Federal officials have issued a warning to the public about a “sharp increase” in fentanyl being mixed with xylazine, an animal tranquilizer, and local officials say it has been detected in Lake County. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration issued the nationwide alert last week. Xylazine, also known as “Tranq,” is a powerful sedative that the […]
Tag: Illinois Department of Public Health
Posted inState News
Illinois health director recommends residents wear masks as state sees ‘significant rise’ of COVID-19
Illinois health officials say the state is experiencing a “significant rise” of counties at elevated risk for COVID-19 and are recommending residents wear masks. COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses are continuing to rise across Illinois following the Thanksgiving holiday, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). The IDPH said the anticipated “post-holiday surge” […]
Posted inState News
Bipartisan legislative panel objects to continued COVID-19 emergency rules filed by Illinois Department of Public Health
(The Center Square) – A bipartisan panel of Illinois lawmakers on Tuesday objected to continued emergency rules filed by the Illinois Department of Public Health, with one member saying, “the pandemic is over.” Earlier this month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued another consecutive disaster proclamation for Illinois. With the proclamation, modified executive orders do away with […]
Posted inState News
Illinois begins rolling out monkeypox vaccines to high-risk residents
A limited supply of the monkeypox vaccine is being prioritized for residents in certain high-risk categories, state health officials announced on Thursday. Illinois received 7,371 doses of the Jynneos vaccine and the City of Chicago received 18,707 doses as of Thursday, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) said. Local health officials were advised that […]
Posted inState News
Health officials say first probable case of monkeypox virus identified in Illinois
The state health department announced Thursday the first presumptive case of monkeypox was identified in Illinois in a resident who recently traveled internationally. Initial testing was completed Wednesday at an IDPH laboratory and confirmatory testing for monkeypox is pending at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) […]
Posted inLocal News
CDC recommends masks in Lake County for high-risk people due to medium ‘community level’ COVID-19
The CDC is recommending masks for the elderly and the immunocompromised after Lake County was upgraded to “medium community level” of COVID-19 on Friday. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced on Friday that 24,646 new cases of COVID-19 and 46 deaths were reported since last Friday. As of Thursday night, 732 people were […]
Posted inState News
State health officials issue warning to Illinois parents about severe liver damage in children
State health officials are warning parents in Illinois after cases of severe hepatitis in children have been reported in the state, including one case that required a liver transplant. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) said Monday that it has learned of three suspected cases of severe hepatitis in children under 10 years of […]
Posted inState News
IDPH issues warning that COVID-19 cases are slowly rising in many areas of Illinois
The Illinois Department of Public Health issued a warning Thursday about COVID-19 case rates that are “slowly rising in many areas of the state.” The state health department said that Illinois residents should be “paying close attention to conditions in their local communities and staying up-to-date on their vaccination status.” “While hospitalizations and deaths tied […]
Posted inState News
Illinois sees spike in fatal overdoses from animal tranquillizer mixed in heroin, cocaine
Health officials are seeing a major increase in drug overdoses in Illinois due to an animal tranquilizer, which does not respond to Narcan, that is being mixed into heroin and cocaine. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) sent a memo to EMS providers, hospitals and other health organizations in the state on Monday. The […]