June 12th, 2003
By
KATHY
ROUTLIFFE
Niles Herald
County, state and
local health department officials have assured the public that they are better
prepared to battle the West Nile virus this summer than they were during last
summer's outbreak.
But legislators who
heard those assurances at a Skokie forum demanded public health officers and
others improve communication with each other and the public.
They wanted answers on
why communities including Evanston and Skokie were "hot spots" in the summer of
2002.
"We need to find out
why ... so we don't have hospitals full like they were last summer," said State
Rep. Beth Coulson, R-17th, of Glenview.
Coulson joined State
Sen. Jeff Schoenberg, D-8th, of Evanston, State Rep. Julie Hamos, D-18th, of
Evanston, State Rep. Elaine Nekritz, D-57th, of Northbrook and U.S. Rep. Jan
Schakowsky, D-9th, of Evanston at the forum.
Cook County
commissioners Larry Suffredin, D-13th, of Evanston and Joan Murphy, D-6th, of
Crestwood also attended.
Linn Haramis of the
Illinois Department of Public Health told the legislators and an audience of
about 100 that he had no crystal ball about how or when the virus might hit
this summer. But "a conservative, safe decision is to assume it will be here,"
he said.
Investigators
discovered in areas hit by the virus far more water-filled catch basins than
expected near roads and in back yards. The higher number of breeding pools for
Culex mosquitos - which carry the virus to birds, animals and humans - might be
one reason behind the local outbreak, he said.
Education was a
priority for Schakowsky, who said after the forum, "We need to engage in
community outreach education. Particularly in our area, we need to do it in
foreign languages as well."
Schakowsky is a
sponsor of HR 342, which would provide matching grants for combating the
disease to local governments. It passed the House and awaits action in the
Senate.
Stephen Martin,
director of the Cook County Department of Public Health, joined most other
speakers Monday in saying the public needs to be told how to avoid infection
and reduce mosquito breeding.
Lowell Huckleberry,
Skokie Health Department director, and Jay Terry, Evanston Health Department
director, said their staffs spent hundreds of extra hours tracking infected
animals and humans, while getting education to the public on how to prevent
mosquito infestations or bites.
Huckleberry said the
higher numbers of victims in Skokie (48 infected and one fatality) could have
been partly because of the population's higher awareness and eagerness to be
tested.
Terry said Evanston
ended the year with 47 known disease victims and one fatal case, "but many of
those who were infected are struggling to this day with the long term
neurological impact of the disease."
Schoenberg has
sponsored a state Senate bill to dissolve Cook County's four abatement
districts and give their power to the county board. He indicated it might be
time to rethink how to fund the West Nile virus fight.
"We need to rethink
the administrative means by which we deploy our revenues. It's not just a
question of more money for local health departments," he said.
Governor Rod
Blagojevich's proposed budget includes $3 million earmarked for the 2003 West
Nile campaign. Last year, state and local officials had to take money away from
other programs to deal with the disease. The North Shore Mosquito Abatement
District, thrust into the public eye last year because of its responsibility to
control mosquitos in north suburban Cook County, got a hostile reception
Monday.
District Ecologist
George Xamplas said the district has already sprayed Evanston, Skokie and Niles
cemeteries to kill mosquito larvae, and has started its schedule of spraying
district regions. It will spray for adult mosquitoes only as a last resort, he
said.
Suffredin chastised
the district for not staying in the information loop with other government
bodies. He said the district failed to participate in a public meeting on
spraying held April 29 in Wilmette by the League of Women voters. He also said
the district's "miscommunication" on issues surrounding its mosquito campaign
was compounded by policy decisions such as refusing federal money.
"You are just two
employees and not the board, but I hope you'll take this message back, that if
things don't change, there will be changes made," Suffredin told district
representatives.
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