Past Updates from the Clinician Listserv

Update Sent November 22, 2010

COCA’s Weekly Updates are disseminated every other week (biweekly). More frequent distributions will occur when there is emergency information or event-specific updates to share. The next COCA Update is scheduled for November 29, 2010.

The following updates were made to CDC information and guidance from November 16 – November 22, 2010. If you have any questions on these or other clinical issues, please write to us at coca@cdc.gov.

Today's topics Include:

Upcoming COCA Conference Calls
2010 Haiti Cholera Outbreak
H1N1 & Seasonal Influenza Resources
Emergency Preparedness & Response
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
Travelers’ Health
Food & Drug Safety

Other Resources

Upcoming COCA Calls

Title: Antiviral Agents for the Prevention and Control of Influenza
Date: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 (Tomorrow)
Time: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Eastern Time)
Call Number: 877-917-4909
Passcode: 9569278
Antiviral medications with activity against influenza viruses are an important adjunct to influenza vaccine in the prevention and treatment of influenza. During this COCA call, a CDC subject matter expert will discuss the 2010 Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendations for the use of antiviral medications for the prevention and control of influenza. The discussion will include information on treatment and chemoprophylaxis of influenza virus infection, and provide a summary of the effectiveness and safety of antiviral treatment medications.

For more information on this call visit: http://emergency.cdc.gov/coca/calls/2010/callinfo_112310.asp

Title: The Burden of Influenza in Chronic Illness
Date: Thursday, December 2, 2010
Time: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Eastern Time)
Call Number: 888-606-5919
Passcode: 9157512
Most people who get the flu will have mild illness, will not need medical care or antiviral drugs, and will recover in less than two weeks. Some people, however, are more likely to get flu complications that result in being hospitalized and occasionally result in death. The flu can also make chronic health problems worse. People who have medical conditions like diabetes, kidney disease and cancer are more likely to get flu-related complications if they get sick from influenza. During this COCA call, subject matter experts will discuss the influenza vaccination recommendations from the 2010 Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and practice strategies for preventing and treating influenza in people with diabetes, kidney disease, and cancer.

For more information on this call visit: http://emergency.cdc.gov/coca/calls/2010/callinfo_120210.asp

Title: Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Public and Occupational Health Surveillance
Date: Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Topic: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM (Eastern Time)
Call Number: 888-790-6180
Passcode: 1281914

On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU) exploded 40 miles south of the Louisiana coast. The explosion resulted in 11 deaths and the largest marine petroleum release in history. During the next three months, over 4.9 billion barrels of oil escaped into the Gulf of Mexico. The oil spill prompted the immediate monitoring of health among those potentially impacted by these exposures. Please join us for this informative COCA conference call where CDC subject matter experts will discuss the surveillance activities conducted for possible oil-spill related health effects among the response workers and populations residing in the spill-affected areas.

For more information on this call visit: http://emergency.cdc.gov/coca/calls/2010/callinfo_120710.asp

2010 Haiti Cholera Outbreak

Cholera: Diagnosis and Testing in Haiti – CDC (Nov 15)
Laboratory Test Results of Cholera Outbreak Strain in Haiti Announced.
http://www.cdc.gov/haiticholera/diagnosistreatment.htm

Updated: CDC Responds to Cholera Outbreak in Haiti – CDC (Nov 20)
CDC is working closely with other U.S. government agencies and international partners in support of the Haitian government’s response to the cholera outbreak in that country. CDC is collaborating with the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Pan American Health Organization, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and a host of other organizations to assist the Haiti Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) in a concerted effort to control the outbreak.
http://www.cdc.gov/haiticholera/update/

Cholera Information for Healthcare Professionals
Cholera resources for healthcare professionals addressing diagnosis, testing, treatment, patient care, and prevention.
http://www.cdc.gov/haiticholera/hc_professionals.htm

For more information and additional resources visit:
http://www.cdc.gov/haiticholera/

H1N1 & Seasonal Influenza Resources

National Influenza Vaccination Week Designated Days – CDC (Nov 15)
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. The 2010-2011 season’s NIVW is scheduled for December 5–11, 2010.
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/NIVW/index.htm

Flu Vaccines Have Good Safety Records – CDC (Nov 15)
Flu vaccination is recommended for everyone 6 months of age and older. Scientific studies and monitoring continue to show flu vaccines are safe for use in the prevention of flu and its serious complications.
http://www.cdc.gov/Features/FluVaccines/

National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) Partner Letter – CDC (Nov 16)
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/pdf/nivw/2010NIVW_PartnerLetter.pdf

Interim Guidance on the Use of Influenza Antiviral Agents During the 2010-2011 Influenza Season
– CDC (Nov 16)
This report updates previous recommendations made by CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) regarding the use of antiviral agents for the prevention and treatment of influenza.
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/antivirals/guidance/

Summary Influenza Antiviral Treatment Recommendations for 2010-2011 – CDC (Nov 16)
This summary describes recently updated recommendations made by CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) regarding the use of antiviral agents for the prevention and treatment of influenza.
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/antivirals/antiviralrec2010.htm

NIH Experts Describe Influenza Vaccines of the Future – NIH (Nov 17)
In a review article appearing in the New England Journal of Medicine, scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, examine research under way to address the limitations of currently available influenza vaccines and develop more efficient and reliable strategies to make vaccines to protect against seasonal as well as pandemic influenza. Although licensed seasonal flu vaccines safely and effectively protect most people who receive them from illness and death, the degree of protection varies depending on how well the circulating virus strains and those in the vaccine match. A vaccine recipient’s age and health status also can affect the effectiveness of influenza vaccination.
http://www.niaid.nih.gov/news/newsreleases/2010/Pages/FutureFluVax.aspx

Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Human Infection in Hong Kong – CDC (Nov 19)
This report provides information about one human infection with an avian influenza A (H5N1) virus in Hong Kong. This case occurs against a backdrop of endemic infection with highly pathogenic avian influenza A H5N1 viruses (HPAI) among poultry in Asia and other parts of the world and sporadic but fairly regular human infections with HPAI H5N1 viruses dating back to 2003.
http://www.cdc.gov/media/subtopic/heard.htm#h5n1

Seniors (Adults 65 Years and Older) and the Flu – HHS (Nov 19)
For older adults, the seasonal flu can be very serious, even deadly. Each year in the U.S., deaths from flu-related causes range from 3,300 to 48,600 (average of 23,600), and more than 200,000 are hospitalized from serious flu complications. Ninety percent of flu-related deaths and more than half of flu-related hospitalizations occur in people age 65 and older.
http://www.flu.gov/individualfamily/seniors/index.html

National Influenza Vaccination Week Media Toolkit – CDC (Nov 18)
CDC Influenza Awareness Campaign: Media Toolkit
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/pdf/nivw/NIVW_Media_Toolkit_Final_1110.pdf

2010-11 Seasonal Influenza Vaccine - Total Doses Distributed – CDC (Nov 18)
Cumulative weekly total number of seasonal influenza vaccine doses distributed in the US as reported to CDC by influenza vaccine manufacturers.
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/vaccination/vaccinesupply.htm

FluView – 2010-2011 Influenza Season Week 45 ending November 13, 2010 – CDC (Nov 19)
During week 45 (November 7-13, 2010), influenza activity remained low in the United States. Two hundred and twenty (7.7%) specimens tested by U.S. World Health Organization (WHO) and National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (NREVSS) collaborating laboratories and reported to CDC/Influenza Division, were positive for influenza.
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/

Seasonal Flu: International Situation Update – CDC (Nov 17)
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.
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/international/activity.htm

Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Resources for Health Professionals http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/vaccination/index.htm#fluletter

Locate all H1N1 Flu and Public Health Guidance Documents
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance/

Emergency Preparedness & Response

NIH Scientists Show how Anthrax Bacteria Impair Immune Response: Studies in Mice Reveal How Bacteria Hamper Front-line Defense Cells – NIH (Nov 17)
Researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have determined a key mechanism by which Bacillus anthracis bacteria initiate anthrax infection despite being greatly outnumbered by immune system scavenger cells. The finding, made by studying genetically modified mice, adds new detail to the picture of early-stage anthrax infection and supports efforts to develop vaccines and drugs that would block this part of the cycle.
http://www.niaid.nih.gov/news/newsreleases/2010/pages/anthraxtoxin.aspx/Pages/default.aspx

MMWR

MMWR Weekly - CDC (Nov 19)
The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) series is prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (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:
November 19, 2010 / Vol. 59 / No. 45
Download .pdf document of this issue

To electronically subscribe to the MMWR, go to http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr and enter your email address in the box entitled Get email updates or click on MMWR Subscriptions.

Travelers' Health

New: Advice about Cholera for Travelers Arriving in the United States from Haiti – CDC (Nov 17)
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/content/news-announcements/cholera-travelers-returning-from-haiti.aspx

Food & Drug Safety

FDA Urges Consumers to be 'Smart' about Antibiotic Use – FDA (Nov 15)
This year, millions of antibiotics will be prescribed. Antibiotics can be used to treat bacterial infections; however, they are commonly over-prescribed. Patients sometimes ask their health care professional to prescribe antibiotic drugs for viral infections, like the common cold, despite the fact that they will not work and may lead to potentially harmful side effects. The misuse of antibiotics has contributed to one of the world’s most pressing public health problems today, antibiotic resistance.
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm233825.htm

Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alert – FDA (Nov 18)
For information on recent FDA recalls, market recalls, and safety alerts please click on the following link: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm

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 want to subscribe, unsubscribe, or update your information, please e-mail coca@cdc.gov

If you need further information or technical help, please e-mail coca@cdc.gov