Recent torrential rains in northeast Iowa have caused extensive flooding. Many private water wells have been inundated with contaminated flood water, making the well water unsafe to drink and bathe in.

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In a new project that serves as another check to ensure Iowans have safe drinking water, the State Hygienic Laboratory is screening water samples from public water supplies for toxins that could be produced from harmful algal blooms.

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The zone of active transmission of Zika virus in Miami Beach has tripled to encompass two-thirds of the seaside city. Gov. Rick Scott announced on Sept. 16 that the Florida Department of Health expanded its area of Zika investigation from 20 blocks to a 4.5 square-mile zone covering all of South and Middle Beach.

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Gov. Terry Branstad on Sept. 22 signed a proclamation to celebrate the 50th anniversary of newborn screening in Iowa and September as Newborn Screening Awareness Month.

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The State Hygienic Laboratory presented the seventh William J. Hausler Career Achievement Award Sept. 13 to Michael Pentella, director of the William A. Hinton State Laboratory Institute in Massachusetts. The award recognizes a lifetime of achievement and professional activities that extend beyond the laboratory and greatly impact the field of public health.

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Gov. Terry Branstad earlier this month reappointed the Hygienic Laboratory’s Beth Hochstedler to the Iowa Governor’s STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Advisory Council. Hochstedler, director of the Office of Education, Training and Professional Development, was originally appointed in 2013.

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