Learn what you and your family can do to avoid insect bites this summer.

Summer is here and so are the outdoor pests. But insect bites are much more than an itchy inconvenience. They can spread disease and cause serious health problems.

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is reminding people about simple precautions they can take to avoid bites.

“Ticks can carry diseases like Lyme disease, spotted fever, and ehrlichiosis, while mosquitoes can carry West Nile virus,” said IDPH Director Nirav D. Shah, M.D., J.D. “These diseases can cause anywhere from mild to severe illness, and even death in some cases. To protect yourself from both, use insect repellent that contains DEET and follow some simple precautions.”

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, disease cases from mosquito, tick and flea bites have tripled in the U.S. during the 13 years from 2004 through 2016. Reported cases from mosquito and tick bites in Illinois have increased by more than half (58 percent) from 2005 to 2016.

Ticks
Many tick-borne diseases have similar symptoms. The most common symptoms can include fever, chills, aches and pains, and rash.  Within two weeks following a tick bite, if you experience a rash that looks like a bull’s-eye or a rash anywhere on your body, or an unexplained illness accompanied by fever, contact your doctor. Early recognition and treatment of the infection decreases the risk of serious complications. Tell your healthcare provider the geographic area in which you were bitten or traveled to help identify the disease based on ticks in that region.

A fairly new virus called Bourbon virus has been associated with tick bites and has been found in a limited number of cases in the Midwest and southern U.S. People diagnosed with Bourbon virus disease have symptoms including fever, fatigue, rash, headache, other body aches, nausea and vomiting. They also had low blood counts for cells that fight infection and help prevent bleeding.  Some people who were infected later died.

Ticks are commonly found on the tips of grasses and shrubs. Ticks crawl — they cannot fly or jump. The tick will wait in the grass or shrub for a person or animal to walk by and then quickly climb aboard. Some ticks will attach quickly and others will wander, looking for places like the ear or other areas where the skin is thinner.

Simple tips to avoid ticks bites include:

• Wear light-colored, protective clothing—long-sleeved shirts, pants, boots or sturdy shoes, and a head covering.  Treat clothing with products containing 0.5 percent permethrin.
• Apply insect repellent that contains 20 percent or more DEET, picaridin, or IR3535 on exposed skin for protection that lasts several hours.
• Walk in the center of trails so grass, shrubs, and weeds do not brush against you.
• Check yourself, children, other family members, and pets for ticks every two to three hours.
• Remove any tick promptly by grasping it with tweezers, as close to the skin as possible and gently, but firmly, pulling it straight out.  Wash your hands and the tick bite site with soap and water.

Mosquitoes
The most common mosquito-borne illness in Illinois is West Nile virus. West Nile virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected Culex pipiens, or “house” mosquito. Mild cases of West Nile virus infections may cause a slight fever or headache. More severe infections are marked by a rapid onset of a high fever with head and body aches, disorientation, tremors, convulsions and, in the most severe cases, paralysis or death. Symptoms usually occur from three to 14 days after the bite of an infected mosquito.  However, four out of five people infected with West Nile virus will not show any symptoms. People older than 50 are at higher risk for severe illness from West Nile Virus.

There are some simple precautions you can take to Fight the Bite.  Precautions include practicing the three “R’s” – reduce, repel and report.

• REDUCE – make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens.  Repair or replace screens that have tears or other openings.  Try to keep doors and windows shut. Eliminate, or refresh each week, all sources of standing water where mosquitoes can breed, including water in bird baths, ponds, flowerpots, wading pools, old tires, and any other containers.
• REPEL – when outdoors, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt and apply insect repellent that contains DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR 3535, according to label instructions. Consult a physician before using repellents on infants.
• REPORT – report locations where you see water sitting stagnant for more than a week, such as roadside ditches, flooded yards and similar locations that may produce mosquitoes. The local health department or city government may be able to add larvicide to the water, which will kill any mosquito eggs.

Additional information about ticks and mosquitoes can be found on the IDPH website.

Program open to all youth age 18 and under to fill the nutritional gap during the summer months.

Many Illinois families depend on their children’s schools to provide regular, healthy meals. The Illinois State Board of Education manages the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) to provide children continued access to free and nutritious meals and snacks during the summer months when school is out.

The SFSP program serves children and teens age 18 and younger.

To find a meal site near you, call (800) 359-2163, text “FoodIL” to 877-877 or visit http://summerfeedingillinois.org/.

“Children need healthy food during the summer as much as they need it during the school year,” said State Superintendent of Education Tony Smith, Ph.D. “The Summer Food Service Program brings critical resources to communities across the state and helps all our children stay ready to learn. ISBE is proud to administer the Summer Food Service Program.”

To learn more about this year’s SFSP program, read the State Board of Education’s SFSP news release.

IEMA highlights importance of disaster preparedness for people with functional and access needs during the month of May.

While most disasters can’t be prevented, the stress of such situations can be reduced significantly through personal preparedness. This preparation is particularly important for households with members who have disabilities, functional needs or may need assistance during an emergency.

Throughout May, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and local emergency management agencies are highlighting the importance of disaster preparedness for people with functional and access needs.

“Disasters can cause power outages, force people to evacuate their homes or create other dangerous situations,” said IEMA Acting Director William P. Robertson. “We encourage everyone to be prepared, especially those who may have medical, functional or access needs.”

Robertson said IEMA has information available on the Ready Illinois website (www.Ready.Illinois.gov​) to help people and caregivers prepare for emergencies. A guidebook, “Emergency Preparedness Tips for Those with Functional Needs,” offers preparedness tips for people with visual, cognitive or mobility impairments; people who are deaf or hard of hearing; those who utilize service animals or life support systems; and senior citizens.

For each functional need, the guidebook provides a list of supplemental items for a disaster kit, tips on developing an emergency plan, suggestions on how to be better informed about community emergency planning and a checklist of preparedness activities.

The Ready Illinois website also offers more than two dozen preparedness videos in American Sign Language on such topics as what to do before, during and after tornadoes; severe thunderstorms and flooding; how to build an emergency supply kit; and what to do if you’re instructed to evacuate. These resources and more can be found on Ready Illinois’ Functional Needs page.

Opportunity Works places young adults in subsidized internships, exposing them to viable careers in a variety of sectors.

Opportunity Works is a program that provides sector-driven internships for young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 in suburban Cook County

More than 33,000 young adults are disconnected from both work and school in suburban Cook County. At the same time, many employers report a shortage of skilled workers.

Opportunity Works trains participants and connects them with businesses that are looking for new employees. If you are selected for this program, you will participate in a paid internship that will expose you to exciting careers that you may not have thought about before. Opportunity Works will also connect you to the resources you need to get a good paying job.

This program targets southern and western suburbs but will be open to all of suburban Cook County, offering sector-specific training in these fields:

• Manufacturing
• Information Technology
• Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics

Interested youth can fill out the Opportunity Works application online.

To learn more, call (312) 603-7092 or visit the Opportunity Works website.

 

Drug collection receptacles are available at five state police headquarters across the state.

Five Illinois State Police District headquarters across the state are providing receptacles for people to drop off their unused and unwanted prescription medications. The headquarters are in:

• Des Plaines
• Elgin
• Joliet
• Collinsville
• LaSalle

The receptacles are available through a partnership between the Illinois State Police (ISP) and Save A Star Drug Awareness Foundation to help decrease prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse.

“Many people experiment with prescription drugs before turning to more dangerous, illegal drugs,” Gov. Bruce Rauner said. “These receptacles offer people a smart and safe way to get potentially addictive drugs out of their homes and off the streets.”

Save A Star Drug Awareness Foundation provided the receptacles for initiative. The foundation was created by David and Gail Katz, whose son died in 2007 from an overdose of prescription medication.

“Each day, about 2,500 teens use prescription drugs for non-medical use for the first time. Prescription pills are now killing more of our youth than cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine combined,” David Katz said. “Save A Star is pleased to partner with the Illinois State Police to help avoid future tragedies.”

People will be able to drop over-the-counter and prescription medications into the receptacles, including controlled substances, pet medications, drug samples, vitamins, liquids and creams. For safety reasons, the following items CANNOT be accepted and should NOT be deposited into the receptacles:

• Needles
• Thermometers
• IV Bags
• Bloody waste
• Hydrogen peroxide

“Prescription drug abuse is a real issue and unfortunately, it’s all too often the gateway to opioid drug addiction.” ISP Director Leo P. Schmitz said. “These receptacles will help us keep drugs out of the wrong hands and will reduce the odds for accidental overdoses and future drug dependency.”

The initiative is part of the state’s effort to reduce opioid-related deaths in Illinois by 33 percent in three years. If you or someone you know is struggling with opioid use disorder, call Illinois’ Opioid Helpline at 1-833-2FINDHELP.

Discuss existing barriers to employment for people with disabilities.

Individuals with disabilities and their families are invited to join the Arc of Illinois, the Self-Advocacy Alliance, Sibling Leadership Network and Illinois Assistive Technology Program for a series of Supported Employment Listening and Learning Sessions.

You’ll have the opportunity to discuss the barriers you see in employment for people with disabilities and learn more about policy changes that could affect people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and Illinois Employment First in Illinois.

• April 10 Webinar
  1 to 2:30 p.m.
  Click here to register for the webinar.
  
• April 11 Session in Bloomington-Normal
  9:30 to 11 a.m.
  Marcfirst, 1606 Hunt Drive, #1A, Normal, IL 61761
  Click here to register for the Bloomington-Normal session.
  
• April 18 Session in Dixon
  9:30 to 11 a.m.
  Kreider Services, 500 Anchor Road, Dixon, IL 61021
  Click here to register for the Dixon session.

Sessions in Chicago and Edwardsville are to follow.

Email Meg Cooch at meg@thearcofil.org or call (773) 558-5136 for more information.

Study will investigate the effects of ballet dance class on stretch reflexes and spasticity.

The Neuroscience of Dance in Health and Disability Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is doing a research study on physical rehabilitation in cerebral palsy.

The study will investigate the effects of a ballet dance class on the regulation of stretch reflexes and spasticity in individuals with cerebral palsy.

Participants must meet the following criteria:

• Be between the ages of 3 and 64
• Have been diagnosed with CP

No previous dance experience is required.

To participate and/or find out additional information, please contact Dr. Lopez-Ortiz at (217) 300-1022 or lopezort@Illinois.edu.

Illinois Poison Center warns families of the risks associated with cold and flu products containing camphor.

The holidays may be over, but cold and flu season is far from finished. Between now and the end of winter, parents and caregivers across the state will scour their local pharmacies for relief from cold or flu symptoms for themselves and their children. However, some of these medications can do more harm than good when used improperly, and the Illinois Poison Center (IPC) is warning families to be careful about how they store the products they bring into their homes.

In 2017, the IPC managed three serious cases involving children who accidentally ingested over-the-counter cold symptom relief products containing camphor. All of them suffered from nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, and seizure-like symptoms, including tremors, shakiness and eyes rolling in the back of the head. All three required hospitalization, and fortunately, each child recovered.

“Thankfully, these cases have a happy ending, but they’re a reminder of just how toxic products all of us have at home can be,” says Carol DesLauriers, Pharm.D., D.A.B.A.T., Senior Director, IPC. “Anyone who spends time with young children needs to be aware of the danger and store these medications properly.”

Camphor is found in low concentrations in topical ointments, rubs and vaporizer solutions — e.g. Vicks VapoRub™, Vicks VapoSteam™ and similar name-brand and generic products — used to treat cold or flu symptoms, by either massaging them into the skin or adding them to humidifiers. When used as directed, these products are safe and can relieve coughs and congestion and soothe nasal passages. However, when swallowed, they can be toxic.

The IPC reported 372 cases of camphor poisoning in 2017, most of them from accidental ingestion. The majority of these exposures involved curious toddlers swallowing camphor-containing products. In other instances, children and adults mistakenly ingested substances with camphor, believing they were traditional liquid cough and cold medication. Camphor, a stimulant to the central nervous system, can cause nausea and vomiting, confusion, agitation, hallucinations, tremors, and seizures. Symptoms usually appear within 90 minutes of exposure.

If parents and caregivers have medications containing camphor in their homes, they should always store them out of reach and out of sight of small children. Many camphor-containing products — which include some arthritis topical creams, gels and patches, cold sore blister products and mothball formulations, in addition to cold relief medication — are not sold in child-resistant containers. It takes only a moment for a young child to swallow a few mouthfuls.

If you suspect someone has ingested camphor:

• Never induce vomiting
• Avoid giving them milk or oily foods

Similarly, if a camphor-containing product is in the eyes, rinse them thoroughly with room temperature water.

In all cases of suspected exposure to camphor, immediately call the IPC helpline at (800) 222-1222. To learn more about camphor, see a recent IPC blog post. For more information on medication safety and other topics from the IPC, click here.

IPC experts are available to provide information and treatment advice 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, including holidays. If you suspect that you or someone you know has been exposed to a potentially harmful substance, please call the IPC at (800) 222-1222. The call is free and confidential. For more information, visit the IPC’s website at http://illinoispoisoncenter.org.

Participating malls across the state invite youth of all ages and abilities to meet Santa.

Autism Speaks is partnering with Cherry Hill Programs this holiday season to provide sensory-friendly Santa Experiences for families across the country.

All families of children with autism and other special needs can enjoy a visit with Santa in a more subdued and calm environment.

Click here for the list of Cherry Hill Programs Santa Photo Experiences in Illinois.

Sensory-friendly Santa events are free and keepsake photo packages will be available for purchase.

New app helps parents track their child’s development in a fun and easy way.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is pleased to announce the launch of CDC’s Milestone Tracker, a free app for tracking every child’s development in a fun and easy way. This app is one of a variety of free, family-friendly materials available through CDC’s Learn the Signs. Act Early. program.

“Skills like taking a first step, saying those first words, and waving ‘bye-bye’ are developmental milestones all parents anticipate and celebrate,” said CDC Director Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D. “This CDC Milestone Tracker app gives parents tips to help their child learn and grow, a way to track developmental milestones, recognize delays, and the ability to share this information with their healthcare provider.”

The new app offers:

• Interactive milestone checklists for children ages 2 months through 5 years, illustrated with photos and videos
• Tips and activities to help children learn and grow
• Information on when to act early and talk with a doctor about developmental delays
• A personalized milestone summary that can be easily shared with the doctor and other care providers
• Reminders for appointments and developmental screening

Learn more and get information on downloading the app at CDC’s Milestone Tracker website. The app is available in the  App Store and on Google Play.

Although it is packed with parent-friendly features, healthcare providers can also use the app to help with developmental surveillance as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Early care and education providers can use it to better understand their students’ skills and abilities and to engage families in monitoring developmental progress.