COCA Email Updates: April 23 - May 7, 2012

COCA News and Announcements

Upcoming COCA Webinar: Improving Disaster Planning in Nursing Homes and Home Health Agencies

Date: May 8, 2012

Time: 2:00 – 3:00 PM (Eastern Daylight Time)

Call Number: 1-888-790-6180

Passcode: 1281914

Participate by Webinar

CDC’s Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response funds Preparedness and Emergency Response Research Centers (PERRCs) to examine the organization, function, capacity, and performance of components in the public health system in preparing for and responding to all potential threats and hazards. The Emory University PERRC conducted a study examining disaster preparedness in nursing homes and home health agencies. Although nursing homes and home health agencies care for over 2 million patients, they typically have not been included in disaster planning efforts. Please join us for this COCA call where subject matter experts will share findings from their study and discuss strategies to incorporate nursing homes and home health agencies into community-wide disaster planning.

Previous COCA Conference Calls
Free CE credit/contact hours (CME, CNE, ACPE, CEU, CECH, and AAVSB/RACE) are available for most COCA calls.

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CDC News and Announcements

Did You Know?
“Did You Know?” is a weekly feature from the Office for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support to highlight prevention activities. The series features research and program activity from CDC. Please access, use, and share this information broadly with your colleagues and partners.

CDC Scienceclips: Volume 4 – May 01 (CDC)
Each week, to enhance awareness of emerging scientific knowledge, selected science clips will be posted for the public health community. The focus is applied public health research and prevention science that has the capacity to improve health now.

CDC Public Health Matters Blog

Testing…1,2,3: How Does CDC Respond to Anthrax? – May 03 (CDC)

Be a Force of Nature – Apr 27 (CDC)

Traveling to the Olympics this summer? Be careful what you bring back – Apr 25 (CDC)

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Public Health Preparedness

HHS Secretary Sebelius statement on National High Blood Pressure Education Month – May 02 (HHS)
May is National High Blood Pressure Education Month and Stroke Awareness Month. It makes sense to observe both in the same month because when you control your blood pressure, you reduce your risk of stroke —the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. Unfortunately, 1 in 3 U.S. adults—an estimated 68 million of us—have high blood pressure, also called hypertension. This “silent killer” can damage the heart, brain, and kidneys without a single symptom.

May is Asthma Awareness Month – Apr 30 (CDC)
Learn to control your asthma.

Emergency Preparedness and Response (CDC)
Find resources for All Hazards and Specific Hazards preparedness.

Emergency Preparedness and Response Training Resources Page for Clinicians (CDC)
Find online and in-person training centers and resources.

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Natural Disasters and Severe Weather

Health and Safety Concerns for All Disasters – (CDC)

Wildfires – (CDC)
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.

Tornadoes: Being Prepared – (CDC)

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Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)

MMWR publications are prepared by the CDC. To electronically subscribe.
May 4, 2012 / Vol. 61 / No. 17 Download .pdf document of this issue

April 27, 2012 / Vol. 61 / No. 16 Download .pdf document of this issue

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Infectious, Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases

Weekly Flu View – May 04 (CDC)
During week 17, 6.0% of all deaths reported through the 122-Cities Mortality Reporting System were due to pneumonia and influenza. This percentage was below the epidemic threshold of 7.6% for week 17.

Flu Season Event: Submit Your Plans – May 03 (CDC)
CDC encourages all of their Flu Prevention Partners to submit flu vaccine promotion activities and events taking place throughout the 2012-2013 flu season.

Hand Hygiene Saves Lives – Apr 30 (CDC)
Keeping hands clean is one of the most important ways to prevent the spread of infection and illness.

Podcast: Oseltamivir-Resistant Flu – Apr 25 (CDC)
Dr. Aaron Storms, an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer at CDC, discusses his paper about oseltamivir-resistant H1N1flu.

Meningococcal Disease: Help Prevent It – Apr 23 (CDC)
Meningococcal disease is a serious, vaccine-preventable infection. The meningococcal conjugate vaccine is recommended for all 11-18 year olds. Kids should get this vaccine at 11-12 years of age and a booster dose at age 16.

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Travel Safety

Current Travel Warnings – May 04 (US Department of State)
Travel Warnings are issued when long-term, protracted conditions that make a country dangerous or unstable lead the State Department to recommend that Americans avoid or consider the risk of travel to that country. A Travel Warning is also issued when the U.S. Government's ability to assist American citizens is constrained due to the closure of an embassy or consulate or because of a drawdown of its staff.

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Food, Drug and Device Safety

FoodSafety.gov Reports FDA and USDA Food Recalls, Alerts, Reporting & Resources – May 03 (HHS/UDSA/FDA/CDC/NIH)
For recalls and alerts by both FDA and USDA, or to report a problem or make inquiries, visit FoodSafety.gov.

FDA Unit Mobilizes for Emergency Response – May 05 (FDA)
In a crisis like the outbreak of Salmonella Bareilly tied to consumption of spicy tuna sushi, FDA’s urgent-response team shifts into high gear. A special unit called the Incident Management Group works from FDA’s Emergency Operations Center, bringing together experts from local, state and federal agencies to protect consumers during outbreaks and other crises.

Update: Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Bareilly Infections Associated with a Raw Scraped Ground Tuna Product – May 02 (CDC)
CDC is collaborating with public health officials in many states and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate a multistate outbreak of Salmonella serotype Bareilly infections. Salmonella Bareilly is an unusual serotype of Salmonella.

Be Food Safe: Protect Yourself from Food Poisoning – Apr 30 (CDC)
Most people don't think about food safety until they or someone they know gets sick from eating contaminated food. It can happen to anyone. Foodborne illness, sometimes called food poisoning, is a common, costly—yet preventable—public health problem. Each year, about 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) gets sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases. With the recent high-profile outbreaks of Salmonella in raw ground tuna and Listeria on cantaloupes, food safety is fresh in our minds.

Diamond Pet Foods Expands Voluntary Recall to Include Diamond Puppy Formula – Apr 30 (FDA)
Diamond Pet Foods is expanding a voluntary recall to include Diamond Puppy Formula dry dog food. The company took this precautionary measure because sampling revealed Salmonella in the product. No dog illnesses have been reported.

FDA approves new antibacterial treatment for plague – Apr 27 (FDA)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Levaquin (levofloxacin) to treat patients with plague, a rare and potentially deadly bacterial infection. The agency also approved the drug to reduce the risk of getting plague after exposure to Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes the disease.

Statement by USDA Chief Veterinary Officer John Clifford Regarding a Detection of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in the United States – Apr 24 (USDA)
USDA Chief Veterinary Officer John Clifford today released the following statement on the detection of BSE in the United States: "As part of our targeted surveillance system, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the nation's fourth case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a dairy cow from central California. The carcass of the animal is being held under State authority at a rendering facility in California and will be destroyed. It was never presented for slaughter for human consumption, so at no time presented a risk to the food supply or human health. Additionally, milk does not transmit BSE.

Updated: FDA Issues Second Warning to Physicians about Certain Compounded Drugs from Franck's – (FDA)
Serious fungal eye disease from contaminated products investigated by @CDCgov mycologists and partners in 7 states.

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