Knox County Health Department

12/20/2025

As I sit here wrapping up the week and preparing to take a few days off next week for the holiday, I'd like to wish our friends, neighbors and Facebook followers a Merry Christmas.

The office will observe state and federal holiday schedules over the next two weeks and has given our staff an extra day over the new year.

We will be open next Monday and Tuesday from 8a - 4pm and then will return on December 29 thru December 31 from 8a to 4p. We will maintain on call staff for those currently on home heath, as well as public health emergency response on call ability.

2025 has flown by. I hope to put out a recap of agency "happenings" and where we are with regard to contracts, programs, staffing and budget heading into 2026 when we return after the holiday. In the meantime, we appreciate you as always.

Merry Christmas & Be Well-- LMC

12/17/2025

Weekly Word, Put fun on the list.

Put fun on the list, what a good idea. What's fun, what makes us happy during the holidays? What's memory worthy? I suppose it starts with finding things we enjoy and making them happen and I believe it revolves around the people we love. Here's a list of things maybe you haven't heard of or thought of lately.
Make new traditions, like designating December 1st as new Christmas PJ day and you'll have your December movie attire and include a family movie night/slumber party!
Learn about the different Christmas traditions from around the world, it's interesting and you'll find their must do's, everything from surfing to roller skating and piñatas!
Celebrate Sinterklaas on Dec 6th, a Dutch tradition where children put shoes (they may use their wooden clogs) by the fireplace or doorway the evening of the 5th. Upon waking, they find little sweets and treats tucked in the shoes, typically cookies or chocolate coins- unless they have been bad and earned coal instead.
Germans have an advent candle wreath with 4/5 candles, and each one has meaning and a time to be lit. The English have crackers, (they look like a large paper firecracker), these pop and the contents are jokes or treats. There are many fun traditions we can enjoy or even make our own.
Maybe start a journal where each person in the family records the best thing that happened to them the previous year. After several years It's fun to reflect on the good things that have happened to everyone. Sometimes the best things become comical, especially our perspective at the time.
Keep crafts or puzzles out on card tables all month for easy access.
As a family, buy gifts for someone less fortunate or pick up cans of food and take them to the food bank.
If you have lost someone special, buy an ornament relating to them (tractor, heart...) as a keepsake commemorating their life. You can buy that same ornament for each of your children and put the someone special's initials and the date on it. When they are grown, they will take these memories to their homes.
Organize a themed gift swap with family or friends, the theme can be anything: coffee's, wine, BBQ Sauces, baseball... even gag gifts.
And finally, let the celebrations begin on Christmas Eve, have special games, food and drink, something special makes it merry, like, pretzel reindeer, marshmallow penguins or red Grinch punch with green sugar coating the rim of the glasses. Festive is fun, let's make memories!--Michelle Chrisman, Health Educator

12/17/2025

For Immediate Release:
Dec. 2, 2025

Media Contact:
Lisa Cox
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
Media Inquiry Form

Missouri WIC infant formula manufacturer rebate contract awarded
JEFFERSON CITY, MO -- DHSS announces the Missouri WIC Infant Formula Manufacturer Rebate contract was awarded to Abbott Laboratories, Inc. WIC is the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, administered in Missouri by the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).

WIC federal regulations require all state agencies to maintain a competitive cost-containment infant formula rebate contract. Abbott, the awarded manufacturer, receives the exclusive right to provide its products to WIC participants requiring a standard formula in exchange for a monetary rebate reimbursed to the Missouri WIC program. The infant formula rebate maximizes the program’s ability to provide supplemental food benefits to all WIC participants.

Missouri WIC will continue to issue Similac Advance, Similac Sensitive, Similac Total Comfort and Similac Soy Isomil under the new infant formula rebate contract. WIC provides participants with these standard contract brands of formula, unless a specific medical condition requires an exempt formula or a WIC-eligible nutritional. Information about prescribing an exempt formula for infants or a WIC-eligible nutritional can be found on the WIC Health Care Providers web page.

WIC recognizes and promotes breastfeeding as the optimal source of nutrition for infants. In Missouri, 75.2% of WIC mothers initiated breastfeeding in 2025. However, for women who are unable to fully breastfeed or choose not to, WIC provides nutritionally appropriate iron-fortified formulas to eligible infants.

To qualify for the WIC program, participants must meet the following requirements:

Be a pregnant, breastfeeding or new mother; an infant up to age one; or a child up to their 5th birthday.
Be a resident of Missouri.
Meet income eligibility requirements.
Missourians interested in learning about the benefits of WIC may visit WIC.Mo.Gov or call TEL-LINK at 1-800-835-5465 to find the WIC local agency in their county.

_______________________________________________________________

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, s*x, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the state or local agency that administers the program or contact USDA through the Telecommunications Relay Service at 711 (voice and TTY). Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online athttps://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

(1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Mail Stop 9410, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;

(2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or

(3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Mission of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS):

To promote health and safety through prevention, collaboration, education, innovation and response.

12/05/2025

Managing holiday stress

Be realistic, yes, you can do 483 things a day during the Christman season, but should you ? Choose shortcuts you'll be happy with. I love wrapped gifts but they are time consuming so gift bags have become my friend. If there's time I'll wrap one for each kid- maybe. The day before Thanksgiving or Christmas we grab pizza or eat light (AKA get your own and by the way, do you really need to eat today, you can make up for it tomorrow! ). I also ask people to bring food, maybe things I dislike making, someone will like. Share the fun, even Santa has elves!
They say decide what you want the holidays to feel like (the feels are what we hold on to), maybe festive, peaceful, connected or Grinch-like. Whatever, let that help you navigate the things you do or don't do. Reflect on prior Christmas memories to find the things you enjoyed the most and make them happen. Playing games used to happen spontaneously at our house so now I plan game nights- with fun and easy finger foods. Get rest and schedule down time. Watch a favorite Christmas movie, take a nap, take a long bubble bath- anything that has no purpose, only your enjoyment.
Plan ahead and prioritize, making lists of what must be done, what you'd like to do and what you'll save for, "only if I have time."
Break it down, many holiday tasks require lots of steps. Gifts for example, you choose who to buy for, what to buy, do the buying, and wrap the gifts, hopefully you have an elf. Simplify when you can, great gifts can be duplicated. I like to give event gifts like a gift card for a meal, one for an event (the Bridgeview in Ottumwa has comedians, concerts and rodeos), and one for dessert. In theory I could repeat this for everyone easily.
The bottom-line is don't live up to your high expectations. Don't do more than you can or should. Get organized, enjoy the season, be kind, smile, hold the door and spread cheer when you can. Leave the Grinch for movie night.

Michele Chrisman, Health Educator

11/25/2025

Call and register today!

11/19/2025

Thanksgiving prep!

I will tell you after I got somewhat organized, my Thanksgiving got a whole lot better, more fun and more to be thankful for! I make the basics every year and add dishes if I want to. I have a permanent master list of those basics with a timeline that I may or may not adjust.

2-3 weeks prior to Thanksgiving, I make the grocery list, I enjoy it as it gets me in the mood. This is when I make homemade chicken stock, noodles, pie crusts, rolls and cinnamon rolls (enough for Christmas too) and freeze them all.

About 5 days before turkey day I do the shopping and figure out when to thaw the turkey in the refrigerator. You'll need 24 hours for every 4 pounds so a 20 lb turkey needs 5 days. It's a good time to clean the fridge!

The Tuesday before, I tape my dishes/timeline to a cabinet door (it helps so you don't forget anything) take noodles, pie crusts, rolls and cinnamon rolls out of the freezer. Make the cranberry sauce, prep and chop vegetables, including potatoes which need to be stored submerged in water and brine the turkey!

Wednesday put side dishes together, make desserts, set the table and set out serving bowls.

Thanksgiving, cook the turkey, boil, bake and eat the rest! I do set timers since so many things are going on and I have others bring dishes as well. I hope you have more fun and more to be thankful for this Thanksgiving! --Michele Chrisman, Health Educator

11/14/2025

Our Heallth Educator Michelle Michelle Chrisman shared this information, we are so thankful for her.

11/13/2025

11/13/2025

Important information about the ByHeart infant formula recall. Information is from Food Safety News.

ByHeart expands recall of infant formula linked to outbreak of botulism poisonings
By News Desk on November 11, 2025
ByHeart is expanding its recall of infant formula to include all batches of ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula cans and Anywhere Pack nationwide. The formula has been linked to an outbreak of infant botulism.

The California Department of Public Health has tested ByHeart formula from patient homes and found contamination with botulism that matches the bacteria from a patient.

ByHeart is now recalling pouches in additions to cans of powdered infant formula.
There are 15 patients in the outbreak so far. The patients are spread across 12 states.

The FDA and CDC have been conducting a broader investigation into a spike of 84 infant botulism cases that started in August.

While the FDA is awaiting confirmed results of its testing, ByHeart is:

Recalling all product from the market while the FDA’s comprehensive investigation seeks to identify a root cause of the broader outbreak
Testing every batch of formula with an independent third-party laboratory
Providing FDA and the California Department of Public Health full access to its facilities and unopened cans of formula to conduct testing without restriction
Sharing results from both regulatory and independent testing publicly as they become available
Infant botulism is a rare but serious illness that occurs when Clostridium botulinum spores are ingested and then colonize the intestinal tract, producing botulinum neurotoxins in the immature gut of infants. Affected infants can present with some or all of the following signs and symptoms: constipation, poor feeding, ptosis (drooping eyelid), sluggish pupils, low muscle tone, difficulty sucking and swallowing, weak or altered cry, generalized weakness, respiratory difficulty, and possible respiratory arrest. If your child is experiencing any of these symptoms, please seek medical attention immediately.

Consumers who have purchased ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula cans and Anywhere Pack pouches should immediately discontinue use and dispose of the product.

If your infant is experiencing symptoms related to infant botulism, contact your health care provider immediately.

(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here)

Tags: 2025 outbreaks, 2025 recalls, botulism, ByHeart, ByHeart infant formula
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