Current Hot Topics

Know the Buzz About West Nile Virus

It’s mosquito season and it’s important to protect yourself and your family from mosquito illnesses like West Nile Virus (WNV) and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). Remember these precautionary steps:

Avoid mosquito bites: Use insect repellent when outdoors especially from dusk to dawn. Look for EPA-labeled products containing active ingredients, such as DEET, Picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Apply more repellent, according to label instructions, if mosquitoes start to bite.
Mosquito-proof homes: Fix or install window and door screens and cover or eliminate empty containers with standing water where mosquitoes can lay eggs.
Help your community: Report dead birds to Michigan’s West Nile website to help track WNV and support community-based mosquito control programs.
Horse owners should vaccinate their horses. Horses can be infected too. Vaccines for WNV and EEE are readily available and should be repeated at least annually. Talk to your veterinarian for details.

Learn more here

Michigan Residents Encouraged to Protect Against Tick Bites

As the weather is getting warmer, the tick population in Michigan begins to increase. As residents spend more time outside it is important to protect yourself from tick-borne related illness. For prevention info visit DEET, Showers, and Tick Checks Can Stop Ticks or Ticks and Your Health.

Food Safety Steps to Take During a Power Outagee

If your power goes out, knowing what to do with the food in your refrigerator and freezer can help you stay healthy. The last thing you need after a weather emergency is a case of food poisoning. Read more here or visit our Fact Sheets for more information.

2012-2013 Seasonal Flu Information

For more information visit: www.cdc.gov/flu, www.flu.gov,
and www.michigan.gov/flu

Click the images below to reach
detail information pages

Flu.gov

Chickenpox:
A Vaccine Preventable Disease

Varicella (chickenpox) is a highly contagious disease that is very uncomfortable and sometimes serious. Chickenpox can be serious, especially in babies, adults, and people with weakened immune systems. It spreads easily from infected people to others who have never had chickenpox or who have never received the chickenpox vaccine. Chickenpox spreads in the air through coughing or sneezing. It can also be spread by touching or breathing in the virus particles that come from chickenpox blisters. The chickenpox vaccine is the best protection against chickenpox. The vaccine produces an immune response in your body that protects you against chickenpox. The number of people who get chickenpox each year as well as hospitalizations and deaths from chickenpox have gone down dramatically in the United States- thanks to the chicken pox vaccine. For more information on chicken pox visit:

Chickenpox Fact Sheet
Everything You Need to Know About Chickenpox
Fact Sheet for Parents
Vaccine Safety: Facts for Parents
Choosing Not to Vaccinate Your Child
Personal Belief Exemptions for Vaccinations

EMERGENCY ORDER 2012-01:
TO PREVENT IMMINENT DANGER TO HEALTH OR LIVES

Emergency Order 2012-01
Media Release - Emergency Order 2012-01 Issued

Recent RECALLS and ALERTS from the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

WILMS TUMOR INFORMATION

The St. Clair County Health Department is continuing its efforts to provide timely information to the community regarding public health concerns as they arise. This Health Updates page is your web source for information on new developments as well as updates to existing issues being monitored by the St. Clair County Health Department.

We will be posting documents regarding these health concerns on this web page. The documents will be in PDF format and can be read with Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free software product available for download from Adobe's website at http://www.adobe.com. If you have further questions regarding public health issues, please contact the St. Clair County Health Department at (810) 987-5175.