McHenry County Department of Health

Crystal Lake’s Main Beach extended its streak of closed days Monday because of high bacteria levels.

Beaches in Crystal Lake and Lake in the Hills and elsewhere in McHenry County temporarily closed due to elevated levels of bacteria in the water.

Heat indexes in McHenry County could climb to the triple digits in the coming days.

A batch of mosquitoes from Lake in the Hills has tested positive for West Nile virus, marking McHenry County’s first positive test for mosquitoes in 2025.

A slaughterhouse proposal near Woodstock is headed to the McHenry County Board - but it’s not without opposition from nearby residents and Hartland Township.

Wonder Lake area residents are protesting a small slaughterhouse operation proposed by Sunberry Farm, co-owner Sergiy Bazylyuk, in Greenwood Township

A bat that tested positive for rabies was found inside a home in Ringwood, the first rabid bat in the county in 2025, health officials said.

The McHenry County Department of Health encourages private well owners to test their water supply at yearly and is offering reduced-cost testing in April. .

Federal funding cuts by President Trump's administration have resulted in the McHenry County Department of Health losing a grant that helped track and respond to respiratory illness outbreaks.

Renovations and additions will be made to the McHenry County Department of Health building in Crystal Lake after it received city council approval.

Free flu, COVID and RSV testing will soon be available to McHenry County residents amid a surge in cases of respiratory illness.

McHenry County officials are monitoring reports that waterfowl have been infected with bird flu and advises people on how to minimize risk.

A child has died of the highly contagious respiratory illness RSV in McHenry County.

11 cases of whooping cough were reported in the county in November, according to the county reports

Whooping cough cases were up significantly in October, the McHenry County Department of Health warned in a news release Thursday.

Whooping cough cases continue to be on the rise in McHenry County, with the number of cases through October exceeding all of 2023 by more than double.

Residents of McHenry County will soon be able to access preventive care and vaccinations close to home.

McHenry County residents can now see health data for the county, including how much screen time teens are getting or how much sleep adults are getting.

A person previously diagnosed with West Nile virus has died of the disease, the McHenry County Department of Health reported Friday.

The first human case of West Nile virus of 2024 has been reported by the McHenry County Department of Health.

The McHenry County Department of Health issued a warning Thursday about increasing COVID-19 cases in the county.

A rabid bat was found in a Crystal Lake home and household members have to had a series of shot after to prevent infection, the McHenry County health department announced.

A second batch of mosquitoes has tested postive for West Nile Virus.

McHenry County has awarded more than $1.2 million in community health grants using federal COVID-19 relief money.

A pool of mosquitoes in Huntley tested positive for West Nile, the first in McHenry County this year; an owl was earlier found with the virus.

COVID-19 is on the uptick in the United States and McHenry County.

An owl found in Union tested positive for West Nile virus, the McHenry County Department of Health reports.

McHenry County is grappling with its first hot temperatures of the summer this week.

McHenry County residents contributed almost 8,300 pounds of food and other items during Operation Dropbox. That provided an opportunity for the county to run a simulation of the distribution of emergency supplies.

Suspected overdose deaths in McHenry County are about twice as high in 2024 so far than the median number from 2020 to 2023 in the same timeframe.

Norovirus is a very contagious virus and is sometimes referred to as the “stomach flu” or “stomach bug,” according to the CDC.

Nicole Class, school nurse at McHenry High School, received the Lina Rogers Award from the McHenry County Health Department.

McHenry County Department of Health will hand out more than $1 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to groups that enhance health.

McHenry's Fox Hole pizzeria has its food permit and state tax certification pulled weeks after closing its doors.

So far in 2023, the county has seen 11 pertussis cases through the end of November.

The event will include electronics recycling, document shredding and collection of Styrofoam, textiles, light bulbs and batteries.

Those with insurance aren't eligible but should contact their pharmacy or doctor, officials advised.

Advocates argue the measure will help save lives.

The fall season has generally seen an uptick in cases during the pandemic. That's true this year so far, but to a lesser extent.

Six students at Huntley High School have been sickened by E. coli, according to school officials. The outbreak's origin has not yet been identified.

Carol Waggoner, a public nurse at the McHenry County Department of Health, was recognized and celebrated by the McHenry County Board of Health at its July 17 meeting for her dedication to the community.

Three bats have been tested positive for rabies in McHenry County so far this year.

A blue jay tested positive for West Nile virus by the McHenry County Department of Health last week.

Officials hope additional security cameras covering more areas of a Fox River Grove motel will reduce the number of drug-related overdose deaths reported there, McHenry County State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally said Friday.

A bat found Wednesday in a Woodstock home tested positive for rabies, the McHenry County Department of Health said in a news release.

After more than three years, the United States’ public health emergency declaration tied to the COVID-19 pandemic ends on Thursday.

The McHenry County Department of Health will host several recycling events this year, the first of which is Saturday in Harvard.

The McHenry County Department of Health warned McHenry County residents on Friday of a significant increase of overdoses and deaths likely caused by opioids.

Work to expand broadband to northeastern McHenry Count could begin this year, McHenry County Board Chair Mike Buehler announced in the annual State of the County address Thursday.

Almost all dogs are susceptible to dog flu infection, and virus infection tends to spread among dogs housed in kennels and shelters, McHenry County Animal Control said in a news release Tuesday.