Bedbugs and STDs and lead.
Oh my. Or rather, oh yuck.
Representatives of the Flint Hills Community Health Center had updates on different health trends as part of their quarterly meeting with Lyon County commissioners Thursday, and it’s fair to say commissioners had a lot to digest afterward. Director of Contract Services Jennifer Millbern says bedbugs have been an issue, but there has been a recent spike in activity.
Milbern says bedbugs hitchhike well, and with people traveling more the pests are now becoming more of a residential problem as opposed to one largely focused on hotels.
The Health Center is in the process of finalizing an information campaign, and you can call the Health Center at 342-4864 extension 5 if you have bedbugs to report or if you have questions.
Click here for information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Click here for information from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Separately, Melissa Smith said the Health Center is tracking the number of communicable diseases, with flu among a handful of diseases becoming more prevalent.
Food-borne, water-borne, gastric and sexually transmitted diseases are also on the rise.
Smith says an information campaign is developing on STDs locally, specifically gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis.
Lead cases are also at a level where additional monitoring is needed, although Smith says part of that has to do with a change in state guidance. Recently, the state mandated additional monitoring of there were 10 cases a quarter. Now that level is at five, and Lyon County had six over the past quarter. Lyon County will now do home questionnaires to determine the source of the lead and follow up with information about diet, cleaning and other matters.
In other business, Lyon County approved a payment of just over $5,000 to participate in a road safety survey that’s organized by the Kansas Department of Transportation. A consultant will survey Lyon County’s major collector roads as defined by KDOT with the goal of outlining potential safety improvements. Lyon County and other participating counties could then qualify for federal funding through a high-risk rural road improvement program.
Also, commissioners approved a pair of pay orders as water line and water tower work continues for Rural Water District 1 in northwest Lyon County. The county paid Goins Construction over $106,000 as it continues water line work in and around Americus, and it paid Phoenix Fabricators over $21,000 for water tower work in Bushong. Construction should be totally wrapped up by February, with the water tower possibly done by early next week.
