Expert Explanations

Flooded Basement? Here's How to Safely Clean it

Flooding can happen for any reason, not just torrential rain.

We've probably all been there. It's been raining outside for hours and you go into your basement to find a soggy, wet mess. Or, you can't get into the basement without putting on special clothes and boots to wade through the water. Maybe it wasn't even a storm outside, but a burst water heater or another house specific mini-disaster. No matter what caused the flooding, the ways to clean up and stay safe are the same. We consulted the web and called Vic Riato, Media Services Manager at the Will County Health Department. Water can find its way into the basement in any number of ways. So that means that it can come in through a window or a garage or it could have come up through a drain or backed up from the sewer. "The more important issue (…

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Dawn Aulet

2:44 pm on Sunday, April 21, 2013

Thanks for that tip! Important to remember as well. Dawn   more ›

Home Flooding, Outages Can Be Dangerous: Health Department

Will County offers these tips on dealing with power outages, sewer backups, basement flooding and other problems.

The Will County Health Department provided this article on how to deal with home flooding and power outages caused by the heavy rainfall: The Will County Health Department is anxious to provide some basic health and safety information in the wake of flooding and scattered power outages resulting from torrential thunderstorms April 17-18. Any households or food service establishments that have been without power for a few hours should consider discarding the perishable contents of refrigerators and coolers. Foodborne illnesses can result from consuming food products that have been spoiled due to the lack of refrigeration. A longstanding public health adage proclaims "when in doubt, throw it out." The contents of freezers are probably safe …

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Will County Health Department Debuts New Website

Site welcomes casual browsers, serious public health students.

A new look awaits visitors to www.willcountyhealth.org, the official website of the Will County Health Department. After more than nine months of development in consort with Naperville-based Sprocket Websites, Inc., the health department recently debuted its newest community resource. According to health department Executive Director John Cicero, the new site provides visitors with a wealth of topical information and numerous means of access. "We are the community's public health resource," Cicero said. "In addition to the programs and services we offer, there is a storehouse of general information on our site covering all aspects of public health. Visitors now have the opportunity to access whatever they need with just minimal effort." …

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Will County Health Department Encourages Heart Healthy Lifestyle

During February, which is heart health month, the Will County Health Department wants us all to reduce our heart disease risk.

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of US deaths and disability. The Will County Health Department believes the month of February is a good time to consider our heart health. "Fortunately, virtually everyone can dramatically reduce their personal heart disease risk through a healthy lifestyle and excellent control of important cardiovascular risk factors," Vic Riato, Media Services Manager said in a written release. The path to heart disease often begins early. Obesity and high blood pressure have become epidemic among children and young adults. By exercising regularly, watching your diet and avoiding tobacco, children can develop heart-healthy habits that can protect them from heart attacks and stroke. In addition to …

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Whole Health

STD Numbers Escalating for 14- to 24-Year-Olds in Will County

Condoms and other safe sex practices are more important than ever, local experts say.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, teenage pregnancy remains a problem, but has been steadily declining for the past 10 years. The prevalence of STDs however, is on the rise. “We always state in our public presentations that abstinence is the true and only way to prevent getting an STD. However we do have to talk about the reality of it,” said Lyyti Dudczyk, program manager of STD/HIV Services at the Will County Health Department. Since February is National Condom Month, it seems like a good time to address the problem. Teens and young adults between the ages of 14 and 25 are the fastest growing group of people contracting STDs. In 2011, 15- to 24-year-olds accounted for 73 percent of all gonorrhea cases and 75 …

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Flu Cases on the Rise; Here's Where You Can Still Get a Flu Shot

The number of people contracting the flu is on the rise.

The Will County Health Department says reported cases of influenza are on the rise. "Illinois is one of nearly 40 states currently experiencing widespread influenza activity and the Health Department will be monitoring school attendance to help gage the severity of the local problem," Vic Reato, Media Services Manager at Will County Health Department said in a written release. And the recent bouts of the flu are serious. "Last month, 19 Will County patients required Intensive Care Unit hospitalization due to influenza-related issues," the release stated. This compares to only one in December 2011. "We're seeing significant increases involving respiratory problems consistent with influenza-like illness," John Kahler M.D., FAAP, Chief …

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More Than 660 in Will County with AIDS/HIV

The disease is no longer a death sentence, but the county health department says the need to be tested is especially important for 15- to 24-year-olds.

Vic Riato has worked at the Will County Health Department since 1981. He remembers when the AIDS epidemic exploded in the mid-'80s. "I can recall during that timeframe, if you were diagnosed with AIDS, you were dead; that was a death sentence," he said. The statistics for today show that is no longer the case. As of June 30, 2012, there are 309 Will County residents living with HIV. "These are people who have been diagnosed with HIV and they are living with HIV," said Riato, health department media services manager. And they are living with AIDs, too -- 352 in Will County -- thanks to treatments for both the early and more advanced version of the disease. "I think it illustrates how far we have come that you have that many people living …

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Follow These Tips so Bacteria's Not on Holiday Menu

Avoid making your Thanksgiving guests ill by following these precautions recommended by the Will County Health Department.

Unless you have some ulterior motive, in which case you may end up in Patch's police news, the goal when cooking a Thanksgiving feast is for your guests to enjoy the meal rather than be sickened by it. Nearly 8,000 Americans died from foodborne illnesses in 2011 and many thousands more were hospitalized, according to the Will County Health Department. To avoid that fate with your guests, the health department offers these precautions to keep your holiday meal safe: 1. Never thaw frozen foods at room temperature, and never thaw anything in the sink or on the counter unless you want to create an environment for bacterial growth. Instead, the safest method is in a refrigerator set at 41 degrees or below. 2. When thawing a frozen turkeys, …

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Breast Cancer in Young Women: Resources and Statistics in Will County

Breast cancer isn't age specific. Here's how to cope with treatments and augmentations if you are diagnosed earlier in life.

Generally speaking, a woman in Illinois has a one in 124 chance of getting breast cancer, according to this breast cancer statistics chart from komen.org. An American woman in her 30s has a one in 232 chance of getting the disease, and a woman 20 years her senior has a one in 42 probability, according to the website. “Although we aren’t certain, the cause of breast cancer in younger women is likely caused by a genetic predisposition,” says Ann H. Partridge, M.D., M.P.H., the medical oncologist director of the Adult Survivorship Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. While breast cancer treatment in young women is often effective, the chance of recovery tends to be worse in women under 40. Breast tissue is…

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Rabid Bat Found in Joliet Apartment

Health department officials say it was one of two that made its way in; tenant urged to get rabies treatment.

A bat that was removed from a Joliet apartment has tested positive for rabies, the Will County Health Department said Wednesday. It was one of two bats that Joliet Township Animal Control trapped in the living room of an apartment in the St. Patrick's neighborhood. The woman, whose identity has not been released, is being urged to seek rabies treatment. Officials don't know how the bats got into the apartment, but speculate there must be some type of opening in the building. "It's our understanding that these bats had been seen around there previously," said Vic Reato, the county's health media services manager. "That suggests that there may be a structural issue." The bats were taken to Will County Animal Control and then shipped to the …

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