Kane Health Department: Flood Water Can Contaminate Food With Bacteria

Tips for dealing with flood: In addition to structural damage, flood water can contaminate both food and drinking water with bacteria, viruses and other organisms.

When returning to your home after a flood, cleaning up can be overwhelming.  The Kane County Health Department advises residents that in addition to structural damage, flood water can contaminate both food and drinking water with bacteria, viruses and other organisms. If you become ill (e.g. nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps), report your condition to your physician. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), if you receive a puncture or severe wound while in contact with contaminated flood water, you should be evaluated immediately by a healthcare provider and receive a tetanus shot if it’s been more than five years since your last booster. If your private well casing has been submerged, the water could …

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In Wake of Flood, Health Department Offers Well-Water Test Kits

After the flood of 2013, you might want to make sure your well water is safe.

After this week’s flooding, homeowners with private wells have seen their wells flood, or they have questions regarding the safety of their drinking water. If the safety of your water supply is in doubt, be sure to use bottled water for drinking, preparing food, making ice, hand washing, washing dishes, brushing teeth and preparing baby formula. Do not eat any food that has come in contact with the potentially contaminated water. The Kane County Health Department has specific instructions on how to disinfect a well and is providing free drinking water sample analysis kits for any wells suspected of being contaminated with coliform bacteria due to flooding. You may obtain sample bottles and instructions for disinfection of wells from the …

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Kane Health Department: Game Plan for a Super Bowl Buffet

First rule: Don't get your guests sick.

Even though Super Bowl Sunday is not an official holiday, millions of Americans celebrate the day with family and friends. In fact, Super Bowl Sunday is the second–largest day of food consumption in the United States after Thanksgiving. However, unlike a sit-down dinner, most Super Bowl parties feature buffet-style fare. If you are planning a Super Bowl party, make sure to follow the food safety playbook to ensure that everyone enjoys the party, no matter who wins or loses, and nobody goes home sick. A popular way to celebrate holidays or any party occasion is to invite friends and family to a buffet. However, this type of food service, where foods may be out for long periods leaves the door open for uninvited guests -- bacteria that cause…

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Wisconsin Company Recalls Fish Products

True Taste, LLC, recalls fish products because of possible health risks, the Kane County Health Department said.

  The Kane County Health Department is alerting residents that True Taste, LLC of Kenosha, Wis., is recalling vacuum-packaged Hot Smoked Rainbow Trout, Hot Smoked Whitefish, Hot Smoked Herring, Hot Smoked Mackerel, Hot Smoked Salmon Steak, Cold Smoked Mackerel, and Cold Smoked Whitefish because they have the potential to be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium which can cause life- threatening illness or death. No illnesses have been reported however, consumers are warned not to use the product even if it does not look or smell spoiled. The recalled product is vacuum packaged and can be identified with either the True Taste Label or the Lowell Foods Label in Illinois. Packages have a white sticker with two sets of numbers. …

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It’s National Influenza Vaccination Awareness Week

The Kane County Health Department reminds residents to get their annual flu shot.

Dec. 2 to Dec. 8 is National Influenza Vaccination Week, and the Kane County Health Department reminds residents about the importance of getting an annual flu shot to protect yourself before the holidays arrive. National Influenza Vaccination Week is observed each year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to raise awareness of the health benefits of flu shots and urge people to get vaccinated in December, January and even later, the Kane County Health Department said in a release issued Monday. Flu season can last as late as May. A vaccination is the single best step to protect yourself, your family and friends against the flu before the start of the holiday season, the release states. The Centers for Disease Control and …

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West Nile Case Brings Kane County Total to 12

The Kane County Health Department updates cases of West Nile Virus.

The Kane County Health Department is reporting one case of West Nile Virus, bringing the total this season to 12, the most since 2007. The case being reported Wednesday is a 64-year-old man from Aurora, who was hospitalized and has since been discharged. The Health Department stopped West Nile monitoring activities last month with the onset of the cold weather, but will continue to report any new cases once a week on Wednesdays. The Illinois Public Health Department has recorded 245 cases statewide this year, including 10 deaths, as compared to 34 cases and three deaths 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 …

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Rabies Registration for Unaltered Pets Go Up Dec. 1

The cost of the annual rabies registration for unaltered pets will increase to $25, up from $10. The cost of a three-year registration for unaltered pets will increase to $62.50, up from $25.

Kane County Health Department: Dole American Blend Salad Recall

Limited number of bags voluntarily recalled.

  Dole Fresh Vegetables is voluntarily recalling a limited number of cases of Dole American Blend salad, the Kane County Health Department said in a release. The 12-ounce bags are coded A275208A or B, with Use-by date of Oct. 17 and UPC 7143000933, due to a possible health risk from Listeria monocytogenes, the health department said. No illnesses have been reported in association with the recall. Consumers who have any remaining product with these Product Codes should not consume it, but rather discard it. The product code and Use-by date are in the upper right-hand corner of the package; the UPC code is on the back of the package, below the barcode. The salads were distributed in 10 U.S. states, including Illinois. This precautionary …

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New West Nile Cases Bring Kane County Total to 9

Kane County Health Department reports four new cases.

  The Kane County Health Department reported four more cases of West Nile Virus Wednesday, bringing the total so far this season to nine. The new cases being reported are:  a 67-year-old man and 61-year-old man, both from Elgin; a 50-year-old St. Charles man and a 59-year-old Geneva man, according to a release. Other cases this year include a 71-year-old man from Aurora, a 61-year-old Geneva woman, a 70-year-old Aurora man, 16-year-old Batavia girl and a 64-year-old Elgin man, who died in August. This summer was hot and dry, the perfect combination for the Culex mosquito, the species that is known to carry the virus. It is likely we will continue to see activity until the season is over when the first frost occurs, the release stated. The …

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Kane County to Celebrate International Walk to School Day

Schools from Kane County will join schools from around the world to celebrate International Walk to School Day on Oct. 3, 2012.

The Fit for Kids Funders’ Consortium is offering $300 mini-grants to Kane County School Parent Teacher Organizations that sponsor the International Walk to School Day for their school, according to a Kane County Health Department release. Schools that serve Kane County elementary and middle school students are invited to participate. Information on how to apply for the Fit for Kids Funders’ Consortium grant is found on the Making Kane County Fit for Kids website at www.makingkanefitforkids.org, according to the release. Each participating school will plan its own event, the release states. Local schools have used Walk to School Day to raise awareness of the need for safer routes for walking and bicycling and to emphasize the importance of …

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