News
Panhandle Health District
8500 N. Atlas Road Hayden, Idaho 83835
www.phd1.idaho.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: June 14, 2013
Contact: Released by: Lora Whalen, Director
Cynthia Taggart
Public Information Officer
(208) 415-5108
(208) 818-7288 (cell)
Third Rabid Bat Found Before Summer’s Start
Coeur d’Alene – Northern Idaho’s third rabid bat in the last month was caught this week in Coeur d’Alene by a family pet dog, prompting public health officials to remind people not to handle bats and to make sure their pets’ rabies vaccinations are up to date.
“It’s unusual to have three rabid bats this early in the year,” says Dave Hylsky, an epidemiologist at the Panhandle Health District (PHD). “People need to remember, and to teach their children, not to touch bats or any wild animals with their bare hands.”
No people were directly exposed to the latest rabid bat. The family dog had been vaccinated and was re-vaccinated after touching the bat. The dog will remain under watch at home for several weeks.
Another bat in Coeur d’Alene and one in Spirit Lake within the last month also tested positive for rabies. One exposed a pet cat which is also under watch at home. The other bat possibly exposed three people inside their home while they were sleeping. The people underwent a series of five shots each to protect them from rabies.
Bats live throughout northern Idaho and play a vital role in our environment, dispensing seeds, pollinating plants and eating insects. But about 5 percent of the bats tested in this area carry the rabies virus.
Rabies is a fatal illness in people and other mammals. Pets and other mammals can get exposed to the virus when they play with sick bats that no longer fly normally. That’s why keeping pets’ rabies vaccination current is important.
People may get exposed to rabies when bats enter their homes or when they touch a bat with their bare skin. Bats can enter homes through openings the size of a quarter. People who wake up with a bat in their room may have been exposed without knowing it. Bats have fine teeth and people may not realize a bat bit them.
If a bat is found in a home and a possible exposure cannot be ruled out or a pet or human has direct contact with a bat, the bat should be tested for rabies. The bat should be trapped and brought to the Panhandle Health District dead and sealed in a double plastic bag. There is no charge for rabies testing, but testing is only provided if a person or pet was exposed.
Anyone planning to bring a bat to PHD for testing should call 415-5220 first.
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Panhandle Health District
8500 N. Atlas Road Hayden, Idaho 83835
www.phd1.idaho.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: June 14, 2013
Contact: Released by: Lora Whalen, Director
Cynthia Taggart
Public Information Officer
(208) 415-5108
(208) 818-7288 (cell)
Free Rapid HIV Tests Available in June
Hayden – In recognition of National HIV Testing Day on June 27, Panhandle Health District will offer free Rapid HIV testing at its offices on designated days during the month of June. The rapid tests produce results in about 15 minutes.
Appointments are needed for the free tests. Here are the testing days, locations and numbers to call for appointments:
- June 17 and 24 – PHD Bonners Ferry, 7402 Caribou; 9-11 a.m. and 1-3:30 p.m., 208-267-5558.
- June 18, 19, 20 – PHD Sandpoint, 1020 Michigan; 8-11 a.m. and 1-4 p.m., 208-263-5159.
- June 21 and June 28 – PHD Kellogg, 114 Riverside; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., 208-786-7474.
- June 25 – PHD Hayden, 8500 N. Atlas Rd., 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., 208-415-5270.
- June 27 – PHD Hayden, 8:30-11 a.m. and 1-4 p.m., 208-415-5270.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 20 percent of the people living with HIV today are unaware that they’re HIV-positive. The CDC recommends that people from age 13 through 64 include an HIV test in their annual physical exams.
HIV is passed on through contact with the blood, semen, vaginal fluids or breast milk of an infected person. Unprotected sex with an untested partner places a person at high risk of HIV exposure. Sharing syringes and needles can expose a person to blood infected with HIV. Infected women can pass the virus to their babies during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding.
A long-term monogamous sexual relationship with a tested partner is the best prevention to HIV exposure. Latex condoms and not sharing syringes and needles also offer some protection. People may be infected with HIV and not know it. HIV infection doesn’t exhibit visible signs and it may take years to develop into AIDS. Only an HIV test can confirm that a person is not infected.
As of the end of 2012, 68 people in the five northern counties were living with HIV and 88 were living with AIDS. Two were diagnosed with HIV in 2012 and none were diagnosed with AIDS.
Early detection reduces the potential that a patient may unknowingly spread HIV.
“The more people who test and take care of their health, the better,” said Anne
Way, who coordinates PHD’s testing programs for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV. “Studies show that people who know they’re HIV-positive take more precautions.”
The rapid HIV test uses blood from a simple finger stick. Results can be read after 15 minutes. If the test is positive, more blood will be drawn and sent to the Idaho State Lab for confirmatory testing.
For information on HIV testing and counseling, visit www.phd1.idaho.gov.
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Panhandle Health District
8500 N. Atlas Road Hayden, Idaho 83835
www.phd1.idaho.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: June 17, 2013
Contact: Released by: Lora Whalen, Director
Cynthia Taggart
Public Information Officer
(208) 415-5108
(208) 818-7288 (cell)
Medical Reserve Corps Gives Away Disaster Cookbooks
Hayden – Cooking during a disaster is an art the Medical Reserve Corps of North Idaho will demonstrate at 11 a.m. at the Kootenai County Farmers’ Market on Saturday, June 22.
Using a recipe from the new “Recipes for Disaster, An Emergency Preparedness Cookbook,” the MRC will blend canned and other non-perishable foods into a delicious dish. The ingredients in the cookbook produced by the American Public Health Association are found in most pantries and are recommended for emergency food storage.
Shoppers can take a free copy of “Recipes for Disaster” from the MRC cooking demonstration. The MRC also will demonstrate cooking and give away the cookbooks at Plummer’s Benewah Medical Center’s Block Party, a health fair, on Friday, June 21, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The cookbook includes tips for stockpiling food and water for disasters and recommended lists of emergency supplies and first aid items.
The MRC is a corps of citizens trained to support response efforts in public health emergencies or community public health needs. The MRC operates through the Panhandle Health District Public Health Preparedness program. At both upcoming events, MRC will provide free blood pressure screening for the public.
The Kootenai County Farmers’ Market is located at U.S. Hwy. 95 and Prairie Avenue. The market is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission is free.