COCA Email Updates: November 19 – December 3, 2012

COCA News and Announcements

Recent COCA Call/Webinar:

Multistate Outbreak Fungal Meningitis and Other Infections: Updated Clinical Guidance

Date: Tuesday, November 27, 2012

During this COCA Call, CDC subject matter experts provided updated information on epidural abscess and other clinical syndromes being diagnosed in exposed patients and reviewed CDC’s diagnostic and treatment recommendations for clinicians.

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

Digital Press Kit: The Impact of Unsafe Injection Practices in U.S. Healthcare Settings – November 28 (CDC)
More than 150,000 patients have been impacted by unsafe injection practices since 2001. Although safe injection practices represent very basic infection control measures, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) routinely identifies and investigates outbreaks associated with deficient practices. •The One & Only Campaign aims to eradicate outbreaks from unsafe medical injections by raising awareness among patients and healthcare providers about proper practices.

CDC Health Alert Network (HAN): Health Concerns about Misuse of Pesticides for Bed Bug Control – November 27 (CDC)
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are alerting the public to an emerging national concern regarding misuse of pesticides to treat infestations of bed bugs and other insects indoors.

Prevent the Spread of Norovirus – November 19 (CDC)
Noroviruses are the most common cause of gastroenteritis in the United States. CDC estimates that each year more than 20 million cases of acute gastroenteritis are caused by noroviruses. That means about 1 in every 15 Americans will get norovirus illness each year. Norovirus is also estimated to cause over 70,000 hospitalizations and 800 deaths each year in the United States.

CDC Science Clips: Volume 4, Issues: 46-47 – November 26 (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

NEW: Children's Preparedness Website – (CDC)
Parents, teachers, doctors and nurses are just some of the people who can help children get ready for and cope with disasters. Check out these resources to help keep kids safe in an emergency.

CDC Works for You 24/7 Blog: The Critical Role of State Health Depts. in the U.S. Fungal Meningitis Outbreak: 4 Key Efforts – November 21 (CDC)
This recent blog post is an excerpt from the testimony of Dr. Beth Bell, director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases at CDC, who discussed, among other things, the critical role state health departments played in detecting and sounding the alarm on this outbreak of fungal meningitis and other infections.

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

Hurricane Sandy Response and Recovery 2012

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 18, Number 12 – December 2012
Highlights in this issue include:

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Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)

MMWR publications are prepared by the CDC. Electronically subscribe.

November 30, 2012 / Vol. 61 / No. 47 Download .pdf document of this issue

November 23, 2012 / Vol. 61 / No. 46 Download .pdf document of this issue

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Infectious, Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases

Updated: Weekly Flu View – November 21 (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.

National Influenza Vaccination Week: December 2-8, 2012
National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) is a national observance that was established to highlight the importance of continuing influenza vaccination, as well as fostering greater use of flu vaccine after the holiday season into January and beyond. NIVW will be held December 2-8, 2012.

Updated: 2012 West Nile Virus – November 27 (CDC)
As of November 27, 2012, 48 states have reported West Nile virus infections in people, birds, or mosquitoes. A total of 5,245 cases of West Nile virus disease in people, including 236 deaths, have been reported to CDC.

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Travel Safety

Outbreak Notice: Cholera in the Dominican Republic – November 28 (CDC)
An outbreak of cholera has been ongoing in the Dominican Republic since November 2010. According to the Dominican Ministry of Health (Ministerio de Salud Publica y Asistencia Social [MSP]), as of November 3, 2012, 6,622 suspected cholera cases and 47 suspected cholera-related deaths have been reported for 2012.

Outbreak Notice: Ebola in Uganda – November 28 (CDC)
The Ugandan Ministry of Health (MOH) has reported an outbreak of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in the Luwero District of central Uganda. As of November 19, 2012, there have been 6 confirmed cases and 4 deaths.

Current Travel Warnings – November 29 (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

Updated: Multistate Fungal Meningitis Outbreak Investigation: Clinician Guidance – November 21 (CDC)

NEW: CDC Health Alert Network (HAN): Update: Multistate Outbreak of Fungal Meningitis and Other Infections Associated with Contaminated Steroid Medication – November 20 (CDC)
Currently, more than 7 weeks after the three implicated lots of MPA were recalled, CDC continues to receive reports of fungal infection in exposed patients. Previously, the majority of new cases reported to CDC were patients with fungal meningitis following injection. Although cases of fungal meningitis continue to be reported, CDC has recently observed an increase in the number of patients presenting with evidence of epidural abscess, phlegmon, discitis, vertebral osteomyelitis, or arachnoiditis at or near the site of injection. These complications have occurred in patients with and without evidence of fungal meningitis.

Updated: Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Bredeney Infections Linked to Peanut Butter Manufactured By Sunland, Inc. – November 30 (CDC)
A total of 42 people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Bredeney were reported from 20 states. This outbreak appears to be over. However, Salmonella is an important cause of human illness in the United States. More information about Salmonella, and steps people can take to reduce their risk of infection, can be found on the CDC Salmonella Web Page.

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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