• First 2016 Human West Nile Virus Deaths in Illinois
    28th Sep, 2016

    SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has confirmed the three human West Nile virus-related deaths in Illinois for 2016. Three individuals in Cook County tested positive for West Nile virus earlier this month and have died.

    “Although fall has begun and temperatures are becoming cooler, West Nile virus is still a concern,” said IDPH Director Nirav D. Shah, M.D., J.D. “It’s important for everyone to continue taking precautions like wearing insect repellent and staying indoors between dusk and dawn.”

    IDPH reported the first human case of West Nile virus in Illinois this year on June 6, 2016 and IDPH is currently reporting 64 human cases. Last year there were 77 human cases, including nine deaths.

    West Nile virus is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito. Common symptoms include fever, nausea, headache and muscle aches. Symptoms may last from a...

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  • Time Again For A Flu Shot
    19th Sep, 2016

    Nasal spray influenza vaccine not recommended this season

    SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is urging everyone six months and older to get a flu shot, not the influenza vaccine nasal spray, as soon as it’s available in your community. Due to concerns about how well the nasal spray vaccine has worked during the previous flu season, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is temporarily recommending that people stick to getting a flu shot and skip the nasal spray.

    “No one likes getting stuck with a needle, but no one likes having a fever, cough, sore throat, and body aches for days, or even weeks,” said IDPH Director Nirav D. Shah. “Anyone can get the flu, even healthy people. Getting a flu shot is the first and most important step in protecting you and those around you against flu viruses.”

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  • Monitoring Respiratory Cases At Illinois Veterans’ Home In LaSalle
    16th Sep, 2016

    LaSalle - The Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs (IDVA) and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) are actively monitoring residents at the Veterans’ Home in LaSalle in light of recent cases of respiratory illness. Over the past several months, three people in LaSalle County, including one Home resident, have tested positive for Legionnaires’ disease, a type of pneumonia. The other two cases did not have contact with the Home. Approximately 300 cases of Legionnaires’ disease were reported across Illinois last year.

    There has been a heightened awareness in the veterans’ community about pneumonia and Legionnaires’ disease, which has led to more testing for the bacteria. Currently, 14 residents of the Home have become ill with respiratory illness, 11 of whom have been diagnosed with pneumonia. One of the residents who had pneumonia and suffered from...

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  • Quincy Veterans’ Home Update
    2nd Sep, 2016

    Quincy, IL – The Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs (IDVA) and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today issued the following update regarding their ongoing efforts at the Illinois Veterans’ Home in Quincy (IVHQ). The Departments continue to collaborate with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) and the Adams County Health Department to locate potential sources of Legionella bacteria and to mitigate the risk of exposure at IVHQ.
     
    Public health officials have identified a recent case of Legionnaires’ disease in a City of Quincy resident who has had no interaction with IVHQ. An IVHQ resident has also been confirmed to have Legionnaires’ disease and is recovering. This resident spent considerable time in the community and may have been exposed to the bacteria in a location outside of the Home....

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