Top 5 Public Health Concerns in Rexburg, ID (Kim Eckman)

Immunizations in the schools: When I was home this weekend, my little sister was telling me about a couple shots she had to get. She showed me a letter from the Alan Dunn, the Superintendent of the Sugar-Salem School district. Apparently there are quite a few children without necessary shots and it has caused quite a scare. There have been many concerns that diseases such as the whooping cough and measles can come back if the children of the community are not immunized. To respond to the situation, they are requiring all students to have certain shots or they cannot precede to the next grade level.

E. coli outbreak in the Splash Park: A public splash park was recently constructed in a park in town. The public was thrilled at the opportunity it gave them to spend time with their children and enjoy the summer weather. However, not long after its opening, children started to get sick. Public health officials traced it to poor sanitation and pronounced and E. coli outbreak. Mayor Richard Woodland responded to the public outcries stating that the park would be temporarily closed and treated so that the situation would not be repeated.

Coliform in wells: Living in a rural community, the majority of residents in my hometown have individual wells that provide water for them and their families. However, recently there was an outbreak of coliform in the wells. Somehow the bacteria have contaminated multiple wells. Officials are still looking into it, but Bruce Eckman, a community member, expressed his concern about the situation. Officials are still trying to trace where the bacteria may have come from.

Pedestrian deaths because of lack of attention to surroundings: When there were two pedestrian killed in the same intersection within a one year period, the community became concerned. As a response to this outcry, legislation was drafted to pass a law regarding texting and talking on the phone while crossing the cross walk. The law was passed and has been very beneficial especially around the college campus where lots of students cross busy streets. Since the law was passed there have not been any deaths or pedestrian related accidents. It is great to see that the legislation was effective, but unfortunate that it took two tragedies to spur the push for the cross walk laws.

Smoke in the air from fires:  Officials were very concerned about the air quality last summer and are again preparing for poor air conditions this summer. The raging fires that destroyed parts of Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, and Utah were not only detrimental to the land they consumed. The fires also released pollution into the air that decreased its quality juristically. The air was polluted enough to cause great concern to the public. There were many public announcements advising community members to stay indoors and avoid excursing outside.