Some major illnesses, in Salt Lake County have reached an all-time low. More now on the good news from the county's new "Disease-Index" from Science Specialist Ed Yeates:

Dirty hand diseases, sexually transmitted infections and the respiratory biggies like tuberculosis are all down.

Hepatitis-A was nine times the national average early last year. But over the past 12-months, it's dropped 67 percent and continues falling in these first few months of '98.

((THOMAS SCHLENKER, M.D., SLCC HEALTH DEPARTMENT: "FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE ENTIRE DECADE, WE ARE AT NO MORE THAN THE U-S AVERAGE."))

Salmonella is down by 40 percent

Shigella, another gastrointestinal disease which hits day care centers hard, has dropped 79 percent.

And even though Utah still has one of the poorest childhood immunization records in the country, not one case of measles was reported in Salt Lake county during the past twelve months.

Dr. Thomas Schlenker says he hopes the new tally - what is called a CDI index of 97 - marks a turning point for the county.

((ED YEATES, SCIENCE SPECIALIST: "SALT LAKE CITY/COUNTY HEALTH IS SO PLEASED WITH THIS LATEST INDEX, IT DELIVERED A CELEBRATION PRESS PACKAGE TO REPORTERS. AND IT HAPPENED HERE AT THE NORTHWEST COMMUNITY CENTER WHICH IS ALREADY INVOLVED IN A VERY SUCCESSFUL HEPATITIS-A PREVENTION PROGRAM."))

This is one of two test neighborhoods where all pre-school age children are getting vaccinated with the new Hepatitis-A vaccine. The vaccinations could reduce Hepatitis-A even more in the next two years. A recent SLCC Health Department study shows children, not restaurants, primarily spread the disease.

Cleaner hands, sharper surveillance and more compliance from businesses have helped improve Salt Lake County's health profile. But, Dr. Schlenker warns things could change again overnight if we let our guard down.