NEWS & EVENTS

Nursing Student and Volunteer Hours Have Totaled over 12,500 JOLIET, IL – The challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic brought about an amazing opportunity for volunteers to assist the WCHD (Will County Health Department), especially when the vaccine rollout began last...

July 16, 2021 - The Kane County Health Department is advising that the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is working with local health departments, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate...

Applications available now through July 19th for up to $15,000 JOLIET, IL – The Will County Health Department (WCHD) have opened online applications to fund local Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) to partner with the WCHD to conduct vaccination outreach and pop-up...

DuPage County— The DuPage County Health Department (DCHD) has confirmed the first mosquitoes to test positive for West Nile virus (WNV) this year in DuPage County. The first positive pool of mosquitoes was collected on June 30, 2021, in Clarendon Hills, and the second...

July 6, 2021 - The Kane County Health Department is advising that the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced that Tyson Foods Inc., a Dexter, Mo. establishment, is recalling approximately 8,492,832 pounds of ready-to-eat...

Even as coronavirus was devastating populations around the world last year, doctors and public health officials noticed something else was missing – there was almost no flu. Many believe that measures taken to help control coronavirus also prevented the spread of...

Tom Mather, an entomologist at the University of Rhode Island and director of a tick awareness program called TickEncounter, said he’s seen an uptick in reports of American dog tick sightings and bites around the country this year. TickEncounter, which crowdsources...

Residential in-ground pools now number about 5.1 million, and home above-ground pools are estimated at 3.5 million, according to the National Swimming Pool Institute. During the pandemic, many families added a backyard pool for at-home recreation and relaxation. The...

Unlike last summer, this year there are many families and friends out and about for family fun.  And that means food and picnics.  But the excitement of the return of much of the fun does not mean we should turn our backs on safety when it comes to food preparation. ...

July is Fireworks Safety Month! According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, there were an estimated 9,100 fireworks-related, emergency department-treated injuries in 2018. Here are nine fireworks safety tips (with infographics) including watching...

Parents Urged to Schedule Physicals Now JOLIET, IL – The Will County Community Health Center (WCCHC) has announced that they are offering free same day school and sports physicals with a COVID-19 Vaccination for children age 12 and up at their Joliet office, 1106 Neal...

CDC and public health officials in several states are investigating multistate outbreaks of Salmonella infections linked to contact with backyard poultry. A total of 474 sick people have been reported from 46 states, with 103 people hospitalized and one death reported...

June is Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month, a time when people around the nation are having conversations about their own cognitive health. To identify specific ways to take action, public health professionals can look to the Healthy Brain Initiative (HBI) — a...

Secondary outbreak now connected with previously reported youth camp outbreak in central Illinois SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is now reporting 85 teens and adult staff at a summer youth camp held in mid-June in central Illinois tested...

Lots of Immunization Needs Expected after 2020’s Coronavirus Effects JOLIET, IL - At the Will County Health Department (WCHD), the Family Health Services (FHS) Immunizations office is urging parents to MAKE THEIR CHILDREN’S APPOINTMENTS FOR NEEDED SCHOOL IMMUNIZATIONS...

Lake County, Ill. — A mosquito “pool” (batch of mosquitoes) sampled on June 16, 2021 in Lake Bluff, Illinois has tested positive for West Nile virus. This mosquito pool is the first confirmed indicator of West Nile virus presence in Lake County in 2021.  “As we...

Pandemic is Not Over, and Adjustments are Here to Say With the world becoming more active during this “Open Summer of 2021” following months of closure during the pandemic, there are two very major points WCHD (Will County Health Department) would like to make. The...

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has confirmed the first mosquitoes to test positive for West Nile virus in Illinois for 2021.  The North Shore Mosquito Abatement District collected a positive mosquito batch on June 9, 2021 from Skokie,...

A bat captured in Peotone is Will County's second confirmed rabid bat of 2021.  This bat was found in a residence in the 400 block of South Third Street.  The bat was found in the main level bathroom, and no other bats were found in the rest of the home.  All other...

The Will County Board of Health COVID-19 Response Committee meeting scheduled for June 23rd has been cancelled.