Month: January 2019

BROOKSVILLE — Bracken County has seen a rise in hepatitis A cases recently.

According to Tony Cox, Bracken County Health Department director, since Jan. 1, there have been five cases identified in the county.

“We’d not had any cases and then, suddenly, there are five,” he said. “We’re investigating the rise in cases, but there are a lot of activities that, if people are involved in, we encourage them to get vaccinated. Drug activity, smoking after one another – if you’re sharing a needle or a cigarette, it can raise your chances of being exposed. Of course, it’s not exclusive to that. At the core, hepatitis A is a fecal-oral passing disease.”

Amy Mains, the BCHD preparedness coordinator, said she encourages everyone to wash their hands and get vaccinated.

“We need everyone to be aware of this,” she said. “If you haven’t been vaccinated, we encourage it. Kentucky schools even require it.”

Mains said some of the symptoms of hepatitis A includes fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, vomiting, stomach pain, dark urine, pale or clay colored stool.

“There have been some deaths in Kentucky, but none in Bracken County,” she said. “If you’re showing symptoms, seek medical evaluation. Hepatitis A is not treatable once it’s contracted, but it is preventable. If you contract it, you’ll have to go through the symptoms.”

According to Mains, people who contract Hepatitis A are most contagious from two weeks before symptoms begin showing to one week after symptoms disappear.

“Not everyone who is infected will have all the symptoms,” she said. Symptoms usually start within 28 days of exposure to the virus with a range of 15-50 days. Previous infection with hepatitis A provides immunity for the rest of a person’s life. People that are exposed to hepatitis A may be given vaccine or immune globulin within 14 days of exposure to prevent infection.”

Mains said people of all ages should be vaccinated.

“People who should be vaccinated for hepatitis A include all children at age 1; people who are experiencing homelessness; users of recreational drugs, whether injected or not; men who have sexual encounters with other men; people with direct contact with others who have hepatitis A; travelers to countries where hepatitis A is common; people with chronic or long-term liver disease, including hepatitis B or hepatitis C; people with clotting-factor disorders; and family and caregivers of adoptees from countries where hepatitis A is common,” she said.

In Mason County, six cases have been diagnosed since Jan. 1, according to Pam Brant, Mason County Health Department clinical coordinator.

“Since the outbreak began in early 2017, we’ve had 13 cases in Mason County,” she said. “Six have been diagnosed since Jan. 1.”

Brant said she also encourages the vaccination.

“It’s totally preventable,” she said. “Wash your hands, practice good hygiene, vaccinate yourself. It will prevent the possible spread of the disease.”

Brant said the vaccine is covered by most insurances. The vaccine is offered at local health departments, doctor’s offices and pharmacies.

According to the Kentucky Department for Public Health, as of December 2018, Robertson County had one case, Lewis County had 11 cases and Fleming County had four cases.

Brown County, Ohio had four cases and Adams County, Ohio had two cases, as of Jan. 22, 2019, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

A quickly escalating measles outbreak around Portland, Ore., has led health officials in nearby Clark County, Wash., to declare a public health emergency as they warn that people infected with the highly contagious virus have visited schools and churches, a dentist’s office, a Costco, an Ikea and an Amazon locker pickup station.

Someone with measles was at Concourse D of the Portland International Airport on Jan. 7, the county’s public health department advised. An infected person attended a Portland Trail Blazers home game Jan. 11.

At the beginning of last week, there were only a handful of confirmed cases. On Friday, the day the emergency was declared, there were 19. By Sunday, that number had grown to 21. The latest update came Tuesday, when county officials said they had confirmed 23 cases and were investigating two more suspected cases. The vast majority of those who have fallen ill had not been immunized.

The outbreak makes concrete the fear of pediatric epidemiologists that a citadel of the movement against compulsory vaccination could be susceptible to the rapid spread of a potentially deadly disease.

“It’s alarming,” Douglas J. Opel, a pediatrician at Seattle Children’s Hospital, said in an interview with The Washington Post. “Any time we have an outbreak of a disease that we have a safe and effective vaccine against, it should raise a red flag.”

State data shows that 7.9 percent of children in Clark County were exempt in the 2017-2018 school year from vaccines required for kindergarten entry, which includes the two-dose course for measles that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says is 97 percent effective. Only 1.2 percent of the children had a medical dispensation, meaning that nearly 7 percent were not immunized for personal or religious reasons. Nationally, about 2 percent of children went without required immunizations for nonmedical reasons.

The high rate of nonmedical exemption for vaccines is what makes the Portland area, which sits across the Columbia River from Clark County, a “hotspot” for outbreaks, according to Peter J. Hotez, a professor of pediatrics and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

“This is something I’ve predicted for a while now,” he said of the public health emergency in Clark County. “It’s really awful and really tragic and totally preventable.”

Of the confirmed cases, 18 patients are between the ages of 1 to 10 years old. Twenty of the infected individuals had not been immunized against measles, and the vaccination history of the other three remained unverified. One person was hospitalized.

Experts advised that the outbreak could still be in its infancy. The incubation period of the virus averages two weeks, and it can be spread four days before a rash makes its onset obvious.

Because measles is among the most highly contagious of all infectious diseases, it is bound to flare up in areas with low vaccination rates, Hotez said. He tracked this effect in a paper last year in the Public Library of Science, linking the number of philosophical exemptions, which has climbed since 2009 in 12 of the 18 states that allow them, to increasing outbreaks.

The problem is especially pronounced, the paper found, in more than a dozen “hotspot metropolitan areas,” including Portland and Seattle in the Northwest, Phoenix in the Southwest and Detroit in the Midwest.

Public health experts are sounding alarms about the geographical clustering of people who refuse to immunize themselves, which creates vulnerabilities despite the overall high rate of vaccination. In November, Asheville, N.C., another stronghold of the anti-vaccination movement, succumbed to the state’s worst chickenpox outbreak since a vaccine for the infection became available more than two decades ago.

“Portland is a total train wreck when it comes to vaccine rates,” Hotez said in an interview with The Post.

Opposition to compulsory vaccination in the Pacific Northwest dates to the Progressive Era and continuesdespite major medical breakthroughs. The modern anti-vaccination movement — built on debunked research published in 1998 that associated the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella, known as the MMR vaccine, with autism — is not exclusive to one side of the political divide, survey data suggests; it tends to find its most fervent supporters at both extremes.

Measles is a dire price to pay for leniency about vaccination, Hotez cautioned, calling the illness “one of the most serious infectious diseases known to humankind.” After smallpox was eradicated in 1980, measles became the leading killer of children globally, he said.

In 2000, public health officials declared measles eliminated in the United States because more than a year had gone by without continuous transmission of the disease. But recent outbreaks supply evidence of dangerous backsliding in containment of the virus, Hotez said, blaming the anti-vaccination movement. “This is a self-inflicted wound,” he said.

In 2015, a woman in northwestern Washington died of pneumonia after contracting measles. It was the first U.S. death from the virus since 2003.

Last year saw the second highest number of reported cases of measles since 2000, according to the CDC. A total of 349 cases were confirmed across 26 states and the District of Columbia, only surpassed by the 667 cases in 2014. Orthodox Jewish communities were at the center of several outbreaks last year in New York and New Jersey, after unvaccinated travelers returned with the virus from Israel, which was battling an outbreak. The year before, Minnesota reported 75 cases of measles, mostly in a Somali community where the discredited theory blaming autism on the MMR vaccine had taken hold.

Because measles is still endemic in parts of the world, said Opel, “periodic introduction by people traveling is what’s causing frequent outbreaks here.”

A high level of protection is required to prevent transfer of the highly contagious virus, he added. Somewhere between 92 and 94 percent of the population must be immunized. Clark County is already below that level, he observed, “before you factor in other things like people just missing their appointments.”

The county’s health department emphasized how easily the virus can spread, remaining for as long as two hours in the air of a room where an infected person has been.

“If other people breathe the contaminated air or touch a contaminated surface, then touch their eyes, noses or mouths, they can become infected,” the county warned in a statement Tuesday. “Measles is so contagious that if one person has it, 90 percent of the people close to that person who are not immune will also become infected.”

While the illness often begins with cold-like symptoms and a rash, doctors emphasized that many infected people suffer from additional complications, including pneumonia and, in more serious cases, inflammation of the brain known as encephalitis and even seizures.

 

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a condition in which excess fat is stored in your liver. This buildup of fat is not caused by heavy alcohol use. When heavy alcohol use causes fat to build up in the liver, this condition is called alcoholic liver disease .

Two types of NAFLD are simple fatty liver and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Simple fatty liver and NASH are two separate conditions. People typically develop one type of NAFLD or the other, although sometimes people with one form are later diagnosed with the other form of NAFLD.

Simple fatty liver

Simple fatty liver, also called nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL), is a form of NAFLD in which you have fat in your liver but little or no inflammation or liver cell damage. Simple fatty liver typically does not progress to cause liver damage or complications.

NASH

NASH is a form of NAFLD in which you have hepatitis—inflammation of the liver—and liver cell damage, in addition to fat in your liver. Inflammation and liver cell damage can cause fibrosis, or scarring, of the liver. NASH may lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer  .

Experts are not sure why some people with NAFLD have NASH while others have simple fatty liver.

How common are NAFLD and NASH?

NAFLD is one of the most common causes of liver disease in the United States. Most people with NAFLD have simple fatty liver. Only a small number of people with NAFLD have NASH. Experts estimate that about 20 percent of people with NAFLD have NASH.¹

Between 30 and 40 percent of adults in the United States have NAFLD. About 3 to 12 percent of adults in the United States have NASH.¹

Who is more likely to develop NAFLD?

NAFLD is more common in people who have certain conditions, including obesity and conditions that may be related to obesity, such as type 2 diabetes. Researchers have found NAFLD in 40 to 80 percent of people who have type 2 diabetes and in 30 to 90 percent of people who are obese.² In research that tested for NAFLD in people who were severely obese and undergoing bariatric surgery, more than 90 percent of the people studied had NAFLD.

NAFLD can affect people of any age, including children. Research suggests that close to 10 percent of U.S. children ages 2 to 19 have NAFLD.⁴ However, people are more likely to develop NAFLD as they age.

While NAFLD occurs in people of all races and ethnicities, it is most common in Hispanics, followed by non-Hispanic whites.² NAFLD is less common in African Americans.² Asian Americans are more likely than people of other racial or ethnic groups to develop NAFLD when their weight is within the normal range.⁵

What are the complications of NAFLD and NASH?

The majority of people with NAFLD have simple fatty liver, and people with simple fatty liver typically don’t develop complications.¹

NASH can lead to complications, such as cirrhosis and liver cancer. People with NASH have an increased chance of dying from liver-related causes.³

If NASH leads to cirrhosis, and cirrhosis leads to liver failure, you may need a liver transplant to survive.

Studies also suggest that people with NAFLD have a greater chance of developing cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in people who have either form of NAFLD.⁶

Research program for patients taking the drug coumadin or warfarin. Participants who qualify will donate plasma during various INR ranges and be compensated $100 each time they donate. Participants can donate safely 2x per week during this programs requests.  Call 800-510-4003.. Must be in Indianapolis area

Current INR values needed:
* 2-3%
*3-4%
*>4%
*** Basic Donor Qualifications ***

1. Must be HIV/HCV/HBV Negative
2. Must be 18-65 years in age and weigh 110lbs or more
3. Must have proof of medication (prescription or the bottle is acceptable)

Do you currently have infectious mononucleosis?  We need plasma donors to help research.  Participants earn $200 each time you donate and you can donate twice a week for as long as your antibodies maintain.  To learn more call 800-510-4003 or visit us at http://www.accessclinical.com

About Infectious Mononucleosis:-

Infectious mononucleosis, also called “mono,” is a contagious disease. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the most common cause of infectious mononucleosis, but other viruses can also cause this disease. It is common among teenagers and young adults, especially college students. At least one out of four teenagers and young adults who get infected with EBV will develop infectious mononucleosis.

Symptoms

Typical symptoms of infectious mononucleosis usually appear four to six weeks after you get infected with EBV. Symptoms may develop slowly and may not all occur at the same time.

These symptoms include:

• extreme fatigue
• fever
• sore throat
• head and body aches
• swollen lymph nodes in the neck and armpits
• swollen liver or spleen or both
• rash

Enlarged spleen and a swollen liver are less common symptoms. For some people, their liver or spleen or both may remain enlarged even after their fatigue ends.

Most people get better in two to four weeks; however, some people may feel fatigued for several more weeks. Occasionally, the symptoms of infectious mononucleosis can last for six months or longer.

Transmission:-

EBV is the most common cause of infectious mononucleosis, but other viruses can cause this disease. Typically, these viruses spread most commonly through bodily fluids, especially saliva. However, these viruses can also spread through blood and semen during sexual contact, blood transfusions, and organ transplantations.

 

Have you recently been diagnosed with “acute” (active) hepatitis a?  If so, you can donate plasma and help others and earn compensation while doing so.  Plasma is a crucial component in the manufacturing of test kits and into invitro-diagnostic controls.  Plasma houses various proteins and antibodies for your diagnosis.  Without plasma donors the very test kits that were used to diagnose you would not be available for physicians, clinics or hospitals when needed to make a conclusive diagnosis.

Since plasma is just a component of the red blood cells you are able to donate more frequently than you can with whole blood donations.  Plasma is replenished within 24-48 hours allowing you to donate twice in a seven day period, whereas whole blood you can only do every 8 weeks/56-days as this is how long it takes your body to reproduce the red cells you have lost/donated in the donation process.

Participants who do qualify will be compensated $500 for each visit and all travel related expenses to get you to and from a facility is taken care of by us and is not deducted from your compensation for participation.  To learn more and to inquire visit https://www.accessclinical.com or you can call 800-510-4003 to speak with a representative.

Basic Qualifications:-

• Must have or have access to your lab tests showing active Hepatitis A
• Must be HIV, HCV and HBV Negative (no-co infections, no programs for HCV/HIV)
• Must be 18-65 years in age and weigh at least 110 pounds or more.

What is Hepatitis A:

Hepatitis A is a vaccine-preventable, communicable disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV). It is usually transmitted person-to-person through the fecal-oral route or consumption of contaminated food or water. Hepatitis A is a self-limited disease that does not result in chronic infection. Most adults with hepatitis A have symptoms, including fatigue, low appetite, stomach pain, nausea, and jaundice, that usually resolve within 2 months of infection; most children less than 6 years of age do not have symptoms or have an unrecognized infection. Antibodies produced in response to hepatitis A infection last for life and protect against reinfection. The best way to prevent hepatitis A infection is to get vaccinated.

What is the case definition for acute hepatitis A?

The clinical case definition for acute viral hepatitis is discrete onset of symptoms consistent with hepatitis (e.g., nausea, anorexia, fever, malaise, or abdominal pain) AND either jaundice or elevated serum aminotransferase levels. Because the clinical characteristics are the same for all types of acute viral hepatitis, hepatitis A diagnosis must be confirmed by a positive serologic test for immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody to hepatitis A virus, or the case must meet the clinical case definition and occur in a person who has an epidemiologic link with a person who has laboratory-confirmed hepatitis A (i.e., household or sexual contact with an infected person during the 15–50 days before the onset of symptoms).

How is the hepatitis A virus (HAV) transmitted?

• Person-to-person transmission through the fecal-oral route (i.e., ingestion of something that has been contaminated with the feces of an infected person) is the primary means of HAV transmission in the United States. Infections in the United States result primarily from travel to another country where hepatitis A virus transmission is common, close personal contact with infected persons, sex among men who have sex with men, and behaviors associated with injection drug use

Exposure to contaminated food or water can cause common-source outbreaks and sporadic cases of HAV infection. Uncooked foods contaminated with HAV can be a source of outbreaks, as well as cooked foods that are not heated to temperatures capable of killing the virus during preparation (i.e., 185 degrees F [>85 degrees C] for one minute) and foods that are contaminated after cooking, as occurs in outbreaks associated with infected food handlers (3–5). Waterborne outbreaks are infrequent in developed countries with properly maintained sanitation and water supplies (6). In the United States, floods are unlikely to cause outbreaks of communicable diseases, and outbreaks of HAV caused by flooding have not been documented

What are the signs and symptoms of  hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection?

Do you currently have “acute” or “Chronic” hepatitis B?  If so we have a specialty research program designed to help you as well as the research and diagnostic communities.  Your plasma is a crucial component for invitro-diagnostic companies in the manufacturing and creation of the test kits used to diagnose patients with this virus as well as further research into the virus.

Participants who qualify and participate can earn up to $500 per visit and you can safely donate 2x in a 7 day period based on the FDA guidelines for donor safety.  Plasma is the yellow, watery substance in the red blood cells which house various proteins as well as the antibodies for your diagnosis.  The plasma is separated via a procedure called plasmapheresis and your red blood cells are returned to you which is why you can donate 2x in a 7 day period.  Donating plasma is a very safe and simple procedure and it is performed in licensed, FDA regulated plasma facilities under the direction of the centers medical director.

To learn more and to see if you may qualify please visit us at http://www.accessclinical.com, or you may reach us at 800-510-4003 to discuss the program further.

What is Hepatitis B?

It is a liver infection caused by the Hepatitis B virus (HBV). Hepatitis B is transmitted when blood, semen, or another body fluid from a person infected with the Hepatitis B virus enters the body of someone who is not infected. This can happen through sexual contact; sharing needles, syringes, or other drug-injection equipment; or from mother to baby at birth. For some people, hepatitis B is an acute, or short-term, illness but for others, it can become a long-term, chronic infection. Risk for chronic infection is related to age at infection: approximately 90% of infected infants become chronically infected, compared with 2%–6% of adults. Chronic Hepatitis B can lead to serious health issues, like cirrhosis or liver cancer. The best way to prevent Hepatitis B is by getting vaccinated.

How is HBV transmitted?

HBV is transmitted through activities that involve percutaneous (i.e., puncture through the skin) or mucosal contact with infectious blood or body fluids (e.g., semen, saliva), including

• Sex with an infected partner
• Injection drug use that involves sharing needles, syringes, or drug-preparation equipment
• Birth to an infected mother
• Contact with blood or open sores of an infected person
• Needle sticks or sharp instrument exposures
• Sharing items such as razors or toothbrushes with an infected person

HBV is not spread through food or water, sharing eating utensils, breastfeeding, hugging, kissing, hand holding, coughing, or sneezing.

How long does HBV survive outside the body?

HBV can survive outside the body at least 7 days and still be capable of causing infection

What should be used to remove HBV from environmental surfaces?

Any blood spills — including dried blood, which can still be infectious — should be cleaned using 1:10 dilution of one part household bleach to 10 parts of water for disinfecting the area. Gloves should be worn when cleaning up any blood spills.

Who is at risk for HBV infection?

The following populations are at increased risk of becoming infected with HBV:

• Infants born to infected mothers
• Sex partners of infected persons
• Men who have sex with men
• Injection drug users
• Household contacts or sexual partners of known persons with chronic HBV infection
• Health care and public safety workers at risk for occupational exposure to blood or blood-contaminated body fluids, and
• Hemodialysis patients

 

 

Do you currently have/suffer with the affects of RA?  We have teamed up with researchers who are the leaders in the in-vitro diagnostic communities who need antibody rich plasma for further manufacturing into controls for test kit manufacturing.  Without plasma from patients who have this condition they are unable to keep up with the demand of test kit manufacturing because plasma is a crucial component in creating the positive and negative controls for the kits.  The medical research is growing rapidly and is becoming more demanding for these rare antibodies and are looking for patients like you.

Each time you donate you are helping research and others all while being compensated for your donation and depending on your condition you can earn $100-$500 each time you donate and you can safely donate 2x per 7 day period.  Simply having the diagnosis is the first step in qualifying and the second is your antibody levels.  Given the plasms is being used for research they require that the patient have the diagnosis, but also have very high antibody levels which with most labs it will cap out the test as a > than number because that’s as high as the kit will go.

Donor participation is performed in accordance with the current FDA regulations and is overseen by our medical director who is a licensed physician in our FDA licensed and state regulated plasma center.  All patient information is kept confidential and within HIPAA guidelines and are also consented with our IRB protocol which also ensures patient privacy.

The antibodies we collect/you donate is done via a procedure called plasmapheresis, this procedure is similar to donating whole blood (i.e.: Red Cross, or other blood bank).  However plasma is the protein based substance that your blood cells float around in (that contains these antibodies), the difference is thru plasmapheresis you are getting your red blood cells returned thru this process.  When you donate whole blood you can only do so every 56 days/8 week as it takes your body to reproduce these, whereas plasma is replenished naturally within a 24-48 hours from your donation which allows you to donate more frequently.

What is rheumatoid arthritis (RA)?

Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease, which means that your immune system attacks healthy cells in your body by mistake, causing inflammation (painful swelling) in the affected parts of the body.

RA mainly attacks the joints, usually many joints at once. RA commonly affects joints in the hands, wrists, and knees. In a joint with RA, the lining of the joint becomes inflamed, causing damage to joint tissue. This tissue damage can cause long-lasting or chronic pain, unsteadiness (lack of balance), and deformity (misshapenness).

RA can also affect other tissues throughout the body and cause problems in organs such as the lungs, heart, and eyes.

What are the signs and symptoms of RA?

With RA, there are times when symptoms get worse, known as flares, and times when symptoms get better, known as remission.

Signs and symptoms of RA include:

• Pain or aching in more than one joint.
• Stiffness in more than one joint.
• Tenderness and swelling in more than one joint.
• The same symptoms on both sides of the body (such as in both hands or both knees).
• Weight loss.
• Fever.
• Fatigue, or tiredness.
• Weakness.

What causes RA?

RA is the result of an immune response in which the body’s immune system attacks its own healthy cells.  The specific causes of RA are unknown, but some factors can increase the risk of developing the disease.

What are the risk factors for RA?

Researchers have studied a number of genetic and environmental factors to determine if they change person’s risk of developing RA.

Characteristics that increase risk

• Age. RA can begin at any age, but the likelihood increases with age. The onset of RA is highest among adults in their sixties.
• Sex. New cases of RA are typically two-to-three times higher in women than men.
• Genetics/inherited traits. People born with specific genes are more likely to develop RA. These genes, called HLA (human leukocyte antigen) class II genotypes, can also make your arthritis worse. The risk of RA may be highest when people with these genes are exposed to environmental factors like smoking or when a person is obese.
• Smoking. Multiple studies show that cigarette smoking increases a person’s risk of developing RA and can make the disease worse.
• History of live births. Women who have never given birth may be at greater risk of developing RA.
• Early Life Exposures. Some early life exposures may increase risk of developing RA in adulthood.  For example, one study found that children whose mothers smoked had double the risk of developing RA as adults. Children of lower income parents are at increased risk of developing RA as adults.
• Obesity. Being obese can increase the risk of developing RA. Studies examining the role of obesity also found that the more overweight a person was, the higher his or her risk of developing RA became.

Characteristics that can decrease risk

Unlike the risk factors above which may increase risk of developing RA, at least one characteristic may decrease risk of developing RA.

How is RA diagnosed?

RA is diagnosed by reviewing symptoms, conducting a physical examination, and doing X-rays and lab tests. It’s best to diagnose RA early—within 6 months of the onset of symptoms—so that people with the disease can begin treatment to slow or stop disease progression (for example, damage to joints).  Diagnosis and effective treatments, particularly treatment to suppress or control inflammation, can help reduce the damaging effects of RA.

 

We are seeking patients who were just diagnosed with having “acute” mononucleosis? We need plasma donors who have active, first time mono to help others. Earn $200.00 per donation and you can safely donate 2x per week while your antibody levels are in range.

To earn some $$ and help others call 800-510-4003 to learn more…

Donor Qualifications:-

1. Must have lab results showing your mono diagnosis
2. Must weigh at least 110 pounds or more
3. Must be HIV/HCV and HBV Negative