NEWS & EVENTS

Plan ahead for the holidays and consider alternatives SPRINGFIELD – As Illinoisans prepare to spend the holidays with family and friends, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is offering recommendations on how to celebrate safer during the COVID-19...

It was early March when the State of Illinois, the county, and the entire world all realized that major action needed to be taken against the Coronavirus Pandemic. Events were cancelled, schools were closing, cases of Covid19 were quickly climbing, and people were...

Prior to the start of the Coronavirus pandemic in early 2020, much of the attention of the public health community was focused upon the vaping issue, and the increased participation in vaping among young people and the dangers that were becoming more obvious each day....

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has confirmed the first human West Nile virus-related death in Illinois for 2020. A Chicago resident who became ill in mid-September and tested positive for West Nile virus has died. “Although we are...

Public health officials in Illinois urge everyone to get a flu vaccine SPRINGFIELD – Getting a flu vaccine is more important than ever as we brace for a dual outbreak of flu and COVID-19 this fall and winter. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and local...

Uncommon circumstances where people with COVID-19 infected others who were more than 6 feet away or shortly after the COVID-19-positive person left an area. Today, CDC issued updated guidance to its How COVID-19 Spreads website, which includes information about the potential for airborne spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.

New Aurora testing site to open September 30th   The free drive-through COVID-19 testing site at the Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora is relocating on September 30th, 2020. The new testing site will be relocated to 2450 N. Farnsworth Ave., in Aurora, IL, less...

The COVID-19 pandemic has been hard, as well as tragic, for so many people worldwide.  But another word often heard more and more as everyone both continues and looks back on this challenge is the simple word: NEW.  New concerns, new cautions, and a new way of life as...

One of the major concerns during the Coronavirus Pandemic has been its impact on behavioral health issues. And there is little doubt that the scariest issue, sometimes whispered and sometimes spoken out loud, has been its possible impact on the suicide rate. Although...

This year it is more important than ever to get a flu shot. Each season, millions of Americans are sickened with flu, hundreds of thousands are hospitalized, and tens of thousands die. This season we are also battling COVID-19, another virus that can cause severe...

Youngsters are invited to help encourage proper mask usage. Learn all about YES U CAN this Saturday.  This 2 to 3 PM "COVID-19 Conversation and Statewide Make Competition Rollout" for #yesUcan will feature Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi...

The Will County Health Department has found three additional WNV-positive mosquito samples from planted WCHD traps.  Two were collected from a Mokena trap, and one from a Frankfort trap. This brings the total amount of positive mosquito batches collected in Will...

Flu is a contagious respiratory disease that can lead to serious illness, hospitalization, or even death. CDC recommends everyone six months and older get an annual flu vaccine. For children under two years of age, 2 doses are needed for protection. Furthermore, it’s...

When the Coronavirus pandemic first hit in early 2020, one of the biggest concerns for the WCHD (Will County Health Department) was how to continue performing their everyday services when they could often not see their clients face-to-face. One such area was in WCHD’s...

This year's flu season in the Southern Hemisphere was weirdly mild. A surprisingly small number of people in the Southern Hemisphere have gotten the flu this year, probably because the public health measures put in place to fight COVID-19 have also limited the spread...

Following Close Coordination Between State and Local Officials, Rate Drops from 8% to 5.6% Allowing Roll Back of Mitigations JOLIET - Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) are announcing that Region 7, which includes the greater Will...

The CDC recommends that you wear masks in public settings around people who don’t live in your household and when you can’t stay 6 feet away from others. Masks help stop the spread of COVID-19 to others. See this webpage from the CDC with guidance on how to properly...

Nearly a third of adults with disabilities (32.9%) reported experiencing frequent mental distress, which includes stress, depression, and problems with emotions, compared with 7.2% of adults without disabilities. Mental distress is associated with health risk...

About 1 in 5 (19%) children in the United States has obesity. Certain groups of children are more affected than others. National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month provides a chance for all of us to learn more about this serious health condition. While there is no...

September 14, 2020 – Health organizations across the suburban Chicago counties today launched a campaign to inform and empower parents to make healthy decisions about childhood immunizations. A recent study found that only 55 percent of children in Illinois are up to...