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Show Sun Advocate Price, Utah Tuesday March 11, 2003 3A Health department upgrades influenza status to widespread The Utah Department of Health has upgraded the states influenza status to widespread from regional activity. So far, there have been 131 laboratory confirmed cases reported during this years flu season in Utah. The health department tracks influenza activity by reports of patients diagnosed with the disease through lab confirmed cases, reports of patients e with symptoms which are not lab confirmed, through flu-lik- monitoring absenteeism at schools throughout the state and by monitoring the rates of illness at 30 sentinel healthcare clinics. Flu activity has been reported in all 12 local health districts, including the Castle Valley area, and the number of influenza-lik- e absentee children has been above average in many schools the past several weeks. Utahs flu season typically runs from November through March with peak levels occurring anytime during the season however, the last several years the peak was during the second week of February. The number of Utah cases started to pick up during the week of Feb. 9 and they have remained consistent. The majority of reported cases have been type A influenza. The cases have also been largely pediatric and center along the Wasatch Front area. However, Carbon County has also been affected. The flu is a contagious respiratory disease which is quite different from the common cold. Influenza usually comes on suddenly and may include the following symptoms: Fever. Headache. Tiredness (may be ex- treme). Dry cough. Sore throat. Nasal congestion. Body aches. The flu is spread when a person who has the disease coughs, sneezes or speaks and sends flu virus into the air and others inhale the virus. Influenza may also be spread when a person touches a surface that has been contaminated with the virus. Surfaces such as a door handle which has been touched by someone who has touched their nose or mouth and is infected with the flu may be prime locations for transmission of the virus. from the flu disease. Carbon County residents can still protect themselves from influenza by getting a flu shot. Though late in the typical flu season, individuals who are at high risk for serious complications from the disease should consider vaccination if they havent already done so earlier in the flu season. Also those who were vaccinated in September or early October of last year should consider receiving a second vaccine because the original vaccine may decrease over time. Although flu shots are the best way to prevent the flu from infecting the body, simple precaution steps may also be taken to avoid the disease. By washing hands correctly and frequently, Castle Valley residents may prevent the spread of influenza. County approves bond issuance: If infected by the flu, one should rest, drink plenty of liquids, avoid using alcohol and tobacco, and take medication to relieve the sv mptoms of the disease. Prescription antis iral medications can reduce the duration of the flu by about one day if taken within two days of the onset of the irus. Parents should also note that aspirin should never be given to children or teenagers who have a fever without speaking to a physician first. Because giving aspirin to children and teens w ho have the flu can cause a rare but serious illness called Reve syndrome, aspirin should be avoided if at all possible. For more information about flu vaccines and where the shots are available, residents may contact the Utah immunie zation hotline at (Continued from page 1A) maintenance will consist of crack sealing and a fog coat for the existing svstem. Bids were submitted by AT Asphalt for $66,565, M and M Asphalt for $8 1,S30, Superior Asphalt for $76,088, Intermountain Slurry Seal for $62, 355, Bonneville Asphalt for $62,463 and Gordon paving for $65,150. An incomplete bid from Maxwell Asphalt was voided. The commission decided to have airport officials review the bids and recommend the lowest expenditure fitting the specifications. This is a unique situation, said Commissioner Bill Krompel. Usually, the state grants on this kind of thing are on a 50-5- 0 match. But in this case, the state is willing to pay 90 percent of the cost to maintain the runwavs. The commission also was presented with an example of the new county flag. The design was approved by the commission a few months ago and the flags have been manufactured. We bought 12 of them, said Patti Pierce, who headed up the flag selection committee. This will portray a good image of the county. Last fall w he n the state fair decided to fly a flag from every county, officials discovered that Carbon did not have one. As a substitute, the state fair basically took transferred the Carbon County emblem onto ablank sheet and hung it as a flag. 1 told them we now have a flag and they were very happy they w ould not have to do that again, noted Pierce. Last Thursday morning, the flag was flying in front of the countv courthouse on Main Street. toll-fre- Although exposed to the disease, the victim may not become infected until one to four days later. Most people who get the flu, will recover in one to two weeks, but others will develop complications such as pneumonia. Utah residents age 65 years and older or those any age with chronic medical conditions and very young children are mpre-- "ST H t rH- - ; 4, Ii a l Loveseat . ASHLEY, likely to get complications' K $(M995 Sofa PRWID explains charging practices: (Continued from page 1A) systems over to us. They got a $940,000 loan at 1.27 percent over 20 years and a $141,000 grant to take care of the situation. Depending on the water company each resident will have to pay up to an additional $16 per month for the next 20 years to pay for these upgrades. The construction on this should start this fall and soon after that the systems will be part of PRWID. The explanation led the board to think that maybe the small water companies could avoid having to hire a certified operator for short periods of time. Maybe we could petition the state, showing what these companies are doing and they would waive that requirement for the short term, stated Cox. Guido Rachiele suggested that the district have their attorney write the letter on behalf of the small companies. The board approved the move. Reports on two ongoing and upcoming construction projects were also presented. The first was on the relocation project that is being done for the Utah Department of Transportation. The project between Wellington and Price is going fairly well, Palmer told the board. Its moving ahead. The crews had to spend a lot of time in Hayes, Wash, but are through that now. The board approved an $8,789.75 change order to pay the contractor for some extenuating circumstances on part of the project. There was not enough clarification on the plans for the east end of the projects depth so the contractor had to do more than anticipated, said Palmer. He also pointed out that the money wouldnt be paid until the state department approved the money. The board also approved a partial payment of $81,851.37 for the contractors work. Palmer also reported that contracts with UDOT on the Helper overpass project were ready with some changes that the districts attorney had made. Another item that was discussed at the meeting was the latest d area (the Snowtel report. As of March 4, watershed that feeds Scofield Reservoir) total precipitation since Oct. 1 is 10.8 inches. The average for that area by this time of the water year is usually 13.7 inches. Consequently that watershed is 79 percent of normal. The White River, which provides only runoff, primary water, but has no storage is at 77 percent of normal moisture. While both these are better than much of the state has fared, it is still very low, particularly considering the area has been in a drought for the last four years. Another important factor is how much water is presently in Scofield Reservoir. According to reports the present level is 16,730 acre feet of water. That compares to 28,220 acre feet that was in the reservoir at this time last year. Overall it is estimated the overall use out of the reservoir last year was 52,770 acre feet of water. Skyline Mine continues to pump water out of the companys : underground facility. But the maximum amount of the water that Muddy Creek can legally handle is 8,000 gallons per minute, due d to environmental concerns along the bed. Last year, about of the water that was put into Scofield was from the mine pumping. I (4 .'1 : Bev Doolittle Custom Framed Prints 10 OFF SIMMONS BEAUTYREST SPRING AIR Back Supporter 3 All Mattresses at Sale Prices AMANA Deluxe 21 cu. ft. Refrigerator SAVE Mammoth-Cottonwoo- $40 AFTER REBATE I AMANA Deluxe 4 Burner Gas Cook Top SAVE $30 one-thir- Artist ASHLEY Durapella Microfiber Recliner SAVE $50 $37S95 md Petted Beautiful Bombe' Chest MtoM Computer Desk my&y kcmwwd 2603 6:00 to 10:00 p.m 15, froTO NOW ONLY 51095 W Wood, with Black Vinyl Glider Rocker Save $75.00 HARD HAT i. j FURNITURE & APPLIANCE Msfo, Your 21 West Main, Price U 44 I4il4n 637-014- 0 Neighborhood Sxjtcxt Hours: Mon.-Fr- i. 9 til 6, Sat. 9 til 5, Closed Sunday |