Submission of Dead Birds for West Nile Virus Surveillance

Dead birds are important indicator for early WNV activity.  For this reason Illinois Department of Public Health requests all local health departments to submit at least 3 “eligible” birds for testing.  All perching birds such as the crow, bluejay, grackle, starling, sparrows, finches, robin, cardinal, flycathers, swallows, catbird, mockingbird, warblers and wrens will be accepted for testing. 

Dead birds are now being accepted through October 15, 2010.    Please contact the Jasper County Health Department, environmental division at 783-5206 if you find an “eligible bird” with no obvious cause of death.  Birds should be believed dead less than 48 hours with no signs of decomposing.

 
Summer Food Safety

Summer is the time of picnics and family reunions in the park.  Thinking food safety can prevent food borne illness from occurring as food temperatures play a crucial role in keeping food safe for picnics.  Here are some tips for a safe picnic.

Keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot.

If a water source is not available for hand washing, you can use a water jug, some soap and paper towels, or consider using disposable towelettes or antibacterial hand gel to keep hands clean. 

Keep your cooler cold, buy lots of ice or use frozen gel packs to keep food cold. 

Keep your cooler out of direct sun by placing it in the shade or shelter. 

Place perishable foods in the cooler directly from the refrigerator.  Don’t put everything on the counter and then start to pack. 

Pack meat and poultry while still partially frozen. 

If you only partially pack your cooler, fill the rest with more ice. 

Place meat, poultry and fish in separate plastic bags to keep foods from leaking on raw, ready-to-eat foods like fruit and vegetables. 

If the ice starts to melt, put more into the cooler. 

Do not use the loose ice used to pack your cooler as ice for your drinks.  If necessary, pack refreshment ice in a separate, resealable bag. 

Pack beverages in one cooler and perishables in a separate cooler. 

Only pack what you intend to eat.  Any food that has been left in the cooler after the ice has melted should be thrown away. 

When it’s time to cook the food, cook it thoroughly.  Use a food thermometer to be sure the food has reached an adequate internal temperature before serving (ground beef 155º and chicken 165º for a minimum of 15 seconds) 

When taking food off the grill, use a clean platter.  Don’t put cooked food on the same platter that held raw meat or poultry.  Any harmful bacterial present in the raw meat juices could contaminate safely cooked food. 

In hot weather (90 degrees and above), food should never sit out for more than 1 hour.        

If you have any questions, please call 618 782-5206