skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

U.S. gender wage gap grows for first time in a decade; Trump has embraced NC's Mark Robinson, calling him 'Martin Luther King on steroids'; Volunteers sought as early voting kicks off in MN; Women's political contributions in congressional races fall short of men's.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Iowa's Top Doctor Gives Tips for Healthy Holidays

play audio
Play

Tuesday, December 15, 2015   

DES MOINES, Iowa – The holidays are a time for giving and sharing, but some people give more than presents – they share germs that cause illness.

Dr. Patricia Quinlisk, medical director of the Iowa Department of Public Health, says the best thing to do when you're sick is to stay home and skip holiday gatherings.

"Most the time when you're acutely ill, you're coughing, you have diarrhea or whatever it is, that means you're highly infectious, and you just need to stay away from other people so that you don't spread it," she stresses.

Quinlisk encourages those who are ill to also stay away from food preparation tasks, because making Christmas cookies and other holiday favorites to send to neighbors can spread even more germs.

She says people might have heard it a hundred times before, but washing hands often with warm, soapy water is the single best way to stay healthy.

If that isn't possible, she encourages use of an alcohol gel – however, she notes hand sanitizers don't work on every germ.

"While hand gels will kill the influenza virus, it will not kill the norovirus,” she points out. “And that's the virus that causes most of the outbreaks of diarrhea that we see here in Iowa. And, for reasons that we don't fully understand, the alcohol gels will not kill that virus."

Two influenza-related deaths have already been reported in Iowa this season.





get more stories like this via email

more stories
Recipients of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant can now access funding to drive financing for thousands of climate-focused and clean energy initiatives. (bilanol/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Michigan's most vulnerable communities are receiving federal funding to fight the devastating effects of climate change. It's part of the $27 billion …


Environment

play sound

A new report contends fossil fuel funding has biased Columbia University's climate research. The report, by two Columbia students, shows the …

Social Issues

play sound

An Alabama woman is on a mission to help people who've been incarcerated for decades successfully transition back into society. The mission to …


So far in 2024, community health centers in North Dakota have screened 11,580 patients for food insecurity. Through those screenings, more than three thousand box meals have been distributed. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

September is Hunger Action Month. In North Dakota, it isn't just food banks trying to help underserved populations get nutritious items. Health …

Environment

play sound

Marine biologists conducting deep dives near five California islands are collecting data they hope will strengthen the case for ending gillnet fishing…

AI queries require about 10 times the electricity of traditional internet searches and the generation of original music, photos and videos requires much more, according to the Electric Power Research Institute. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Researchers at Iowa State University are taking aim at the huge amount of energy used by data centers, now and in the future. They have developed a …

Environment

play sound

Rising demands for clean energy efficiency are producing a wealth of work opportunities in Illinois. These in-demand jobs are also promoting a …

Social Issues

play sound

Like polling from other battleground states, the race for the White House remains close in Wisconsin. But fresh numbers out this week show some …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021