Of algae and other things

Blue green algae blooms (cyanobacteria) have been in the news recently. Although algae blooms are a natural phenomenon and are caused by certain weather patterns, they can make people, livestock and pets ill. Are you concerned which lakes and ponds you can take your children or pets swimming in? Which waters its safe to fish. Do you wonder what algae blooms are and how they'll affect the public drinking water? The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) is charged with monitoring waters in Kansas and informing the public which waters to avoid.

KDHE overview of what algae blooms are:
http://www.kdheks.gov/algae-illness/index.htm

Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) overview of cyanobacteria:
http://www.cdc.gov/hab/cyanobacteria/about.htm

CDC's facts about harmful algal blooms:
http://www.cdc.gov/hab/cyanobacteria/facts.htm

Current algae bloom advisories:
http://www.kdheks.gov/algae-illness/algae_advisories.htm

Examples of the signage you will see at waterways that are closed due to algae:
http://www.kdheks.gov/algae-illness/download/BGA_Signs.pdf

Explanation of symptoms brought on by ingestion of blue green algae:
http://www.kdheks.gov/algae-illness/algae_policy.htm

* Be sure to respect the warnings, soon the algae will die off naturally and activities can be resumed.

Article contact: Kim Harp

H1N1- flu update

It's back to school time, and that also means that kids will be sharing books, paper, computers, and yes... germs. State and Federal officials are gearing up to assist Americans through the upcoming flu season and educating the public on the transmission of H1N1, also known as Swine Flu. This post is to arm parents, educators and care providors with up-to-date information they need to help reduce the spread of the H1N1 virus in their community.

H1N1 information for schools from the Kansas Department of Education:
http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=3739

H1N1 flu virus information: Guidance for Schools, Parents, and Child Care Providers
http://www.kdheks.gov/H1N1/H1N1_guidance_schools.htm

Questions and Answers regarding H1N1
http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/qa.htm

H1N1 statistics:
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/surveillanceqa.htm

Preparing for the Flu: A Communication Toolkit for Schools (Grades K-12)
http://www.flu.gov/plan/school/toolkit.html

Updated Interim Guidance on Student Dismissal for 2009 H1N1 Flu
http://www.kdheks.gov/H1N1/download/Schools_Letter.pdf

Resources for teaching kids proper hand washing techniques

"Did you wash 'em?" from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment
http://www.kdheks.gov/wash_em/howtowash.html

NSF Scrub Club
http://www.scrubclub.org/home.aspx

It's a Snap learning toolkit
http://www.itsasnap.org/index.asp

Cover Your Cough posters
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/covercough.htm

Seseme Street (in Cooperation with the CDC) has put out "Staying Healthy Every Day" videos
http://www.sesamestreet.org/parents/topics/health/flu/

Advice from the CDC on talking with your children about H1N1
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/talkingtokids.htm

H1N1 (Swine Flu)

Resources compiled by Kim Harp, Reference Librarian at the State Library of Kansas
(Check out recent additions to our collection here)

Swine Flu

What is swine flu?
Swine flu has been on everyone’s mind recently with scares of pandemics. If you are suddenly feeling slightly flu-ish and wondering if it may be swine related, stay calm. Follow the links below to learn more about this disease, how many have gotten it, where and how it’s contracted and other important information.

Six things you should know about Swine Flu from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment
http://www.kdheks.gov/news/web_archives/2009/04262009.htm

You can learn more about what swine flu is and how it is contracted from the National Library of Medicine’s database named Medline Plus at
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/swineflu.html

H1N1 Flu Virus Information
La Influenza porcina y usted- Info in Spanish from the Center for Disease Control (CDC)
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/espanol/influenza_porcina_usted.htm


H1N1 Flu Virus Information
http://www.kdheks.gov/H1N1/index.htm
(Kansas Department of Health and Environment)

H1N1 Influenza (Swine Flu) Maps
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/swine_flu.html
(Provided by the Castaneda Map Library, University of Texas)

How do I avoid it?
How to best avoid germs and viruses including swine flu:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/habits.htm?s_cid=swineFlu_outbreak_003

Good hand washing techniques from KDHE
http://www.kdheks.gov/wash_em/howtowash.html

The U.S. Department of State is recommending that you limit travel to Mexico. Find out more at:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_mexico_swine_flu.html

What is the government doing about it?

U.S. has declared a public health emergency. See the official release at
http://www.hhs.gov/secretary/phe_swh1n1.html

Kansas Department of Health and Environment has established a swine flu hotline and email address to report cases and address your concerns. Find out more at http://www.kdheks.gov/news/web_archives/2009/04282009.htm

Read more about what Kansas is doing about swine flu at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment
http://www.kdheks.gov/

World Health Organization (WHO) is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends. Look for its press releases regarding swine flu
http://www.who.int/en/

Center for Disease Control information on swine flu
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services information on swine flu,
http://www.hhs.gov/

You can subscribe to the CDC’s RSS feed at
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/rss/

The CDC also has a Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/cdcemergency

NBAF

NBAF stands for the National Bio-Agro Defense Facility, a part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This facility would research and develop solutions to some of the world's most complex human and animal diseases. Your Kansas government officials have worked hard to bring this facility home to Manhattan, Kansas in hopes that it would create jobs and economic growth. Kansas was selected out of five finalists to become host to this research based facility.


Read more about this new facility at
http://www.nbafinkansas.org/pdfs/fact_sheets/NBAF_Fact_Sheet.pdf and

http://www.dhs.gov/xres/labs/editorial_0762.shtm

Why the need for a new facility?
http://www.dhs.gov/xres/labs/gc_1171470811292.shtm

What would be studied at NBAF:
http://www.dhs.gov/xres/labs/gc_1181073261627.shtm

What will it look like?
http://www.dhs.gov/xres/labs/gc_1181072257904.shtm

Read about safety issues addressed for this facility:
http://www.nbafinkansas.org/pdfs/fact_sheets/NBAF_safety.pdf and

http://www.nbafinkansas.org/SafetyAndSecurity.aspx

Environmental impact of NBAF:
http://www.dhs.gov/xres/labs/gc_1187734676776.shtm#1

Read more about the final decision at
http://www.nbafinkansas.org/pressroom/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?id=134

Task force who worked to bring it to Kansas:
http://www.nbafinkansas.org/task_force/

This effort was supported by the Kansas Bioscience Authority, Governor Sebelius and Senator Pat Roberts
http://www.kansasbioauthority.org/Default.aspx

www.governor.ks.gov

http://roberts.senate.gov

Current Salmonella Outbreak

Recent salmonella outbreaks across the country have Americans looking at food safety nationally and locally. The sites below offer information on the current outbreak and ways that government agencies are addressing it. Also included are a few sites with information on food safety in the home.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RESOURCES

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers about the Recent Salmonella Outbreak
http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/salmonellatyph/faq.html
(U.S. Food and Drug Administration)

Recalls.Gov
http://www.recalls.gov/food.html
(Information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug
Administration on recalled products)

Recall of Peanut-Containing Products: Salmonella Typhimurium
http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/salmonellatyph.html
(Up to date news from the Food and Drug Administration on the recall
of food products linked to possible salmonella poisoning)

Investigation Information for Outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium
Infections, 2008–2009
http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/typhimurium/
(U.S. Centers for Disease Control)

General Information on Salmonella from the Centers for Disease Control
http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/

Peanut Butter and other Peanut Containing Products Recall List
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/peanutbutterrecall/index.cfm
(U.S. Food and Drug Adminstration)

KANSAS RESOURCES

Food Safety Programs at the Kansas Department of Agriculture
http://www.ksda.gov/food_safety/content/326

News from the Kansas Department of Agriculture
http://www.ksda.gov/food_safety/news/id/235

Food Safety Network
http://www.foodsafety.ksu.edu/en/
(Kansas State University)

Outbreak Final Investigation Reports
http://www.kdheks.gov/epi/outbreaks.htm
(Investigations of possible problems by the Kansas Office of Surveillance & Epidemiology)

Focus on Food Safety
http://www.kdheks.gov/fofs/index.html
(Kansas Department of Health and Environment)

VIEW HOLDINGS IN THE STATE LIBRARY'S ATLAS CATALOG ON THIS TOPIC
http://topekalibraries.info/search/dsalmonella
(Online library catalog shared with Washburn University, the Kansas Supreme Court Law Library, the Brown V. Board National Historic Site and the Kansas State Historical Society)