COCA Email Updates: December 17– December 31, 2012

COCA News and Announcements

Upcoming COCA Call/Webinar:

Stopping Norovirus in its Tracks: What Every Clinician Should Know

Date: Thursday, January 17, 2013

Time: 2:00-3:00 pm (Eastern Time)

Call Number: 888-790-6180

Passcode: 1281914

Webinar Link: https://www.mymeetings.com/nc/join.php?i=PW7035569&p=1281914&t=c

During this COCA call, a CDC subject matter expert will discuss the burden of norovirus outbreaks, review diagnostics and surveillance tools, and share resources to promote the prevention and control of norovirus infections.

Recent COCA Call/Webinar:

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

CDC News and Announcements

CDC Works For You 24/7 Blog: 13 Ways CDC Has Been There for America and the World in 2012 – December 21 (CDC)
CDC work around-the-clock to protect Americans from health and safety threats, both foreign and domestic. CDC also help people lead longer, healthier, more productive lives by preventing heart attacks, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and other leading causes of death. Here’s a list of 13 ways CDC has been there for America and the world in 2012.

CDC Science Clips: Volume 4, Issue: 50 – (CDC)
Each week select science clips are shared with the public health community to enhance awareness of emerging scientific knowledge. The focus is applied public health research and prevention science that has the capacity to improve health now.

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Public Health Preparedness

Assistant Secretary Nicole Lurie Statement on FDA Approval of First Anthrax Antitoxin Developed Under Project Bioshield – (HHS)
With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of the first drug for treatment of anthrax, our nation took a monumental step forward today in preparing for the health impacts of bioterrorism. Raxibacumab, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline/Human Genome Sciences, is approved for use together with antibiotics to treat inhalational anthrax in both adults and children, and to prevent illness when alternative treatments are not available or appropriate. The drug is the first developed and procured under Project BioShield to receive FDA approval.

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

Emergency Preparedness and Response Training Resources for Clinicians – (CDC)
A resource for scheduled and on-demand emergency preparedness and response trainings offered by federal agencies and COCA partners.

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Natural Disasters and Severe Weather

Extreme Cold: A Prevention Guide to Promote Your Personal Health and Safety – (CDC)
The Extreme Cold Prevention Guide combines all of the key content of the CDC Winter Weather website into one downloadable, printable file. Printing this PDF file will ensure that you will have important winter weather health and safety information available even when you're without power or Internet service.

Health and Safety Concerns for All Disasters – (CDC)

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Emerging Infectious Diseases (EID) Journal

EID is prepared by the CDC. EID Home Page
Volume 19, Number 1 – January 2013
Highlights in this issue include:

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Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)

MMWR publications are prepared by the CDC. Electronically subscribe.

December 21, 2012 / Vol. 61 / No. 50 Download .pdf document of this issue

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Infectious, Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases

FDA Expands Tamiflu’s Use to Treat Children Younger Than 1 Year – December 21 (FDA)
FDA expanded the approved use of Tamiflu (oseltamivir) to treat children as young as 2 weeks old who have shown symptoms of flu for no longer than two days. The drug is not approved to prevent flu infection in this population.

Weekly Flu View – December 28 (CDC)
This is a weekly influenza surveillance report prepared by CDC Influenza Division. All data are preliminary and may change as CDC receives more reports.

Planning and Preparedness: Health Professionals and Seasonal Flu – (HHS)
Health care providers play an important role during flu season. The following guidance and information will assist health care providers and service organizations to plan and respond to seasonal flu.

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Travel Safety

Outbreak Notice: Dengue in Madeira, Portugal – December 20 (CDC)
As of December 9, 2012, 2,050 cases of dengue fever have been reported from the Portuguese island of Madeira. There have been 58 cases of dengue reported in European travelers returning from Madeira. At this time, CDC does not advise against travel to Madeira. However, travelers should protect themselves from mosquito bites.

Current Travel Warnings – December 7 (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

NEW: CDC Health Alert Network (HAN) – Update: Multistate Outbreak of Fungal Infections among Persons Who Received Injections with Contaminated Medication – December 20 (CDC)
New information from diagnostic imaging of patients exposed to contaminated methylprednisolone acetate from the New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Mass., demonstrates the need for assertive clinical evaluation of these patients for the possibility of an unrecognized, localized spinal or paraspinal infection. This HAN notice provides updated guidance and information about the ongoing multistate outbreak of fungal infections.

Multistate Fungal Meningitis Outbreak Investigation: Clinician Guidance – (CDC)

MedWatch: The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program – (HHS/USFDA)
Your FDA gateway for clinically important safety information and reporting serious problems with human medical products.

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

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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. CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organizations.