Month: March 2019

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Penn undergraduate diagnosed with mumps as outbreak at Temple grows

Mumps

A Penn undergraduate was diagnosed with a lab-confirmed case of the mumps following an outbreak at Temple University that has sickened at least 100 students, according to a March 27 email from Penn administrators.

The infected Penn student lives off-campus and was diagnosed following lab testing at Student Health Service, according to an email to the Penn community from Provost Wendell Pritchett, Vice President for Human Resources Jack Heuer, Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum, and Chief Wellness Officer Benoit Dubé.

The message read that public health officials believe the case at Penn is unconnected to the Temple outbreak.

“Penn staff are in constant communication with the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Philadelphia Department of Public Health to monitor this evolving situation,” the message added.

Mumps is a contagious viral disease with symptoms including fevers, headaches, muscle aches, loss of appetite, and swollen salivary glands. It is usually spread through saliva, such as sharing food or drinks.

Penn currently requires all full-time students and all students living in campus housing to have two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. The vaccine is 88 percent effective at preventing the disease, but cases of the mumps do appear in vaccinated populations.

The message encouraged members of the Penn community to wash hands frequently and “avoid sharing food, drinks, utensils, or e-cigarettes.” It added that symptomatic students should visit Student Health Service, where they may be directed to self-isolate.

Since late February, there have been an estimated 105 cases of the mumps at Temple, with 18 confirmed cases and 87 probable cases. Isolated cases have also been reported at Drexel University, West Chester University, and in Montgomery County, Pa. In response, Temple has announced it will require future students to be up-to-date on the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine and is also offering a free vaccine clinic for students, faculty, and staff.

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Health department warns of measles exposure at 2 Indianapolis locations

measles

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INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) –

Health officials are warning of a case of measles that may have been exposed to people at two Indianapolis locations.

The Marion County Health Department confirmed the case in an out-of-state visitor who stayed at the Microtel Inn & Suites at 5815 Rockville Road between midnight and 2 p.m. on March 18. The infected individual also visited Shapiro’s Delicatessen on South Meridian Street between noon and 2:15 p.m. the same day.

The department said most residents should already be vaccinated and protected against measles infection. Anyone with questions about their vaccination status should ask their health care provider or call the department’s Immunization Program at 317-221-2122.

Symptoms of measles, including high fever, cough, runny eyes and nose and rash usually appear a week to 14 days after infection. Symptoms from the Marion County exposure would begin between March 25 and April 8.

If you may have been exposed and are showing symptoms of measles, contact your doctor immediately and tell them about the measles exposure before the visit so appropriate precautions can be made.

Shapiro’s issued the following statement about the possible exposure Wednesday:

“An out-of-state driver, who visited Shapiro’s on March 18th, was confirmed to have measles when they reached their destination. Shapiro’s is proud of our clean atmosphere & legendary food. We passed our most recent health inspection earlier this year, with flying colors.”

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Measles Outbreak Continues in Oregon and Washington, With One New Case Reported Daily

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An outbreak of measles that began in January in southern Washington state has risen to 79 cases throughout Washington and Oregon, according to the Oregonian.

In late January, health officials in Washington’s Clark County, which sits north of Portland, Ore., reported that 22 people had been infected with measles in the city of Vancouver, Wash., with most of the cases involving children under 10.

Since then, the total of measles infections has risen to 79 cases as of Monday, with 73 of them in Vancouver or Clark County. The latest case reported involved an adult in their 30s. The rate of reported infections in the region continue to be around one a day. Exposure areas listed by Clark County and the Oregonian include hospitals and health clinics, Portland International Airport, and a trampoline park as well as a Red Robin restaurant in Salem, Ore.

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Tick Talk: Butte County sees uptick in tiny pests

lyme

OROVILLE — “Don’t let the bugs bite” is not just good bedtime advice, it’s also just good sense, according to a new warning from the Butte County Mosquito and Vector Control District.

Tick season is in full swing, and the district is warning hikers, campers and every sort of outdoor enthusiast to be aware of the small but mighty bite of a tick.

Matt Ball, control district manager, said he wants people to be able to enjoy themselves outdoors, but to take a few, easy measures to prevent a “potentially lifelong, debilitating disease.”

That’s because ticks can carry numerous diseases, like Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, anaplasmosis, babesiosis and perhaps the most well known tick-borne illness: Lyme Disease.

The control district routinely does surveillance in popular, local wildlife areas including the trails around Lake Oroville, Upper Bidwell Park and Lake Wyandotte, and send the captured ticks to a lab to see if they are carrying disease, Ball said.

Lately, they have identified an increased local population of the western black-legged tick — sometimes referred to as a deer tick — which is a known carrier for Lyme disease.

Untreated Lyme disease can result in fever, rash, facial paralysis and arthritis. Early signs include fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint aches and swollen lymph nodes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

But Ball says the risk can be minimized with some easy preparation, and there’s certainly no need to call off your outdoor plans in fear of the tiny critter.

“Lyme disease is not easy to get,” he said. “The tick has to be on you and feeding for at least 24 hours to transmit.”

That means after you go outside, be sure to check “every crack and crevice,” Ball said, or have a friend or partner help you. There’s a short window of opportunity to remove the tick carefully and avoid transmission.

Ticks are attracted to humid areas of the body, so check your neck, behind your ears and in between joints too, as they are particularly vulnerable to bites, he added.

In addition, the control district recommends using insect repellent with at least 20 percent DEET or with permethrin content on exposed skin and clothing. Wear long, light-colored clothing so the dark ticks are easier to spot, and routinely check yourself and your pets for the tiny invaders. If you don’t want to wear long clothing or use chemicals, Ball said be sure to check for bites very, very carefully.

A fully-engorged, adult tick can be the size of a dime, Ball said, but the juvenile form (known as a “nymph”) is much, much smaller, from approximately the size of a BB gun pellet all the way down to a pinhead.

Ticks are found most commonly in naturally-vegetated areas, said a release from the control district, and are most active during the spring and early summer months when they can be found on logs, grasses, branches and among damp leaves. Because nymphs are so small, it’s particularly difficult to tell if you’ve been bitten, but a telltale, target-like mark is a common indicator.

If you think you have been bitten, use a pair of finely-pointed tweezers to gently and firmly pull the tick straight out — do not twist, crush, burn or squeeze the tick.

To get the tick identified, free of cost, put it in a jar or clear, plastic bag with a piece of cotton or tissue moistened with water, and bring it to the control district offices at 5117 Larkin Road in Oroville.

“When the grass is green, the ticks that can harm you are out,” Ball warned. “Always be vigilant.”

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Cambridge Trader Joe’s Employee Tests Positive For Hepatitis A

CAMBRIDGE (CBS) – A health alert has been issued in Cambridge after a Trader Joe’s employee was diagnosed with Hepatitis A.

Health officials say that person was contagious from mid-February through March 10.

They believe the risk to the public is low.

Other workers at the Trader Joe’s on Alewife Brook Parkway who may have been exposed have to get vaccinated or show proof of immunity before they’ll be allowed back to work.

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Rising hepatitis A cases prompt vaccination call

Hep A

SOWEGA public health officials say hepatitis A not on rise in region, but is in Georgia

ALBANY — Hepatitis A, a highly-contagious liver infection, is on the rise in Georgia, prompting public health officials to recommend residents to learn about the disease and to get vaccinated against it.

“The state has seen an increase in hepatitis A, which can lead to a severe illness lasting several months, or which may have no symptoms at all,” Jacqueline Jenkins, epidemiologist with the Southwest Public Health District, said. “In rare cases, it can cause liver failure and death.

“We want residents to be aware that the infection is circulating in Georgia so they can know what to do to prevent it.”

Hepatitis A is vaccine-preventable. Even though the infection is surging in parts of the state, Jenkins emphasized that cases of the illness are not increasing in the southwest Georgia health district.

“We had no confirmed cases here last year, and so far this year to date we have none,” she said. “We’d like to keep it that way.”

The vaccine is available at county health departments and is affordable, safe and effective, Health District Director Dr. Charles Ruis said.

“The health departments accept most insurance,” he said. “Low-pay and no-pay options are also available for qualified applicants.”

 

The vaccine is usually administered in a series of two doses, which should confer immunity, Ruis said. It can be given to pregnant women and to people with compromised immune systems, such as people on dialysis or people with AIDS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The CDC also said administering an extra dose of hepatitis A vaccine is not harmful if a person’s vaccine history is not known. The vaccine may be administered concurrently with other vaccines.

 

Once a person has had hepatitis A, he or she is protected against getting it again, Ruis said. Some groups are at risk for the disease, and Ruis urged them to get vaccinated against it.

Those at risk for hepatitis A include:

— Substance abusers (both injection and non-injection);

— Children age 1 or older;

— Men who have sex with men;

— Homeless individuals;

— Those who come in close contact and household members of people who have the illness;

— People with chronic liver disease, including hepatitis B and/or hepatitis C;

People traveling to places where hepatitis A is common.

 

Symptoms of hepatitis A may include vomiting, nausea, fever, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, headache and diarrhea. The infection is typically transmitted person-to-person through the fecal-oral route or by consuming contaminated food or water.

For more information about hepatitis A, go to https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hav/.

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Jefferson Co. BOH locally addressing Hepatitis A outbreak in Ohio

Hep A

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ohio — The Jefferson County Board of Health met Tuesday morning for its monthly meeting.

One of the topics discussed today was the large outbreak of Hepatitis A across the state of Ohio.

There have been over 1,100 cases of Hepatitis A in the state.

Jefferson County has one active case right now.

So, nurses in the county are doing what they can to promote immunization to those who are under high risk of the disease, like drug users and the homeless.

They are also helping to prevent the disease in students, as well.

“We are doing immunizations clinics in the schools for students going into the 7th grade and 12th grade. We are doing the t-dap and the meningitis shots, we start that in the schools this spring. We will work with the school nurses in Jefferson County and we will continue those throughout the summer, and then we will do them again in the fall,” said Kim Mark, Director of Nursing, Jefferson County Board of Health.

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Hepatitis A outbreak in DeKalb, Jackson counties Alabama Department of Public Health

Hep A

The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) continues investigating a hepatitis A outbreak in DeKalb and Jackson counties. Additional cases that may be related have also been identified in Cherokee and Marshall counties, with March 3 as the latest known symptom onset.

Currently, there are 22 cases in Jackson County, 12 cases in DeKalb County and 1 case in Marshall County. For more details about the current outbreak, please see Alabama’s Hepatitis A Outbreak Report at

In addition to close contact to known hepatitis A cases, individuals may be exposed via an infected food handler at a restaurant, drug paraphernalia, jail or prison, homeless/transient living, oral/anal sex, or unvaccinated individuals who fail to wash their hands.

Hepatitis A vaccination offers full protection against hepatitis A infection from all exposures listed above, whether the infected individuals have symptoms or not.  

Hepatitis A vaccine is recommended for anyone who participates in high-risk behaviors listed above and their contacts, and/or anyone who would like to protect themselves from the risk of infection.  ADPH focuses on vaccinating high-risk persons or uninsured persons. Persons at low risk for hepatitis A who may wish to be vaccinated may contact their healthcare provider or pharmacy. Many health insurance plans cover hepatitis A vaccinations at physicians’ offices and pharmacies.

“Hepatitis A vaccination and proper hand washing will significantly reduce the spread of this virus in these counties and are important measures to protect the community,” said Medical Officer Dr. Karen Landers.

After being exposed to someone sick with hepatitis A, symptoms may appear from 15 to 50 days later. Symptoms may include fever, headache, fatigue, low appetite, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, dark urine or jaundice. If persons, family or friends are experiencing any of these symptoms, they should contact their healthcare provider as soon as possible.