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September 3, 2010
TCHD WASHINGTON CLINIC VACCINE SHORTAGE
The childhood immunization clinic scheduled for September 7, 2010 at the
Evangelical Church in Washington will have a shortage of vaccine.
Due to a supply issue from Illinois Department of Public Health, limited supply
of meningitis vaccine for children and NO pneumonia vaccine for children will be
available. A shipment of vaccine is expected early next week.
Additional clinics scheduled for September include:
WEDNESDAY SEPT 8 2 - 4 p.m.
Moose Lodge 916
2605 Broadway, Pekin, IL
THURSDAY SEPT 9 2 - 4 p.m.
Fondulac Park Building 201 Veterans Drive, East Peoria, IL
TUESDAY SEPT 14 2 - 4 p.m.
Freedom Hall
349 W. Birchwood, Morton, IL
TUESDAY SEPT 21 4 - 6 p.m.
Tazewell County Health Department 21306 IL Route 9, Tremont,
IL
FRIDAY SEPT 24
8 - 10 a.m. Tazewell County Health Department
21306 IL Route 9, Tremont, IL
If you have questions about the vaccines for your child, please contact a clinic
nurse at the Health Department at (309) 925-5511 or visit
www.tazewellhealth.org.
TCHD Clinics are considered a medical services facility. HIPAA regulations
prohibit the use of video or still photography in clinics. We apologize for any
inconvenience this may cause.
August 16, 2010
Pertussis Outbreak
Public health officials in Tazewell are informing residents that
several cases of Pertussis, or whooping cough, have been confirmed in the area.
Tazewell County Health Department has had 3 confirmed cases of Pertussis this
year. Parents should be aware of Pertussis symptoms and contact their health
care provider if concerned.
Whooping cough (Pertussis) is a highly contagious bacterial
infection of the upper respiratory system. Pertussis is easily spread from
person to person through respiratory secretions or mucus. Pertussis is treated
with antibiotics after diagnosis. Symptoms of Pertussis typically last 6-10
weeks and can occur in three stages:
Stage 1 - Begins with cold-like symptoms, such as runny nose, sneezing, and a
mild cough.
Stage 2 – Cold-like symptoms fade, but the cough gets worse. The cough becomes
a dry, hacking cough that is uncontrollable with vomiting and gagging. Coughing
may become worse at night.
Stage 3 – Cough may become louder and sound worse.
Pertussis is especially dangerous to infants who have not completed
their vaccinations if exposed to pertussis. Parents and caregivers are
encouraged to receive the immunization booster to protect against whooping cough
in children.
Parents with questions regarding their child’s cough should consult
with their health care provider. Additional information is available at
www.tazewellhealth.org or
http://www.idph.state.il.us.
August 13, 2010
TCHD Reminds People of Dangers of Bats and Rabies
August
is the month when most bat sightings and
exposures occur in Illinois.
Bats can carry rabies and transmit the disease to people through bites,
scratches or exposure to bat saliva. Bat colonies are commonly found in schools
and places of worship.
It is important to ensure that bats and bat
colonies are removed from schools, places of worship, homes and other buildings.
If bats are present in a building, the following guidelines should be followed:
1.
Educate children and adults not to
touch any wildlife including bats and to report any bats on the ground to
officials at the school or place of worship.
2.
Educate staff about what to do if a
bat is found on the ground or floor. If a bat is seen on the ground or floor, an
adult should place a coffee can, box or other solid container over the bat until
animal control can be called to pick up the bat. Make sure the bat does not
escape as they can fit through small crevices. Bats that have exposed a person
by biting, or where a bite cannot be ruled out, should be tested for rabies. Do
not let the bat escape so that testing can be done.
3.
Exclude bats from school buildings
and places of worship.
If multiple bats are sighted in a school or place
of worship, it is possible a bat colony is in the building, usually in upper
areas. Bats are protected wildlife but they should be excluded from buildings.
Exclusion or removal of bats can take place in the fall and through spring of
each year. Therefore, this is the time of year that buildings with a bat
infestation should hire a bat exclusion company to ensure that bats are excluded
from the building and repairs made so bats will not return next year.
If a bat that exposes someone is positive for
rabies or cannot be tested for rabies, the person must receive a series of
injections for rabies treatment over a two week period. Questions about rabies,
bats and bat colonies can be directed to Tazewell County Health Department at
(309)925-5511.
Additional information
Bats and rabies -
places of worship
Bats and rabies -
schools
August 6, 2010
Health Inspector Phone Scam
Tazewell County Health Department would like to advise restaurants to be on
guard concerning false claims of restaurant inspections to potentially gain
access to personal information. This is a scam and should be reported.
Tazewell County Health Department reminds food establishments to verify
credentials of anyone representing themselves as an inspector. In addition,
please do not give out any personal, private, or secure information to anyone
without confirming the person’s identity
The Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Food, Drugs and Dairies
has been contacted on several occasions in the past week by local health
departments and individual foodservice operators regarding a person(s) posing as
a public health inspector who try to schedule an inspection. These individuals
identify themselves as “public health officials” working for the health
department. These individuals request to schedule a restaurant inspection and
ask detailed personal and business information. In some cases the foodservice
operators are given a unique code number and telephone number and requested to
call the imposters back.
If you have any questions regarding this information, please contact Tazewell
County Health Department, Environmental Health division at (309) 925-5511, ext.
287.
MARGARET BURT PUBLIC HEALTH PARTNERSHIP AWARD
The 2010 Margaret Burt Public Health Partnership Award winners were announced on
April 19th by the Tazewell County Health Department. The Margaret Burt Public
Health Partnership Award was renamed to honor Margaret Burt who was on the
original Board of Health in 1970 and continued to serve for several years.
Margaret Burt was a champion of public health, not only in Tazewell County, but
throughout the state of Illinois.
Community members or agency personnel who have made an impact on the health and
safety of Tazewell County residents are nominated by Health Department staff.
Three members of the Tazewell County community were honored for the impact and
partnership to support public health.
• Joe Franklin, Principal of Washington Intermediate School, Pekin. Joe
exemplifies the word “partnership” when it comes to his role as principal of a
PEAK school.
• Peggy Jacques, RN MSN, OSF College of Nursing Instructor. Peggy and her
students extended the capacity of TCHD through seasonal and H1N1 flu clinics and
homebound shots.
• Nazir Merheb, DDS, MD Oral, Maxillofacial and Facial Surgeon, Pekin. Dr.
Merheb treats the most serious patients with critical oral issues. These medical
card clients would not have another option for services without Dr. Merheb.
The 2010 winners: Dr. Nizar Merheb, Peggy Jacques
and Joe Franklin
Tazewell County Health Department also celebrated the contributions of
volunteers
from the Tazewell County Emergency Management Agency and TCHD Medical Reserve
Corps. These volunteers received a certificate of appreciation for the hours
dedicated to the 2009 H1N1 outbreak.
For additional information, please contact Sara Sparkman at (309) 925-5511,
ext.264
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