dedicated donors in central
Illinois, these tremendous shortages have not yet touched our
hospitals. However, the blood supply is a resource that must be
renewed. Every three seconds someone needs a blood transfusion of
some kind. To accommodate this constant usage, community members
must continually help replenish the supply. Since a donor can donate
whole blood only every eight weeks, Central Illinois Community Blood
Center needs community members to come forward and help with this
lifesaving effort.
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Central Illinois Community Blood Center
provides all of the blood and blood products for 12 area hospitals,
including those in Lincoln, Hopedale and Springfield. No other
organization provides blood in these hospitals. CICBC is a
community-based blood center whose mission is to provide a safe and
adequate blood supply for patients in local hospitals in a
cost-effective manner.
When you donate blood through CICBC,
you help to keep a safe and adequate blood supply for your
community. You also help keep local medical costs under control.
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Regularly scheduled blood drives are on
the first Monday of each month (except Labor Day) at the Logan
County Paramedic Association
building, 1300 N. Postville Road. (See
schedule.) Please help by donating blood.
CICBC also provides other services for
the communities served, such as therapeutic phlebotomy at no charge
for patients with hereditary hemochromatosis.
For more
information, call Terry Bell at 753-1530.
[CICBC press release]
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CICBC blood drive schedule |
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July 7,
noon-6 p.m., at Logan County Paramedic Association building
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July 15,
hours and location to be announced
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Aug. 4,
noon-6 p.m., at Logan County Paramedic Association building
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Sept. 8,
noon-6 p.m., at Logan County Paramedic Association building
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Sept. 24,
hours and location to be announced
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Oct. 6,
noon-6 p.m., at Logan County Paramedic Association building
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Nov. 3,
noon-6 p.m., at Logan County Paramedic Association building
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Nov. 12,
hours and location to be announced
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Dec. 1,
noon-6 p.m., at Logan County Paramedic Association building
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Mobile health unit schedule
The
Rural Health Partnership has announced the schedule for its mobile
health unit for 2002.
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Morning: 9-11 a.m. |
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Afternoon: 1-3:30 p.m. |
Monday |
1st and 3rd |
Hartsburg |
1st and 3rd |
Emden |
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2nd and 4th |
San Jose |
2nd and 4th |
Greenview |
Tuesday |
Weekly |
Chestnut |
Weekly |
Mount Pulaski |
Wednesday |
Weekly |
New Holland |
Weekly |
Middletown |
Thursday |
1st and 3rd |
Elkhart |
Weekly |
Atlanta |
|
2nd and 4th |
Friendship
Manor-Lincoln |
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Friday |
1st, 2nd,
4th |
Village Hall-Latham |
1st |
Beason |
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2nd and 4th |
Broadwell |
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3rd |
Maintenance/ special
events |
3rd |
Maintenance/
special events
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The mobile health unit does not operate on the following dates for
holidays during 2002: Jan. 21 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day), Feb.
18 (Presidents' Day), March 29 (Good Friday), May 27 (Memorial Day),
July 4 (Independence Day), Sept. 2 (Labor Day), Oct. 14 (Columbus
Day), Nov. 11 (Veterans Day), Nov. 28-29 (Thanksgiving break) and Dec.
24-25 (Christmas break).
For more
information on the mobile health unit schedule and services, contact
Dayle Eldredge at (217) 732-2161, Ext. 409.
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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.
Agency |
Phone number |
Address |
Lincoln
agencies |
911 |
911 (emergency)
732-3911 (office -- non-emergency)
|
911 Pekin St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
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Abraham Lincoln
Memorial Hospital
|
732-2161
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315 Eighth St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
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American Red Cross
www.il-redcross.org |
732-2134 or
1 (800) 412-0100
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125 S. Kickapoo
Lincoln, IL 62656
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Catholic Social
Services
www.cdop.org |
732-3771 |
310 S. Logan
Lincoln, IL 62656
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Lincoln/Logan County
Chamber
of Commerce
www.lincolnillinois.com |
735-2385 |
303 S. Kickapoo St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
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Community Action (CIEDC) |
732-2159
|
1800 Fifth St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
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Crisis Pregnancy
Center/
Living Alternatives |
735-4838 |
408 A Pulaski St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
|
DCFS (Department of
Children
& Family Services) |
735-4402 or
1 (800) 252-2873
(crisis hotline)
|
1120 Keokuk St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
|
Heartland Community
College
- GED program |
735-1731 |
620 Broadway St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
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Housing Authority |
732-7776
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1028 N. College St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
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Illinois Breast &
Cervical Cancer Program (IBCCP)
www.logancountyhealth.org |
735-2317 or
1 (800) 269-4019
|
109 Third St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
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Illinois Employment and Training Center (replaces JTPA office) |
735-5441 |
120 S. McLean St., Suite B
Farm Bureau Building
Lincoln, IL 62656
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Lincoln Area YMCA
|
735-3915 |
319 W. Kickapoo St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
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Lincoln/Logan Food
Pantry |
732-2204
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P.O. Box 773
Lincoln, IL 62656
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Lincoln Parents' Center |
735-4192 |
100 S. Maple
Lincoln, IL 62656
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Lincoln Park District |
732-8770 |
1400 Primm Rd.
Lincoln, IL 62656
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Logan County Department
of Human Services (Public Aid)
www.state.il.us/agency/dhs |
735-2306 |
1500 Fourth St.
P.O. Box 310
Lincoln, IL 62656
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Logan County Health
Department
www.logancountyhealth.org |
735-2317 |
109 Third St.
P.O. Box 508
Lincoln, IL 62656
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Logan-Mason Mental
Health |
735-2272 or
732-3600 (crisis line)
|
304 Eighth St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
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Logan-Mason
Rehabilitation Center |
735-1413 |
760 S. Postville Drive
Lincoln, IL 62656
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The Oasis
(Senior Citizens of Logan County) |
732-6132 |
501 Pulaski St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
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Project READ
|
735-1731 |
620 Broadway St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
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Salvation Army |
732-7890
|
1501 N. Kickapoo
Lincoln, IL 62656
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Senior Services of
Central Illinois |
732-6213 or
1 (800) 252-8966
(crisis line)
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109 Third St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
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U. of I. Extension
Service
www.ag.uiuc.edu |
732-8289 |
980 N. Postville Drive
Lincoln, IL 62656
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Springfield
agencies |
Department of Aging
www.state.il.us/aging |
785-3356 |
421 E. Capitol, #100
Springfield, IL 62701-1789
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American Cancer Society
www.cancer.org |
546-7586
(24 hour) |
1305 Wabash, Suite J
Springfield, IL 62704
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Community Child Care
Connection
www.childcaresolutions.org |
(217) 525-2805 or
1 (800) 676-2805
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1004 N. Milton Ave.
Springfield, IL 62702-4430
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Hospice Care of
Illinois |
1 (800) 342-4862
(24 hour) or
732-2161, Ext. 444
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720 N. Bond
Springfield, IL 62702
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Illinois Department of
Public Health
www.idph.state.il.us |
(217) 782-4977
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535 W. Jefferson
Springfield, IL 62761
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Legal Assistance
Foundation |
(217) 753-3300 or
1 (800) 252-8629
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730 E. Vine St., Suite
214
Springfield, IL 62703
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Sojourn Shelter &
Services Inc.
http://www.sojournshelter.org/
|
732-8988 or
1 (866) HELP4DV
(24-hour hotline)
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1800 Westchester Blvd.
Springfield, IL 62704
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U. of I. Division of
Specialized Care for Children
www.uic.edu |
524-2000 or
1 (800) 946-8468
|
421 South Grand Ave.
West
Second Floor
Springfield, IL 62704
|
Logan County
libraries |
Atlanta Library |
(217) 648-2112 |
100 Race St.
Atlanta, IL 61723 |
Elkhart Library |
(217) 947-2313 |
121 E. Bohan
Elkhart, IL 62634 |
Lincoln Public Library
www.lincolnpubliclibrary.org |
732-8878 |
725 Pekin St.
Lincoln, IL 62656 |
Mount Pulaski Library |
792-5919
|
320 N. Washington
Mount Pulaski, IL 62548
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(updated
2-15-02) |
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