McHENRY COUNTY — McHenry County Animal Control is encouraging dog owners to protect their pets and prevent the spread of canine influenza after the virus was identified in McHenry County pets in January.

Canine influenza, also known as canine flu or dog flu, is a contagious respiratory disease that easily spreads among dogs. Almost all dogs are susceptible to dog flu infection, and virus infection tends to spread among dogs housed in kennels and shelters.

Canine flu is thought to spread mainly among dogs through respiratory droplets produced during coughing and sneezing from infected dogs or through contact with contaminated surfaces, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

McHENRY COUNTY — The McHenry County Department of Health is encouraging residents to recycle their live Christmas trees and old nonfunctioning holiday lights once they are ready to bring their holiday celebration to an end.

Holiday lights are not accepted in curbside recycling bins. The best way to dispose of holiday light strands, rope lights, LED lights and extension cords is to recycle them properly. Year-round holiday lights recycling is offered by Elgin Recycling in Crystal Lake, and at all MCDH electronic recycling events in 2023.

McHENRY COUNTY — The McHenry County Department of Health is urging McHenry County residents to take steps geared toward slowing the spread of infectious respiratory diseases as cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and seasonal influenza have increased. COVID-19 cases have also begun to increase, but community levels remain low at this time.

The symptoms for all three illnesses may be indistinguishable. While some people, especially older children, may experience mild symptoms, others are at increased risk of severe complications.