As the warmer weather creeps in, the Springfield-Greene County Health Department starts their summer season. This means two things — stream water testing and surveillance for heat-related illnesses like heat stroke and heat exhaustion.
Springfield-Greene County Health Department spokeswoman Kathryn Wall told KSMU these two services help bring awareness to citizens.
“Well this is a service we provide here at the health department because we recognize that it’s the time of year where people start thinking about being out in the water and also just being out in the heat. Both of these can lead to illnesses that maybe people don’t often think of,” Kathryn Wall said.
The health department partners with the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks to monitor five area swimming locations on a weekly basis. These five sites — James River, Galloway Creek, Lake Springfield, Little Sac River and Wilson’s Creek — are tested for the presence of E. coli in the waters.
Due to recent flooding in the area, all waters tested recently presented high levels of E. Coli. The health department encourages those who choose to swim to practice “safe swimming tips.” Those include not swimming after heavy rains or in murky waters, not swimming while ill, not ingesting stream waters or getting the water in your mouth and practicing good hygiene after swimming.
The health department is also tracking instances of different heat-related illnesses.
There are several things that could put someone at a higher risk for a heat-related illness like age, obesity, fever, dehydration, mental illness, poor circulation, sunburns and prescription drug and alcohol use.
To prevent a heat-related illness, the health department says you should stay hydrated and avoid direct sunlight for long periods of time.