Four Corners Health Department

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Blue Green Algae

Blue-Green Algae Toxins and Bacteria at Nebraska Lakes

Weekly Sampling Measures Blue-Green Algae Toxins and Bacteria at Nebraska Lakes. During the summer months, Nebraska’s lakes are a popular destination for activities such as boating, water skiing and swimming. In an effort to provide the public with information about current water quality and potential risks, the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality conducts weekly sampling at public beaches from the beginning of May until the end of September and posts the information on the agency web site.

NDEQ and its partners (the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Natural Resources Districts and other entities) obtain their weekly samples at publicly-owned and operated swimming beaches and public lakes that allow power boating. In 2008, 51 swimming beaches at 47 lakes were included in the network.

Every Friday, DEQ posts the results that have been compiled for the week on their web site and notifies local media and the public of any resulting Health Alerts.

Click here for Link to Environmental Alerts that includes Weekly Sampling Results

Click here for Fact Sheet regarding Health Alerts and toxic algae

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recognized the fluoridation of drinking water as one of ten great public health achievements of the twentieth century. Water fluoridation has helped improve the quality of life in the United States by reducing pain and suffering related to tooth decay, time lost from school and work, and money spent to restore, remove or replace decayed teeth. An economic analysis has determined that in most communities, every $1 invested in fluoridation saves $38 or more in treatment costs. Fluoridation is the single most effective public health measure to prevent tooth decay and improve oral health over a lifetime, for both children and adults.

The Nebraska Unicameral passed LB245 at the end of this past legislative session (ending in April 2008), providing for fluoridation of drinking water in cities or villages with populations of one thousand or more residents by June 2, 2010. We hope the frequently asked questions that follow will help to clarify the issue.

Food safety and sanitation is the daily responsibility of those who prepare and cook food, not only in the food industry but at home. Most cases of foodborne illness can be prevented through proper cooking or processing of food, which kills bacteria.

Four Corners Health Department monitors foodborne illnesses in the district and investigates each one. A few simple precautions can reduce the risk of food borne illness:

Cook meat, poultry and eggs thoroughly. Using a thermometer to measure the internal temperature of meat is a good way to be sure it is cooked sufficiently to kill bacteria.

Separate foods to prevent cross-contamination between different foods. Avoid cross-contaminating foods by washing hands, utensils, and cutting boards after they have been in contact with raw meat or poultry and before they touch another food. Put cooked meat on a clean platter, rather than back on the one that held the raw meat.

Chill leftovers promptly in the refrigerator. Bacteria can grow quickly at room temperature, so refrigerate leftover foods if they are not going to be eaten within 2 hours. Large volumes of food will cool more quickly if they are divided into several shallow containers for refrigeration.

Clean produce by washing it thoroughly. Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables in running tap water to remove visible dirt and grime. Remove and discard the outmost leaves of a head or lettuce or cabbage. Because bacteria can grow well on the cut surface of fruit or vegetable, be careful not to contaminate these foods while slicing them up on the cutting board, and avoid leaving cut produce at room temperature for many hours. People should avoid being a source of foodborne illness themselves. This can be prevented by washing hands with soap and water before preparing food. Someone with a diarrhea illness should avoid preparing food for others.

Four Corners receives many calls regarding landlord-tenant issues. We cannot provide legal advice in these situations, but we can provide information on landlord and tenant rights. The links below are excellent resources.

The key to mold control is moisture control. It is important to dry water damaged areas and items within 24-48 hours to prevent mold growth. If mold is a problem in your home, clean up the mold and get rid of the excess water or moisture. After cleaning up the water, use fans and dehumidfiers to help remove the moisture from the air.

Find and fix leaky plumbing or other sources of water. Wash mold off hard surfaces with detergent and water and dry completely. If bleach is used, make 10% solution by adding 1 cup bleach to 1 gallon of water. Absorbent materials (such as ceiling tiles and carpet) that become moldy may have to be replaced. For more information on mold see the links below.

Rabies is transmitted by the bite of an infected animal. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services tests and tracks animals submitted for testing.

The number of rabies cases in animals is currently on the decline in Nebraska, according to Dr. Annette Bredthauer, the state’s public health veterinarian. But rabies is cyclical in nature, meaning the number of cases rise and fall, depending on the level of rabies in the skunk population.The most common hosts of rabies virus are skunks, followed by raccoons. Other common hosts include bats and domestic animals like cats, dogs and horses.

Four Corners Health Department assists individuals who have experienced an animal bite or exposure to a bat to assure that the rabies testing is done or the domestic animal is quarantined. If the animal is positive for rabies, the individual is referred to his healthcare provider for post exposure rabies vaccination. See link below for Nebraska statistics for positive rabies.

Radon is a radioactive gas that you can’t see, taste or smell. Radon comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water and gets into the air you breathe. When you breathe air that contains radon, you can get lung cancer. Radon is estimated to cause many thousands of deaths in our country each year. Testing is the only way to know if you and your family are at risk from radon. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Surgeon General recommend testing all homes. If the level of your home is above 4 pCi/L then action to reduce the level is recommended.

Four Corners Health Department partners with the Department of Health and Human Services to provide free or reduced priced Radon test kits to citizens in our counties. The following links will give you more information about Radon:

There are many emergencies that can affect our ability to use our water supplies. They can include floods, tornadoes, power outages, and contamination of water supply systems from a variety of causes.

In some cases the emergency may be brief and easy to manage, or you may need to deal with long-term unavailability of usual water sources.

Depending on the situation, water could be available for some uses, such as bathing, even though it should not be used for drinking or cooking. It’s also possible water could be safe for use by some populations, such as teens and adults, while being unsafe for vulnerable populations, such as infants, pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems.

A boil water notice must be issued by a public water system when E.coli contamination is detected as an acute violation. In the event water needs to be boiled to be disinfected, the Nebraska Health and Human Services System recommends boiling time of one minute. Boiling is effective for coliform contamination. Boiling does not remove nitrate contamination; it actually concentrates the nitrate contamination. It is because many drinking water sources in Nebraska contain nitrate that NHHS recommends a one minute boiling time. For more information on water emergencies, go to the following links:

The Four Corners Health Department assists the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services with West Nile Virus surveillance. Four Corners encourages citizens of Butler, Polk, Seward and York Counties to report dead birds by calling our office starting in May. Dead corvids (blue jays, crows and magpies) and raptors (hawks, owls and eagles) are collected for testing for West Nile Virus.

This year Four Corners Health Department is trapping mosquitoes biweekly from May – October. The mosquitoes will be tested for West Nile Virus and will give our counties an idea of the prevalence of the virus in mosquitoes.

Click on the topics below to learn more about West Nile Virus Surveillance and how to “fight the bite”.