NJCPHP News PHlash
AUGUST 16 - 28, 2008
THE NEW JERSEY CENTER FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PREPAREDNESS AT UMDNJ- SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. PREPAREDNESS NEWS
[1] Bacterial Pneumonia Caused Most Deaths in 1918 Influenza Pandemic Implications for Future Pandemic Planning- NIH (8/19/08)
[2] Most U. S. Measles Cases Reported since 1996- CDC Press Release (8/21/08)
[3] Nonprofits promote flu shots at polling places- CIDRAP (8/22/08)
[4] TB Scare At San Francisco Maternity Ward- KTVU (8/27/08)
[5] Storm plans put into motion already- The Times-Picayune (8/27/08)
II. UPCOMING EVENTS
[1] The Northeastern Basic Course for Principles of Infection Prevention and Control
[2] 4th Annual New Jersey Vaccines for Children Program Provider Education Conference: Vaccines Through the Lifespan
III. ANNOUNCEMENTS
[1] Global Handwashing Day
[2] 1918 Influenza Information
[3] NJHA issues pandemic flu planning tool
I. PREPAREDNESS NEWS
[1] Bacterial Pneumonia Caused Most Deaths in 1918 Influenza Pandemic Implications for Future Pandemic Planning- NIH (8/19/08)
The majority of deaths during the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 were not caused by the influenza virus acting alone, report researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. Instead, most victims succumbed to bacterial pneumonia following influenza virus infection. The pneumonia was caused when bacteria that normally inhabit the nose and throat invaded the lungs along a pathway created when the virus destroyed the cells that line the bronchial tubes and lungs. A future influenza pandemic may unfold in a similar manner, say the NIAID authors, whose paper in the Oct. 1 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases is now available online. Therefore, the authors conclude, comprehensive pandemic preparations should include not only efforts to produce new or improved influenza vaccines and antiviral drugs but also provisions to stockpile antibiotics and bacterial vaccines as well.
http://www.nih.gov/news/health/aug2008/niaid-19.htm
[2] Most U. S. Measles Cases Reported since 1996- CDC Press Release (8/21/08)
More measles cases have been reported in the United States since Jan. 1, 2008 than during the same period in any year since 1996, according to a report released in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Between January 1 and July 31, 2008, 131 cases were reported to CDC′s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). At least fifteen patients, including four children younger than 15 months of age, were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. In the decade before the measles vaccination program began, an estimated 3–4 million persons in the United States were infected each year. “Measles can be a severe, life-threatening illness” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of NCIRD. “These cases and outbreaks serve as a reminder that measles can and still does occur in the United States.”
Of the 131 patients, 112 were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status. Among the 112 unvaccinated U.S. residents with measles, 16 were younger than 12 months of age and too young for vaccination, and one had presumed evidence of measles immunity because the person was born before 1957. Of the 95 patients eligible for vaccination, 63 were unvaccinated because of their or their parents′ philosophical or religious beliefs. Although immunization coverage rates for measles vaccine remain high, unvaccinated persons are at risk for measles, and sizeable measles outbreaks can occur in communities with a high number of unvaccinated persons.
http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2008/r080821.htm
[3] Nonprofits promote flu shots at polling places- CIDRAP (8/22/08)
Two national nonprofit health groups are offering local public health departments a shot in the arm for fall influenza vaccination efforts by helping them organize immunization clinics at or near polling places. The Vote and Vax program is a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), a healthcare philanthropy organization, and SPARC (Sickness Prevention Achieved through Regional Collaboration), a nonprofit organization focused on disease prevention, according to background materials posted on the initiative's Web site. The program provides health agencies with technical expertise to set up the clinics and marketing muscle to promote them, but does not provide the vaccine. Public health agencies are advised to charge for the shots as they normally would at other fall flu-vaccination clinics. Offering flu vaccinations on Election Day in November is a way to target seniors, who typically vote in large numbers, Vote and Vax organizers say. Seniors are one of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) priority groups for flu immunization.
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/general/news/aug2208votevax.html
[4] TB Scare At San Francisco Maternity Ward- KTVU (8/27/08)
Kaiser Permanente is telling 960 mothers that they and their babies may have been exposed to a San Francisco maternity ward worker diagnosed with active tuberculosis. Kaiser announced it had started notifying patients about the worker formerly employed in the postpartum unit of its San Francisco Medical Center. Hospital officials said the part-time employee worked at Kaiser from March 10 to August 10 and no longer works for the organization. Kaiser learned of the employee's diagnosis last week and said the medical center followed all appropriate screening procedures when hiring the employee. Kaiser's infectious disease chief in Northern California said the infection risk for patients was low and that the worker had a common strain of TB that responds well to antibiotics.
"We're taking all the precautions we can to prevent any potential problems with respect to the exposure" said Dr. Stephen Parodi. Kaiser officials say the employee was a part-time health care worker on the night shift at the Maternal Child Health Unit in San Francisco.
http://www.ktvu.com/news/17307769/detail.html
[5] Storm plans put into motion already- The Times-Picayune (8/27/08)
Even though no one will know for days exactly where Tropical Storm Gustav will march ashore, New Orleans area officials on Wednesday [8/27/08] started announcing contingency plans for housing, emergency transportation, drainage and evacuation. Just two days before the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's onslaught on the New Orleans area and the ensuing levee breaks, Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a pre-storm state of emergency, announcing the mobilization of 3,000 National Guard troops with as many 5,000 call-ups possible depending on the course of the storm. Gustav weakened Tuesday night as it moved across Haiti, but was expected to regain hurricane strength. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin came home early from the Democratic National Convention to help the city prepare. Jindal declared a state of emergency, which could begin an evacuation process.
http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/2008/08/storm_plans_put_into_motion_al.html
II. UPCOMING EVENTS
[1] The Northeastern Basic Course for Principles of Infection Prevention and Control
When: October 20-24, 2008
Where: NJ Hospital Association, 760 Alexander Road Princeton, NJ
This five day course is designed to prepare the new practioner or an individual responsible for infection control to perform the duties and responsibilites requtred by his/her position in an ambulatory, alternative, acute, or long-term care facility. The cost is $425. Continuing education credits will be available. For more information contact Christine Armenti at christine.armenti@doh.state.nj.us or Kathy Roye-Horn at roye-horn.kathleen@hunterdonhealthcare.org
[2] 4th Annual New Jersey Vaccines for Children Program Provider Education Conference: Vaccines Through the Lifespan
When: November 6, 2008 and November 19, 2008
Where: Nov. 6- Merion Catering Cinnaminson, NJ and Nov. 19- The Palace at Somerset Park Somerset, NJ
For more information and to register online: www.njpcore.org
III. ANNOUNCEMENTS
[1] Global Handwashing Day
The first-ever Global Handwashing Day will take place on Wednesday, October 15, 2008. The UN General Assembly has designated 2008 the International Year of Sanitation, and Global Handwashing Day will echo and reinforce its call for improved hygiene practices. Global Handwashing Day will be the centerpiece of a week of activities that will mobilize millions of people in more than 20 countries across five continents to wash their hands with soap. For more information: http://www.who.int/gpsc/events/2008/15_10_08/en/index.html
[2] 1918 Influenza Information
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently released an online resource that explains the circumstances and history of the 1918 influenza pandemic. “The Great Pandemic: the United States in 1918-1919” is available at http://1918.pandemicflu.gov/index.htm.
[3] NJHA issues pandemic flu planning tool
The New Jersey Hospital Association has published the first five installments of a guide hospitals can use to develop or assess a pandemic flu response plan. The 10-module guide will address critical planning areas such as clinical care, communication, ethics, finance, human resources, leadership, operations and supplies. Other modules will be posted online over the coming months. The modules can be found at: http://www.panfluplanning.com/
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