Ebola Prevention
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- Published on Wednesday, 15 October 2014 15:31
There is no FDA-approved vaccine available for Ebola.
If you travel to, or are in an area affected by an Ebola outbreak, make sure to do the following:
- Practice careful hygiene. For example, wash your hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer and avoid contact with blood and body fluids.
- Do not handle items that may have come in contact with an infected person’s blood or body fluids (such as clothes, bedding, needles, and medical equipment).
- Avoid funeral or burial rituals that require handling the body of someone who has died from Ebola.
- Avoid contact with bats and nonhuman primates or blood, fluids, and raw meat prepared from these animals.
- Avoid hospitals in West Africa where Ebola patients are being treated. The U.S. embassy or consulate is often able to provide advice on facilities.
- After you return, monitor your health for 21 days and seek medical care immediately if you develop symptoms of Ebola.
Healthcare workers who may be exposed to people with Ebola should follow these steps:
- Wear protective clothing, including masks, gloves, gowns, and eye protection.
- Practice proper infection control and sterilization measures. For more information, see “Infection Control for Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers in the African Health Care Setting”.
- Isolate patients with Ebola from other patients.
- Avoid direct contact with the bodies of people who have died from Ebola.
- Notify health officials if you have had direct contact with the blood or body fluids, such as but not limited to, feces, saliva, urine, vomit, and semen of a person who is sick with Ebola. The virus can enter the body through broken skin or unprotected mucous membranes in, for example, the eyes, nose, or mouth
For additional information please visit the CDC website
You can learn more about Ebola Medical Waste Management here.
Increase in Respiratory Illness Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68): What you need to know
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- Published on Wednesday, 10 September 2014 15:24
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 11, 2014
Increase in Respiratory Illness Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68): What you need to know
In response to increasing numbers of respiratory illness (Enterovirus D68), the Andrew County Health Department wants you to know the facts so you can protect your family.
Enterovirus is a common virus. With more than 100 types of enteroviruses, an estimated 10 to 15 million infections occur in the United States each year. Most people who are infected with enteroviruses have no or mild symptoms. However some enteroviruses, like Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68), can be very serious.
Symptoms of the Enterovirus D68 are similar to the common cold. Severe symptoms are possible with EV-D68, such as difficulty breathing. Children with cold like symptoms that experience difficulty breathing should consult their family physician.
Enterovirus D68 appears to be spreading by close contact with infected people. There is no vaccine or antiviral medication to treat EV-D68.
The Andrew County Health Department provides the following recommendations to prevent the spread of EV-D68 and to also protect yourself and your family:
- Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after using the restroom or changing diapers. The use of soap and water is very important to combat EV-D68. Soap and water are the preferred method of hand washing.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid kissing, hugging, and sharing cups or eating utensils with people who are sick.
- Disinfect frequently touched surfaces, such as toys and doorknobs, especially if someone is sick
- If you are sick, stay home.
Your Local Public Health Department continues to monitor the situation and share information with local health providers. While there are reports of increased cases across several Midwest states, there is not a surveillance system that can account for exact numbers of infections.
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Senior Epidemiology Specialist C. Jon Hinkle says, “Using good hand hygiene, practicing good cough and sneeze etiquette and staying home if you are sick are the most effective tools to fight EV-D68.”
For more information on EV-D68 visit http://www.cdc.gov/non-polio-enterovirus/about/EV-D68.html or contact the Andrew County Health Department at 816-324-3139.
Contact: Andrew Hoffman, Administrator or Paige Lance, RN
Contact Number: 816-324-3139
School Value-Added Agriculture Grants
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- Published on Thursday, 04 September 2014 10:50
Applications Available Now for Farm to School Value-Added Agriculture Grants
Deadline to apply is Oct. 31, 2014
(JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.) – The Missouri Department of Agriculture announced today that the Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority (MASBDA) is now accepting applications for farm to school value-added grants. These grants will assist Missouri businesses in accessing and processing locally grown agricultural products for use in Missouri schools.
The new program was authorized by Senate Bill 672 and Senate Bill 701, which were signed by Governor Nixon on July 8 and 9, and provides businesses the opportunity to place locally grown agricultural products in Missouri school meals and snacks, while at the same time strengthening local farming economies.
“As evidenced by Missouri being in the top 10 states in the number of farmers markets, producers in Missouri grow some of the best food around,” Director of Agriculture Richard Fordyce said. “We’re thrilled that we can offer this program to incentivize Missouri businesses, which will in turn increase the amount of nutritious and delicious Missouri-made food served to students and benefit Missouri farmers.”
Eligible applicants must be a small business that purchases or processes locally grown agricultural products from a small farmer, and whose primary market is schools in Missouri. Small businesses that are producers of agricultural products themselves are eligible too. Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis. Applications will be scored based on their economic development potential, credibility and merit, as well as the source and level of matching funds.
The maximum individual grant is $200,000. Applicants are required to provide a 10% cash match toward the resource being funded. Eligible resources may include, but are not limited to, items such as coolers, freezers, washing, bagging, sorting and/or packing equipment and professional services for the development of Good Agricultural Practices/Good Handling Practices (GAP/GHP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Analysis (HACCP) plans. The program does not provide funds for agricultural production practices or equipment, paying off debt, applicant salaries or wages (or that of employees), motor vehicles or operating expenses.
Applications must be submitted to MASBDA by 5 p.m. on Fri., Oct. 31, 2014. Incomplete applications will not be accepted. For more information on the program and complete guidelines, visitagriculture.mo.gov or contact MASBDA at masbda@mda.mo.gov or (573) 751-2129.