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Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Here’s the buzzzzz ... First West Nile positive mosquito reported in Illinois By Terri Simon
tsimon@putnamcountyrecord.com
SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced the first West Nile Virus-positive mos-
quito batch has been reported in Illinois this year. On May 26, employees of the St. Clair County Health Department collected a positive mosquito batch in O’Fallon, which is roughly 20 miles east of St. Louis, Mo. “West Nile Virus activity is largely dependent on the weather, and with the increased temperatures we’ve been seeing in Southern Illinois, mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus are becoming active,” said IDPH Director Nirav D. Shah, MD, JD.. “We want to remind
people not to be complacent. Take precautions to protect yourself by wearing insect repellent and getting rid of standing water around your home.” According to a press release from the IDPH, surveillance for West Nile Virus in Illinois includes laboratory tests on mosquito batches, dead crows, blue jays, robins and other perching birds, as well as testing sick horses and humans with West Nile Virus-like symptoms. People who observe a sick or dying crow, blue jay, robin or other perching bird should
contact their local health department, which will determine if the bird will be picked up for testing. Locally, Kurt Kuchle, director of health protection at the Bureau/Putnam County Health Department, said the local department received its first dead bird on Monday, June 1, which was brought into the office from the Cherry area. That dead bird will be sent or taken to the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s animal
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Illinois and Avian Influenza Hoping the flu flies on by Illinois By Zita Henneberry Shaw Media Service
SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Department of Agriculture is hoping the bird flu will fly by in Illinois. The department is warning Illinois residents to watch for signs of Avian Influenza. “A virus of this kind is always of great concern,” said Dr. Bob A. Smith, a large animal veterinarian in the Illinois Valley. “It’s of great economic importance because anytime you have a disease that’s capable of spreading very, very rapidly and causing a high morbidity and mortality, it becomes an economic situation because it increases the cost of production on a main meat source.” While Illinois has not yet been affected by this poultry infection, the virus has been identified in neighboring states. It has spread throughout Iowa and in parts of Minnesota, said Smith. He explained a very large number of Iowa birds have been euthanized or quarantined as a result of this disease. “As I understand it, it’s supposed to be mainly bird-to-bird transmissions, but a lot of those influenzas can have some mutations that occur. And just to err on the side of caution, I would try to not have people going from one farm to another until we know more about the mutations of this virus,” Smith said. The Avian Influenza, otherwise known as the bird flu, is currently a risk for chickens, turkeys, pheasants, fowl, quail, ducks and geese. The Illinois Department of Agriculture explained the virus circulates among birds worldwide. Smith said he does not consider himself to be an expert on the subject, but as a veterinarian, he approaches this outbreak just as any other viral infection. “The situation with viruses, especially the influenza virus, is the fact that they have a history of mutation. And the mutation is what is of great concern. Because
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© The Putnam County Record
PCR photo/Dave Cook
Fun in the sun ... Alexis Grieves, 4, plays at the Hopkins Park playground while spending the day with her grandmother in Granville. With school out for the summer, area residents are reminded to watch for children, who might be so excited they forget about safety measures.
Putnam County supports future leaders Board approves scholarship for student to attend leadership conference By Dave Cook
news@putnamcountyrecord.com
HENNEPIN — During the Putnam County Board meeting Monday, June
8, board members voted to approve a scholarship for a local teen to attend the leadership conference presented by the Cebrin Goodman Teen Institute (CGTI), which will be held July 19-23 at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.
CGTI is a five-day youth leadership conference formerly known as the Illinois Teen Institute. It is an award-winning program that offers opportunities for teens throughout the state to learn about leadership, healthy choices and working with others to create better communities. “We’ve often talked about doing
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