DHSS Advises of Possible Area of Public Health Concern

Details: Published on Friday, 14 December 2018 10:34

DHSS Advises of Possible Area of Public Health Concern

JEFFERSON CITY - In consultation with experts at the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) is advising the public of a possible health concern for individuals that may have been in contact with a water source within the St. Louis Marriott West Hotel on or after October 1, 2018. The facility is located at 660 Maryville Centre Drive, St. Louis, MO 63141.

DHSS has determined that two unassociated individuals were diagnosed in October and November with Legionnaires’ disease, who also stayed at the St. Louis Marriott West during the same time period. People can get Legionnaires’ disease, a serious type of pneumonia, by breathing in small water droplets containing Legionella germs. In general, people do not spread Legionnaires’ disease to other people.

In response to this information, DHSS, with the full cooperation of St. Louis Marriott West management, is conducting an investigation. No testing results have found Legionella germs in samples taken from the site. Test results are pending. We do not know whether the hotel was the source of the germs that caused the two people to become sick. The investigation is ongoing.

DHSS is actively working to help prevent additional people from becoming sick. We believe the risk of Legionnaires’ disease is low. Your individual risk may increase if you are 50 years or older, smoke cigarettes, or have certain medical conditions, such as a weakened immune system.

If you developed symptoms of pneumonia within two weeks of staying at St. Louis Marriott West, seek medical attention right away. Pneumonia symptoms typically include cough, shortness of breath, fever, muscle aches, and headaches. Additional symptoms may be present, such as headache, confusion, nausea, or diarrhea. Ask your doctor to test you with both a urine test and a respiratory culture. If you test positive, ask your doctor to report your illness to your local or state health department as soon as possible after your diagnosis.

DHSS will continue working with St. Louis Marriott West, which is taking proactive measures, to ensure protection of the health of guests and employees. Additional information on Legionella is available from the CDC website at: https://www.cdc.gov/legionella/index.html.

Holiday Decorating Hazards

Details: Published on Thursday, 06 December 2018 15:55

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission – News Release

Release Date: December 6, 2018

Release Number: 19-041

CPSC and NIST Team Up to Demonstrate Holiday Decorating Hazards

Make Safety a Family Holiday Tradition

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have teamed up to remind consumers that the best holiday family traditions should always start with safety.

CPSC demonstrated fires involving dried-out Christmas trees and candles at a joint press conference at CPSC’s National Product Testing and Evaluation Center in Rockville, Maryland.

“There are about 200 decorating-related injuries each day during the busy holiday season,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle. “Make safety a part of your family’s holiday decorating this year. Keep your Christmas tree watered, check holiday lights before you put them on the tree and use extra caution with candles.”

CPSC estimates that from 2013 to 2015, there was an annual average of about 100 Christmas tree fires, resulting in 10 deaths, 10 injuries, and $12 million in property loss per year.

“NIST’s fire research demonstrates how important it is for consumers to water their Christmas trees to help prevent fires,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director Dr. Walter G. Copan. “We’ve also collected data to assist firefighters in better predicting how fires will behave. To stay fire safe all year, consumers should ensure they regularly test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in their homes.”

According to CPSC data, there were 18,400 injuries associated with holiday decorating seen in emergency departments nationwide from November 2016 through January 2017. The most frequent of these holiday decorating incidents involved falls (38 %), lacerations (14%), and strains or sprains (18%). There were two deaths involving falls from a ladder.

Follow these tips to help make your holiday a safe one:

Trees and Decorations

Buying a live Christmas tree? Check for freshness. A fresh tree is green; and its needles are hard to pull from branches and do not break when bent between your fingers. Keep trees well watered.
Buying an artificial tree? Look for the label: “Fire Resistant.” Although this label does not mean that the tree will not catch fire, the tree is more resistant to catching fire.
Setting up a tree at home? Place it away from heat sources, such as fireplaces, vents and radiators.
Decorating a tree in homes with small children? Avoid sharp or breakable decorations. Keep trimmings with small removable parts out of the reach of small children who could swallow or inhale small pieces.

Candles

Keep burning candles within sight. Extinguish all candles before leaving the room.
Keep candles on a stable, heat-resistant surface where children and pets cannot reach them or knock them over. Place lit candles away from items that can catch fire, such as trees, decorations, curtains and furniture.

Lights

Only use lights tested for safety by a nationally recognized testing laboratory.
Check each set of lights, new or old, for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections. Throw out damaged sets and do not use electric lights on a metallic tree.
Check each extension cord to make sure it is rated for the intended use and is in good condition. Do not use cords with cuts or signs of fraying.
Check outdoor lights for labels showing the lights have been certified for outdoor use, and only plug them into a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI)-protected receptacle or a portable GFCI.

Fireplaces

Do not burn wrapping paper in the fireplace. A flash fire may result because wrappings can ignite suddenly and burn intensely.

Smoke alarms

Have working smoke alarms on every floor of the home and in every bedroom. The early warning provided by smoke alarms saves lives.
Test your smoke alarms every month to make sure they are working properly.
Change batteries in smoke alarms every year.

Download and share CPSC's holiday decorating safety poster.

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About U.S. CPSC:

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical or mechanical hazard. CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters and household chemicals – contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 40 years.

Federal law bars any person from selling products subject to a publicly-announced voluntary recall by a manufacturer or a mandatory recall ordered by the Commission.

For more lifesaving information, follow us on Facebook, Instagram @USCPSC and Twitter @USCPSC or sign up to receive our e-mailalerts. To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury go online to www.SaferProducts.gov or call CPSC’s Hotline at 800-638-2772 or teletypewriter at 301-595-7054 for the hearing impaired.

CPSC Consumer Information Hotline

800-638-2772 (TTY 301-595-7054)

Times: 8 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET; Messages can be left anytime

Call to get product safety and other agency information and to report unsafe products.

Media Contact

Please use the phone numbers below for all media requests.

Phone: 301-504-7908

Spanish: 301-504-7800

Cooking Classes

Details: Published on Tuesday, 04 December 2018 15:53

Does Cooking Matter to You?

Learn how to prepare healthy delicious meals and stretch your food dollars from trained culinary and nutrition professionals!

Topics covered include:

Cooking tips and techniques
Tips for proper food safety, storage and sanitation
Nutrition information to keep your family healthy
Budgeting - Stretch your food $$ and maximize your resources!!
Tips to get your family to try new foods
Shopping healthfully on a limited budget

What's Included:

A bag of FREE groceries for one of the lesson's recipe each week for you to prepare the recipe at home.
Lessons feature hands-on learning and include group discussion with instructors.
Graduation certificate, recipe book and other freebies provided upon completion of the program.
FOOD - prepared by the chef and you. . the class participants!

Class Information:

Andrew County Health Department

Wednesday Evenings

January 2, 9, 16, 30 - February 6, 13

6-8 pm

Please plan to attend the entire 6 week course.

For more information or to register contact Andrew County Extension Center (816) 342-3147 or email.

This free program is brought to you by:

Funded in part by USDA SNAP.
For more information, call MU Extension’s Show Me Nutrition line at 1-888-515-0016.
Running out of money for food? Contact your local food stamp office or go online to: dss.mo.gov/fsd/fstamp/

National Safe Toys and Gifts Month

Details: Published on Saturday, 01 December 2018 16:39

December is National Safe Toys and Gifts Month

The Andrew County Health Department would like to remind you to be safe and play safe this holiday season:

Balloons

Children can choke or suffocate on deflated or broken balloons. Keep deflated balloons away from children younger than eight years old. Discard broken balloons immediately.

Small balls and other toys with small parts

For children younger than age three, avoid toys with small parts, which can cause choking.

Scooters and other riding toys

Riding toys, skateboards and in-line skates go fast, and falls could be deadly. helmets and safety gear should be worn properly at all times and they should sized to fit.

Magnets

High-powered magnets sets are dangerous and should be kept away from children. Whether marketed for children or adults, building and play sets with small magnets should be kept away from small children.

Button Batteries

When a child swallows a button battery, the saliva triggers and electrical current. This causes a chemical reaction that can severely burn the esophagus in a little as two hours. The scary part is that it may not be obvious at first that there is something wrong, since kids can still breath and act normally after ingesting a battery, though it may seem like your child has a cold or flu. Repairing the damage from battery ingestion is painful and often involves multiple surgeries. Even after a battery is removed, kids can experience terrible side effects to their vocal chords and windpipe.

Subcategories

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