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Will County health department reports MAP rollout, a large infant-formula recall and high influenza activity
Summary
Health department staff said MAP and a new iPlan are launching county outreach, reported 710 coats collected for families, and warned of an infant-formula recall affecting 19 states with 51 illnesses and hospitalizations; the department also said local water labs are certified but soil testing would require equipment and accreditation changes.
Elizabeth Velotta, representing the Will County Health Department, gave several public-health updates to the advisory board. Velotta said the county's MAP website and new iPlan are live and MAP teams will tour county entities to expand outreach. She also noted a recent coat drive that collected about 710 coats and helped roughly 170 families.
Velotta told members about an ongoing infant-formula recall tied to illnesses in multiple states. "At this point, it's in 19 states, 51 illnesses, 51 hospitalizations," she said. She emphasized that influenza and norovirus activity are rising and that IDPH now rates influenza as very high; the department urged routine precautions and noted changes to the childhood vaccination schedule under federal guidance.
Board members asked whether the county laboratory could run soil testing. Velotta and Sean Conners, director of environmental health, said the county lab is certified for water testing and that adding soil analysis would likely require costly equipment, analyst training, potential lab renovation and accreditation decisions; they recommended scoping specific analytes and collaborating with IEPA or state/accredited labs.
Velotta introduced Ashwarya as the health department's new health-equity manager and said staff will attend a legislative roundtable on Jan. 26. No formal actions were taken on public-health items at this meeting.
