COCA Email Updates: February 15 - 28, 2011

COCA News and Announcements

COCA Conference Call(s) Resources
Archived COCA Conference Calls are available on the COCA website. You can get FREE CE credit/contact hours (CME, CNE, ACPE, CEU, and CECH) for most COCA calls! Simply download the PowerPoint and follow along with the audio file, both of which are posted on the COCA website after a call. Our most recent calls include:

Current CDC Emergency Response

Cholera Information for Healthcare Professionals
Cholera resources for healthcare professionals addressing diagnosis, testing, treatment, patient care, and prevention.

Additional information and Cholera resources

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)

The MMWR series is prepared by the CDC. The data in the weekly MMWR are provisional, based on weekly reports to CDC by state health departments. The following emergency preparedness and response related articles of interest were recently published:

February 25, 2011 / Vol. 60 / No. 7 Download .pdf of this issue

February 18, 2011 / Vol. 60 / No. 6 Download .pdf of this issue

To electronically subscribe to the MMWR, go to MMWR Subscriptions and enter your email address in the box entitled Get email updates.

MMWR is extending its FREE Continuing Education (CE) offering to reports published in the Weekly Series. To obtain credit, participants must register, log-in and select the relevant activity and type of credit/contract hours. Questions and comments should be submitted to theMMWR CE mailbox.

Infectious Diseases

New Vaccine Recommendations for Adults – CDC (Feb 22)
Each year the U.S. recommended immunization schedule for adults is reviewed by a federal organization that examines research on effective control of vaccine-preventable diseases. Changes in the 2011 recommendations reflect efforts to best protect you and young, vulnerable children you may encounter. The dose and the timing of a relatively new tetanus vaccine for adults, Tdap, have been updated.

FDA Permits Marketing of First Test for Most Common Cause of Gastroenteritis Outbreaks– FDA (Feb 23)
A new test can aid in identifying and containing norovirus outbreaks. The Ridascreen Norovirus 3rd Generation EIA assay is for use when a number of people have simultaneously contracted gastroenteritis and there is a clear avenue for virus transmission, such as a shared location or food.

Summary of Weekly Flu View – CDC (Feb 25)
Influenza activity in the United States remained elevated During week 7 (February 13-19), according to the FluView report. CDC tracks certain key flu indicators over the season. The proportion of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza (P&I) was above the epidemic threshold for the fourth consecutive week. Circulating viruses reported were influenza B virus, influenza A (H3) virus, 2009 influenza A (H1N1) virus, and influenza A viruses that were not subtyped.

Seasonal Flu: International Situation Update – CDC (Feb 25)
This report is a summary of key influenza-related updates created from regional World Health Organization (WHO) reports, country reports, CDC field staff updates, and other sources. Updates are listed by region.

Healthcare-Associated Infections – CDC (Feb 25)
One in 20 patients will get an infection during medical care in hospitals. This week’s “Did You Know?” feature from the Office for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support focuses on Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI). You can play an important role in your state to reduce HAIs. Link to CDC’s guidelines for implementing the HHS Action Plan for HAI prevention and NHSN to track prevention progress.

Travelers’ Health

Yellow Fever Travel Notice – CDC (Feb 22)
In January 2011, the Ministry of Heath of Côte d’Ivoire (also called the Ivory Coast) and the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a yellow fever outbreak in the central and northern districts of Beoumi, Katiola, Seguela, and Mankono. Several cases have been laboratory confirmed as yellow fever, and additional cases, including deaths, are suspected.

CDC’s Yellow Fever Vaccine Course

Noncommunicable Diseases, Injury & Environmental Health

Rates for New Cancer Cases and Deaths by Race/Ethnicity and Sex – CDC (Feb 24)
According to CDC's Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities, life expectancy and overall health have improved for most Americans in recent years, but not all Americans have benefited equally. CDC and its partners monitor trends in cancer incidence (diagnosis) and mortality (deaths) to identify which groups are affected disproportionately.

CDC/ATSDR Guidance on the Interpretation and Use of Blood Laboratory Analyses for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) – CDC (Feb 25)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) recently received reports of analyses of VOCs in blood samples from a few Gulf Coast residents, volunteers, or workers. CDC/ATSDR has released This guidance document addresses considerations for laboratory testing and guidance for laboratory blood VOC interpretation.

Community Fact Sheet: Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and Your Health – CDC (Feb 25)
The 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill had a major impact on the environment and communities. This fact sheet focuses on VOCs and the blood tests and potential health effects associated with them. CDC and ATSDR are working with Gulf residents and their doctors to help them understand what test results might mean.

Additional information and resources related to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

Occupational Safety and Health

Return of Guardsmen and Reservists to the Workforce Suggest Safety, Work Organization Needs – CDC (Feb 15)
As record numbers of National Guardsmen and Reservists return to the civilian workforce from active military duty, they and their employers face challenges that occupational safety and health professionals are uniquely positioned and skilled to address.

Ten Year Review of the NIOSH Radiation Dose Evaluation Program – CDC (Feb 16)
2010 marked the tenth anniversary of the passage of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA) of 2000. Given the passage of ten years and the considerable amount of work that has been accomplished by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in support of EEOICPA, the NIOSH Director commissioned a ten year retrospective review of NIOSH’s efforts.

Screening for Coal Workers’ Pneumoconiosis – CDC (Feb 23)
Beginning in March 2011, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) will continue a series of free, confidential health screenings to surface coal miners throughout the U.S. The screenings are intended to provide early detection of coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, also known as black lung, a serious but preventable occupational lung disease in coal miners caused by breathing respirable dust.

Food & Drug Safety

Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts – FDA (Feb 23)
Information on recent FDA recalls, market recalls, and safety alerts.

The CDC and HHS logos are the exclusive property of the Department of Health and Human Services and may not be used for any purpose without prior express written permission. Use of trade names and commercial sources is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Links to non-Federal organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. Links do not constitute an endorsement of any organization by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organizations.

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