OHA offers 10 ways to stay safe and healthy this holiday weekend

PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- As the Fourth of July weekend approaches, public health officials are reminding Oregonians about a few simple steps they can take to stay safe and healthy.

“The Fourth of July holiday is a great time to celebrate with family and friends. At the same time, it’s important to stay safe," said Richard Leman, Public Health Physician at OHA. “With the recent hot weather, fires are a real risk. If your community allows use of fireworks this year, take care how you use them.”

“If you’re going to the beach or spending time at a river or lake, the water’s often still pretty cold this time of year and can cause problems for even the strongest swimmer. If you go in the water, stay where it’s shallow, wear a life jacket when boating, and keep a close eye on kids when they’re around the water.”

Food safety is another thing to keep in mind. Warmer weather makes it easier for food to spoil. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year, roughly 1 in 6 Americans get sick from foodborne diseases. Cooking meats to a proper internal temperature and keeping cold foods cool helps reduce foodborne bacteria from growing.

Here are 10 ways to prevent injury and illness this holiday weekend:

• Avoid alcohol when swimming or boating.
• Young and weaker swimmers should wear life jackets for swimming and boating.
• Don't swim alone or in bad weather and stay where it’s shallow.
• Supervise children at all times in and near the water.
• Prevent sunburns, use plenty of sunscreen.
• Drink lots of water to stay hydrated.
• Keep meat and poultry refrigerated until ready to use.
• Don’t leave food out for more than two to three hours.
• To prevent foodborne illness, don't use the same platter and utensils for raw and cooked meat and poultry.
• Cook meats to minimum internal temperature to destroy harmful bacteria; 160°F for ground beef, pork and lamb; 165°F for poultry.

Oregon offers a wide variety of recreational opportunities. Whether it’s swimming, surfing, fishing, or some other outdoor play, stay aware of any current health alerts and advisories.

For more information on water recreation, please visit http://public.health.oregon.gov/HealthyEnvironments/Recreation/Pages/index.aspx

For more information on food safety, visit http://public.health.oregon.gov/DiseasesConditions/CommunicableDisease/Pages/index.aspx