LCC Monitoring Program Featured in Center for Disease Control Series
LCC’s efforts help public health agencies track blue-green algae blooms. Photo by LCC monitor Cathy Hickory.
In August, representatives from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) visited LCC to interview Staff Scientist Mike Winslow on LCC’s role in implementing public health tracking of blue-green algae blooms on Lake Champlain. The final video produced during that visit has just been released as part of a series on the CDC YouTube channel about their Environmental Public Health Tracking program.
CDC's Environmental Public Health Tracking Network connects people with vital public health information. Tracking is an ongoing national effort to better understand how environmental hazards can contribute to certain illnesses. Tracking has identified situations where known environmental hazards resulted in the occurrence of chronic diseases. One example is the onset of asthma attacks in children who live close to highways. The Vermont Tracking Program's Blue-green Algae Tracker, which is the portal through which LCC monitors’ algae reports are delivered to the public, helps residents make informed decisions about recreational lake use. The blue-green algae monitoring program has developed better ways to make information accessible to those who need it to take action, including policy makers and public health officials.
