Preventing hantavirus:

Avoid rodent contact by taking the following measures:
1. Always limit food sources that will attract rodents both inside and outside the home.
2. Limit possible nesting sites in or near the home.
3. Prevent rodent entrance into the home.
4. Eliminate rodents by using "snap traps."
5. Use a solution of household bleach (3 tablespoons bleach to one gallon of water) to disinfect rodents before handling. Wear rubber gloves when handling trapped rodents. Disinfect the gloves and the trap afterwards.
6. Air out rodent infested space before cleaning. Do not sweep and breathe potentially contaminated dust. Disinfect contaminated materials with bleach solution before moving them.
7. When camping or sleeping outdoors, avoid disturbing or sleeping near rodent droppings and/or burrows.

(Source: Utah Health Dept.)
For more information on hantavirus visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/disease/hantvrus.htm.

How To Use Insect Repellant Safely:

1. Apply only to exposed skin and/or clothing. Do not use under clothing.
2. Never use over cuts, wounds, or irritated skin.
3. Do not apply near eyes, mouth, and apply sparingly around ears. When using sprays, do not spray directly into face; spray on hands first and then apply to face.
4. Do not allow children to handle this product, and do not apply to children's hands. Apply it to your own hands, then put it on the child.
5. Do not spray in enclosed areas. Do not use near food, and avoid breathing the spray.
6. Use just enough to cover exposed skin and/or clothing. If biting insects do not respond to a thin film of repellant, apply a bit more.
7. After returning indoors, wash treated skin with soap and water. This is particularly important when repellants are used repeatedly in a day or on consecutive days. Also, wash treated clothing before wearing it again.

(Source: Environmental Protection Agency)

More About Salmonella:

Salmonella occurs most often in infants and young children, but anyone can get it. It is a bacteria, usually spread by eating or drinking infected food or water. It can also be spread by direct contact with an infected person or animal.

Symptoms usually appear with 6 - 72 hours after infection. They include headache, stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and almost always fever. Not all people infected will become sick.

General guidelines for preventing salmonella:
-Always refrigerate meats and eggs.
-Always cook meats completely. Never eat raw meat.
-Always cook eggs and food containing raw eggs completely. Never eat dough or batter that contains raw eggs.
-Avoid unpasteurized milk or foods made with unpasteurized milk.
-Always wash your hands with soap and warm water before and after handling food, using the toilet, after changing diapers, or after playing with your pet.
For more information, contact the Utah Dept. of Health, Bureau of Epidemiology (801) 538-6191.

(Source: Utah Health Dept.)

More About E-coli:

Ecoli is acquired by eating food containing the bacteria, but young children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems are the most severely affected.

Symptoms usually appear three days after exposure, with a range of one to nine days. Symptoms include little or no fever, diarrhea, blood in the stool, or no symptoms at all.

Food handling tips to prevent ecoli:
-Ground beef should be frozen or refrigerated at 45 degrees or less as soon as possible after purchase, and kept refrigerated until used.
-Ground beef should be packaged and stored so that juices do not drip onto other foods.
-Wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm water before and after handling raw meat.
-Never reuse packaging materials.
-Don't recontaminate meat by placing cooked meat on the same platter or surface that held raw meat, or by using utensils contaminated by raw meat.
-Utensils, dishes, and surfaces which come in contact with raw meat should be washed with soap and water before they are used again.

Cooking tips:
-Thoroughly cook ground beef until there is no pink in the middle and juices run clear. Cook to 155 degrees or above. Do not cook ground beef in microwave because it may cook unevenly.
-Discard any cooked hamburger left at room temperature for more than two hours.
-After cooking, ground beef can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 - 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Reheating:
-Reheat fully cooked ground beef and hamburger patties to 165 degrees or above.
For more information, contact the Utah Dept. of Health, Bureau of Epidemiology (801) 538-6191.

(Source: Utah Health Dept.)