Chicago is apparently a prime meeting (and breeding) ground for all sorts of critters. Just when we thought no more animals could go insane around Cook County, the Chicago Sun-Times reports that raccoons found on the south and northwest sides are carrying a contagious disease called distemper. Although the distemper virus cannot spread over to humans, it can definitely affect your cute and cuddly house pets. Could these infected raccoons be roaming around in your backyard? If you're near Beverly or near the River Grove area, the answer would be "yes":

Wildlife officers at the city’s Department of Animal Care & Control found the raccoons earlier this week. Two were found in Beverly. The third was found near the intersection of Addison and Cumberland near the Irving Woods neighborhood.

It's cold outside so that's got folks thinking about cold-weather illnesses already, chief among them H1N1 aka swine flu. Extra precautions are being taken to help prevent the spreading of the virus. Among them, some Indiana health care facilities are pulling magazines and toys from waiting rooms as a means of prevention. So be sure to bring your own book next time you hit your doctor's office. more ›

As we mentioned yesterday, Deerfield-based Baxter International wants to get in on coming up with a Swine Flu vaccine. Specifically, Baxter is hoping a new process that speeds up the development time of a vaccine will enable the company to get the vaccine out quicker. The process? According to a story at WBEZ, "using lab-grown cells instead of chicken eggs." Baxter spokesman Chris Bona said on Sunday, "It's done toward potentially developing an experimental vaccine. Just to be clear and not overstate expectations and where we're at, we've just requested a sample for lab testing at this point." According to the WBEZ story, Bona added last night that the company still hasn't received a sample of the swine flu virus and that - admittedly - while the new process has been used to successfully create other vaccines, it's never been done on a timetable in response to a global pandemic, as many fear the swine flu will be. more ›