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Health Matters,
Red Cross,
Calendar,
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Honors & Awards,
Announcements
Health & Fitness News Elsewhere
(fresh daily from the Web)
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Features
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Blood
bank testing for West Nile virus
[JUNE
26, 2003]
SPRINGFIELD -- Central
Illinois Community Blood Center announced that it began testing
donated blood for West Nile virus on June 19. Blood collected by
CICBC is tested by the Indiana Blood Center in their new Nucleic
Acid Amplification Testing Laboratory in Indianapolis. This
high-complexity laboratory is a regional testing center for the
Midwest and currently tests donated blood from Indiana, Ohio and
central Illinois for HIV and hepatitis C, as well as West Nile.
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Food and Drug Administration
regulations require that the WNV test be implemented by July 1.
Indiana Blood Center and Central Illinois Community Blood Center
prudently implemented testing on June 19 to ensure that the blood
supply is as safe as possible. The two centers are leading the way
in blood safety, as they are among the first in the country to
implement the new WNV test.
"A test for West Nile virus is
especially important because donors may not know they have the
disease," said David Parsons, chief operating officer for Central
Illinois Community Blood Center. "A healthy person exposed to West
Nile probably won't have any ill effects," he said. "However, most
people receiving a transfusion of blood are already
health-compromised."
Most people who contract West Nile
don't exhibit any symptoms. Some do get flulike symptoms -- a
headache, body aches and a fever. However, in about one in 150
people swelling develops in and around the brain and spinal cord,
according to the Centers for Disease Control.
"Because the test is so new, we have no
way of anticipating the impact on the blood supply," said Cathy
Mikus, technical director for Central Illinois Community Blood
Center. "Donors who test positive for West Nile will be notified and
asked to enroll in follow-up testing to resolve their status."
[to top of second column in
this article]
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According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 4,100 West Nile infections occurred in the
United States in 2002, leading to 284 deaths. Although mosquitoes
remain the most common means of transmission, both the FDA and CDC
last year indicated a small number of cases likely had spread
through blood transfusions and tissue donations.
"We do think that screening blood is
good to add a measure of safety. But it is difficult to see how much
safety it will add until we evaluate these tests and see how
reliable they are," according to an FDA spokeswoman.
Central
Illinois Community Blood Center is a community-based blood center
whose mission is to provide a safe, adequate and cost-effective
blood supply for patients in 11 local hospitals. After local blood
needs are met, CICBC can and does share any excess blood with other
areas of the country.
[CICBC
press release]
|
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735-5721
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Lincoln, IL
(217) 732-7507
"Your Professional
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|
|
Protecting
yourself from West Nile virus
[JUNE
24, 2003]
URBANA -- The West Nile
virus will soon become more active in Illinois. Although only two
infected birds have been found so far this year, it is time to start
taking precautions to protect yourself from this virus that killed
64 people in Illinois in 2002, said a University of Illinois
entomologist.
|
The virus is transmitted through
mosquito bites to humans, birds, horses and other mammals. Philip L.
Nixon, Extension entomologist in the Department of Natural Resources
and Environmental Sciences at the U of I, said that although a
variety of mosquitoes can carry the virus, the northern house
mosquito is the most likely vector.
"A female mosquito picks up West Nile
virus particles while feeding on an infected bird," he said. "Then,
the virus is transmitted into the blood of another bird, human,
horse or other mammal the next time the mosquito feeds."
Nixon said that most people who become
infected will show no symptoms, but some may become ill three to 15
days after being bitten. Typical symptoms are a fever and headache.
"In some, particularly elderly people," Nixon said, "West Nile virus
can cause serious disease, including muscle weakness, inflammation
of the brain (encephalitis), stiff neck, stupor, disorientation,
tremors, convulsions, paralysis, coma or death."
A vaccination against West Nile virus
is available for horses. Dogs, cats and other mammals can also get
West Nile virus, but as with humans and horses, most will make a
full recovery.
Some precautions can be taken to avoid
being infected by the virus, according to Nixon. "This mosquito is
primarily a dawn and evening biter, so restrict your outdoor
activities at those times," he said. "Wear a hat, long-sleeved
shirt, long pants, shoes and socks to reduce the amount of exposed
skin. If you are outdoors when mosquitoes are biting, apply an
insect repellent containing DEET.
[to top of second column in
this article]
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"Although fine for skin application,
DEET should not be ingested. For young children who are unable to
understand that they shouldn't lick the material off of their hands
or arms, use another product such as repellents advertised for child
use or other repellents that don't contain DEET. Although these are
less effective, they should be less toxic if ingested."
Emptying the water from outside
containers can help keep the mosquito population down. "The northern
house mosquito breeds in containers of standing water," Nixon said.
"It lays several black eggs in a mass about one-eighth inch across
that floats on the water surface. The water typically has a large
amount of decaying organic matter in it, giving the water a dark
color and putrid smell. So, by keeping gutters clean of fallen
leaves, removing old tires and other water-collecting debris,
stocking water lily ponds with goldfish or minnows, and emptying and
cleaning wading pools, birdbaths and pet water bowls weekly, you can
greatly reduce the number of these mosquitoes in your yard."
The northern house mosquito is a small,
medium brown, quiet biter that is most common in Illinois from
mid-June through the rest of the summer and fall. "A quiet biter
means that it lands softly on the skin and the bite is painless
enough in many people that they do not notice it," Nixon said. "It
may not buzz around your ear, and if it does, the hum of its wings
is not very loud."
Information
on mosquito control is available on the University of Illinois
Extension website at
http://www.ipm.uiuc.edu/wnv/index.html.
[University of Illinois press
release] |
Health Matters
A monthly feature from
Logan County Health Department
|
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.
|
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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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.
|
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.
|
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 2, 1-7 p.m., at Lincoln Christian
Church, 204 N. McLean
-
July 7,
noon-6 p.m., at Logan County Paramedic Association building
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July 15,
hours and location to be announced
-
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
-
Sept. 24,
hours and location to be announced
|
-
Oct. 6,
noon-6 p.m., at Logan County Paramedic Association building
-
Nov. 3,
noon-6 p.m., at Logan County Paramedic Association building
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Nov. 12,
hours and location to be announced
-
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. |
|
Afternoon: 1-3:30 p.m. |
Monday |
1st and 3rd |
Hartsburg |
1st and 3rd |
Emden |
|
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 |
|
|
Friday |
1st, 2nd,
4th |
Village Hall-Latham |
1st |
Beason |
|
|
|
2nd and 4th |
Broadwell |
|
3rd |
Maintenance/ special
events |
3rd |
Maintenance/
special events
|
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
|
Abraham Lincoln
Memorial Hospital
|
732-2161
|
315 Eighth St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
|
American Red Cross
www.il-redcross.org |
732-2134 or
1 (800) 412-0100
|
125 S. Kickapoo
Lincoln, IL 62656
|
Catholic Social
Services
www.cdop.org |
732-3771 |
310 S. Logan
Lincoln, IL 62656
|
Lincoln/Logan County
Chamber
of Commerce
www.lincolnillinois.com |
735-2385 |
303 S. Kickapoo St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
|
Community Action (CIEDC) |
732-2159
|
1800 Fifth St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
|
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
|
Housing Authority |
732-7776
|
1028 N. College St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
|
Illinois Breast &
Cervical Cancer Program (IBCCP)
www.logancountyhealth.org |
735-2317 or
1 (800) 269-4019
|
109 Third St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
|
Illinois Employment and Training Center (replaces JTPA office) |
735-5441 |
120 S. McLean St., Suite B
Farm Bureau Building
Lincoln, IL 62656
|
Lincoln Area YMCA
|
735-3915 |
319 W. Kickapoo St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
|
Lincoln/Logan Food
Pantry |
732-2204
|
P.O. Box 773
Lincoln, IL 62656
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Lincoln Parents' Center |
735-4192 |
100 S. Maple
Lincoln, IL 62656
|
Lincoln Park District |
732-8770 |
1400 Primm Rd.
Lincoln, IL 62656
|
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
|
Logan County Health
Department
www.logancountyhealth.org |
735-2317 |
109 Third St.
P.O. Box 508
Lincoln, IL 62656
|
Logan-Mason Mental
Health |
735-2272 or
732-3600 (crisis line)
|
304 Eighth St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
|
Logan-Mason
Rehabilitation Center |
735-1413 |
760 S. Postville Drive
Lincoln, IL 62656
|
The Oasis
(Senior Citizens of Logan County) |
732-6132 |
501 Pulaski St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
|
Project READ
|
735-1731 |
620 Broadway St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
|
Salvation Army |
732-7890
|
1501 N. Kickapoo
Lincoln, IL 62656
|
Senior Services of
Central Illinois |
732-6213 or
1 (800) 252-8966
(crisis line)
|
109 Third St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
|
U. of I. Extension
Service
www.ag.uiuc.edu |
732-8289 |
980 N. Postville Drive
Lincoln, IL 62656
|
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
|
1004 N. Milton Ave.
Springfield, IL 62702-4430
|
Hospice Care of
Illinois |
1 (800) 342-4862
(24 hour) or
732-2161, Ext. 444
|
720 N. Bond
Springfield, IL 62702
|
Illinois Department of
Public Health
www.idph.state.il.us |
(217) 782-4977
|
535 W. Jefferson
Springfield, IL 62761
|
Legal Assistance
Foundation |
(217) 753-3300 or
1 (800) 252-8629
|
730 E. Vine St., Suite
214
Springfield, IL 62703
|
Sojourn Shelter &
Services Inc.
http://www.sojournshelter.org/
|
732-8988 or
1 (866) HELP4DV
(24-hour hotline)
|
1800 Westchester Blvd.
Springfield, IL 62704
|
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
|
|
(updated
2-15-02) |
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