Calhoun County Health Department

10/26/2026

10/22/2026

Don’t Let the Flu Haunt Your Spooky Season! 🎃👻
The only thing scarier than a haunted house? Catching the flu right before trick-or-treating or Halloween parties! 🩺

Why roll up your sleeve this spooky season?
🎃Keep the Boos Away: Stay healthy so you don't miss out on the fun festivities!
🎃Shield Your Coven: Protect higher-risk loved ones, kids, and grandparents while out trick-or-treating.
🎃No Tricks, Just Treats: It takes about two weeks for antibodies to build up, so the best time to get protected is right now!

10/20/2026

🎃 NOT ALL MONSTERS WEAR COSTUMES THIS OCTOBER… SOME OF THEM HAVE EIGHT LEGS AND ARE LOOKING FOR A SNACK! 🕷️👀

While you’re out enjoying pumpkin spice, crisp autumn air, and fall foliage, our team is out in the woods doing something a little unusual… Tick Dragging! 🍁🕵️‍♂️ Tiny white flannel sheets are dragged across leaf litter and tall grass to collect questing blacklegged ticks (also known as deer ticks).

🍁 "Wait, isn't tick season over?"
Nope! October and November are actually PEAK SEASON for adult blacklegged ticks. They love cool, damp fall weather and are actively searching for their next meal before winter sets in.

Here is how you can keep your family (and pets!) safe while enjoying fall outdoor activities:
✨ Check your clothes & skin after taking a walk through leaves or wooded trails.
✨ Tumble dry fall clothes on HIGH heat for 10 minutes to kill any hitchhikers.
✨ Use EPA-registered bug spray (look for DEET or Picaridin).
✨ Don't forget your pets! Keep up with their flea and tick treatments year-round.

Enjoy the beautiful autumn weather, stay safe on the trails, and leave the tick hunting to us! 🍂👻

10/20/2026

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who swung by our Flu Shot Clinic yesterday! Because of you, our community is safer, stronger, and ready to tackle flu season. 💪✨

Did you miss yesterday's clinic? No worries, we have options for you to get your flu shot!
1. You can call and make an appointment.
2. We have walk-in clinics every Monday and Wednesday, 1 to 3:30 (no appointment required).
3. We will be having a Saturday drive thru clinic in November (more details to come!).

**We still have limited stock of the covid vaccine, so if you are wanting it as well, please call ahead to ensure we have it**

10/16/2026

Happy National Boss’s Day to our very own, Megan! 🌟

Whether she’s guiding our team through big projects or keeping everything running smoothly behind the scenes, Megan makes our workplace a better, brighter place every single day.

Her leadership, dedication, and support mean the world to all of us and Calhoun County is extremely lucky to have her as the Health Department's administrator.

10/13/2026

👻 Boo to the Flu Vaccine Clinic

📅 Monday, October 19th
⏰ 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM
📍 Calhoun County Health Department

Event Details:
Get your flu protection ahead of the fall and winter season!
This clinic is open to the public and for all ages! Make sure to bring your insurance card. We will have treat bags available for all the kiddos!

We hope to see you there!

10/12/2026

October: The month of ghosts, ghouls, and somehow… still mosquitoes. 👻🦟

Just because the calendar says fall doesn't mean these little vampires got the memo. If you have standing water in your yard, you’re basically running a free 5-star day spa and maternity ward for mosquito larvae. Watch closely in the video, you can see the mosquito pupa diving to the bottom when disturbed. Once they reach this stage, you have about 2 to 3 days before they are flying adults!

Do yourself (and your ankles) a favor today: go dump out those flower pots, buckets, and bird baths! 🪣💦 Also, if you have closed your pool for the season, not a bad idea to treat the water with larvicide. Which, we happen to have available at the Health Department!

10/09/2026

🎉 **FREEBIES, FREEBIES, FREEBIES!** 🎉

Whether you're planning ahead, protecting your health, or just want to know what's available, we've got resources for YOU! 🙌

📍The next time you are in the area, stop by the Calhoun County Health Department and see what FREE resources we have available--Tick kits, narcan, sharps containers, condoms, limited formula, cpr masks and more!

✨ Your health matters, and we're here to help — no purchase necessary!

10/09/2026

There's a new tick moving into the Midwest and Illinois, and here's some facts to keep you, your pets, and your livestock safe! 🦟🔍

Meet the Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis). Native to East Asia, this invasive pest was first spotted in west-central Illinois in 2024 (and confirmed in the following Illinois counties: Hamilton, Clay, and Pope)!

Here’s what makes this little pest so unusual (and why you should care):
🧬 1. Female Power... Literally!
Female Asian longhorned ticks reproduce through parthenogenesis—meaning they don't need a male to reproduce. A single female can drop onto a pasture, lay up to 2,000 eggs all by herself, and start an entire population!

🔎 2. Master of Disguise
Unfed, they are tiny—about the size of a sesame seed—and plain reddish-brown with no distinctive spots or patterns.

🐄 3. Big Threat to Livestock
While they'll gladly hitch a ride on pets, wildlife, and humans, they love cattle, horses, sheep, and goats. Swarms of hundreds or thousands on a single animal can cause severe anemia, weight loss, and carry livestock diseases.

🌾 4. Where They Hang Out
They favor humid, overgrown pastures, tall grass, and the edges of wooded areas—right where woods meet pastures.

Spotted unusual tick clusters on your animals? Contact your local Health Department, Extension Office or veterinarian!

10/08/2026

SAVE THE DATE: Boo to the Flu will be held this year on October 19th. More details to come!

We can't wait to see all your little ghouls and goblins! Get your flu shot right in time before you get busy!