Governor Blagojevich's Keep Cool Illinois campaign reminds you to be safe and stay healthy this July 4th

SPRINGFIELD - As part of Governor Rod R. Blagojevich's Keep Cool Illinois campaign, established to help keep Illinois families cool and safe this summer, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Office of the State Fire Marshal remind you of some steps you can take to ensure a safe and healthy 4^th of July holiday.

FOOD SAFETY

Picnics and cookouts are at the top of the list of summer activities. However, special precautions need to be taken when preparing and serving food during warm weather, to avoid foodborne illnesses like salmonellosis.

To help prevent foodborne illness:

• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water before handling any food, and after handling raw poultry, meat or eggs.
• Thoroughly rinse fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Cook foods thoroughly, especially ground beef, poultry and pork. While rare beef is sometimes popular, disease-causing organisms can survive in undercooked meat.
• Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.
  

Make sure to keep raw meat, fish or poultry cold until it is cooked and make sure it does not come in contact with ready-to-eat food (e.g., cheese, sliced onions, tomatoes or bread). Also, never place cooked meats on the same plate or pan that held raw meats.

Do not leave food un-refrigerated longer than one hour at a time. Some popular cold picnic foods are potentially hazardous and require special care:

• Any homemade food that contains eggs, meat or poultry such as: egg, chicken, tuna, and potato salads as well as deviled eggs.
• Luncheon meats, sandwich fillings and other ready-to-eat protein foods.
• Meat, fish or poultry.
• Milk and other dairy products.
  

The symptoms of most types of food poisoning are mild and include cramps, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Symptoms typically begin from 30 minutes to three days after eating contaminated food, and last a day or two. If symptoms are severe or last longer than two days, contact a physician.

SWIMMING SAFETY

Whether swimming at a beach or at a pool, do not enter the water alone unless a lifeguard is on duty. Most deaths from drowning occur within a few feet of safety. 

At a swimming pool, take the following precautions:

• If no lifeguard is on duty, do not let children swim unless they are accompanied by a responsible adult who knows lifesaving techniques and first aid.
• Look around the pool area to be certain lifesaving devices, such as a floating ring buoy and shepherd's crook, are readily available for emergency use.
• Be sure covers are installed on all drains of a swimming pool or in a wading pool. The suction created by the pool's circulating pumps can be very dangerous, unless it is reduced by covers.
• To reduce the risk of eye, ear, nose, or throat infection from contaminated water, swim only in pools in which water quality is properly maintained. The water should appear crystal clear, be continuously circulated and be maintained at a level that allows free overflow into the gutter or skimmer. There should not be a strong odor of chlorine.
  

At the beach, take the following precautions:

• Look for water that is reasonably clear and free of floating materials and odors. Avoid swimming at beaches where there are large populations of ducks, geese or gulls. The waste produced by these birds causes high bacteria levels in the water.
• Look for movement in the water; it helps keep the water clean. Do not swim in stagnant or still water.
• Do not swim at any beach right after a heavy rainfall. Runoff following a heavy rainfall may result in a high bacteria level.
• When diving at a beach, exercise extreme caution. Beach water is not as clear as water in a pool, so underwater obstructions may not be visible.
• Avoid having beach water in your mouth or nose.
  

FIREWORKS SAFETY

Illinois State Fire Marshal David B. Foreman is also urging residents to play it safe, by leaving dangerous fireworks to the professionals. Every year following the 4^th of July, the Office of the State Fire Marshal surveys Illinois hospitals for information on fireworks-related injuries.  Overall, injuries have declined every year since 2006, when a state law went into effect regulating fireworks. 68 of the state's 198 hospitals responded to last year's survey and reported that 125 people were treated for injuries. More than 160 people were treated in 2005.

Even though novelty fireworks, such as snakes, sparklers and party-poppers are not regulated by the State, Foreman wants parents to know that they can be as dangerous as those that are regulated. While often considered a harmless item that small children can enjoy, sparklers actually burn at temperatures of up to 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit (982 degrees Celsius) and remain extremely hot, long after the sparks have stopped.

WEST NILE VIRUS PREVENTION

The best way to prevent West Nile disease or any other mosquito-borne illness is to reduce the number of mosquitoes around your home and to take personal precautions to avoid mosquito bites. Precautions include:

• Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are most active, especially between dusk and dawn. Use prevention methods whenever mosquitoes are present.
• When outdoors, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and apply insect repellent that includes DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR 3535 according to label instructions. Consult a physician before using repellents on infants.
• Make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens. Repair or replace screens that have tears or other openings. Try to keep doors and windows shut, especially at night.
• Eliminate all sources of standing water that can support mosquito breeding, including water in bird baths, ponds, flowerpots, wading pools, old tires, and any other receptacles. In communities where there are organized mosquito control programs, contact your municipal government to report areas of stagnant water in roadside ditches, flooded yards and similar locations that may produce mosquitoes.
  

Following these precautions will help you stay safe and healthy this holiday and throughout the summer.