Past Updates from the Clinician Registry Listserv

Update Sent April 13, 2009

NOTE: This document is provided for historical purposes only and may not provide our most accurate and up-to-date information. The most current Clinician's information can be found on the Clinician Home Page.

The following updates were made to CDC information and guidance from April 06 - 13, 2009. If you have any questions on these or other clinical issues, please write to us at coca@cdc.gov.

Today's topics Include:

Emergency Preparedness and Response
Medical Product Safety Alert
Food Safety
Avian Influenza
Seasonal Influenza
Travelers' Health

Subscribe to RSS

Emergency Preparedness and Response

Oklahoma & Texas Wildfires - CDC - April 10
Smoke from wildfires is a mixture of gases and fine particles from burning trees and other plant materials. Smoke can hurt your eyes, irritate your respiratory system, and worsen chronic heart and lung diseases. Know whether you are at risk and protect yourself.
http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/wildfires/

Clean-Up Fires Can Turn Deadly: Don't Be A Casualty - FEMA - April 6
Mild spring weather can have a down side after a hard winter. On sunny days people tend to take advantage and do outside chores, which may include burning debris left by last winter's ice storm. These fires can be, and often are dangerous, even deadly.
http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=47920

Geiger Mueller Detector Job Aid for Radiation Screening - CDC - April 6
A downloadable graphic illustration of the procedure for performing a radiological survey with a handheld Geiger Mueller (G-M) detector is now available. This job aid is meant to accompany the recently posted G-M detector training video that demonstrates how to screen people for external contamination.
Download and Print PDF

Long-Term Recovery Organizations Provide Disaster Assistance - FEMA - April 6
The mission of an LTRO is to help those neighbors for whom federal and state disaster assistance will not be enough. An LTRO may serve as a clearinghouse and point of contact for volunteer efforts to repair damaged housing, mediating between homeowners in need and volunteer groups that come to do the repair work.
http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=47919

Lead and Manage My School - Emergency Planning - Department of Education - April 10
The U.S. Department of Education Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools has released The Action Guide for Emergency Management at Institutions of Higher Education. The Guide offers higher education institutions a useful resource in the field of emergency management.
http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/index.html

Medical Product Safety Alert

Recall - ZOLL AED Plus Defibrillator - FDA - April 9
ZOLL Medical Corporation and FDA notified healthcare professionals of a Class 1 recall of ZOLL AED Plus Defibrillators distributed from May, 2004 through February 9, 2009. The recall was initiated because the device may fail to deliver a defibrillation shock, which could result in failure to resuscitate a patient during treatment of sudden cardiac arrest.
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/recalls/recall-021209b.html

Food Safety

CDC Reports Progress in Foodborne Illness Prevention has Reached a Plateau - CDC - April 9
The incidence of the most common foodborne illnesses has changed very little over the past three years, according to a 10-state report released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2009/r090409.htm

Sprout Recall Due to Potential Contamination with Listeria - FDA - April 9
On April 9, 2009, Amalgamated Produce, Inc. (API), Bridgeport, CT., announced that it is voluntarily recalling certain brands of sprouts due to potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, a foodborne pathogen that can cause serious illness and death. The recalled sprouts have been distributed in CT, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, DE, VT, and RI.
http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/sprouts040909.html

Avian Influenza

FDA Clears Rapid Test for Avian Influenza A Virus in Humans - FDA - April 7
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared for marketing a new, more rapid test for the detection of influenza A/H5N1, a disease-causing subtype of the avian influenza A virus that can infect humans.
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2009/NEW01987.html

Seasonal Influenza

Seasonal Influenza Weekly Report: Influenza Summary Update - CDC - April 10
During week 13 (March 29-April 4, 2009), influenza activity continued to decrease in the United States.
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/

Weekly US Map - CDC- April 10
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/usmap.htm

Travelers' Health

Cholera in Zimbabwe and Neighboring Countries - CDC - April 6
An ongoing outbreak of cholera has been reported by health officials in Zimbabwe. According to the United Nations Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, from August 26 through April 2, 2009, 94,443 suspected cases and 4,127 deaths have been reported in the country.
http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentCholeraZimbabwe.aspx

FDA Approves Coartem, New Malaria Treatment Drug - FDA - April 8
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Coartem tablets (artemether and lumefantrine) for the treatment of acute, uncomplicated malaria infections in adults and children weighing at least five kilograms (approximately 11 pounds). “Malaria is a global life-threatening disease," said Murray M. Lumpkin, M.D., deputy commissioner for International and Special Programs, FDA. “It is encouraging to have new treatment available, particularly for children.”
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2009/NEW01989.html

Our Clinician Communication Team is committed to excellence in reporting our weekly updates. Please e-mail coca@cdc.gov should you note any written errors or discrepancies.

If you need to unsubscribe or update your information, please go to our website: http://www.bt.cdc.gov/clinregistry

If you need further information or technical help, please send an e-mail message to: coca@cdc.gov