Maine CDC/DHHS Public Health Update
July 1, 2010
RED TIDE
Red tide toxin levels are very high in some areas of Maine. Enjoy Maine seafood safely: do not eat tomalley; purchase from a certified dealer; harvest shellfish only from areas that are open; and do not eat shellfish that has been floating in the water. FMI check the full advisory on the link below. For more information, see this Health Alert: http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/attach.php?id=107436&an=1
SUMMER SAFETY
Heat-related Illness
Over the past 30 years more people have died in this country from heat than from hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes combined. This Maine CDC web site has a variety of resources describing the signs of heat-related illness, what you can do if you suspect someone has a heat-related illness, and ways to prevent these illnesses.
Water Safety
•This web site has some basic tips for keeping children safe around open waters
•This Maine CDC web site has tips for avoiding recreational water illnesses
Food Safety
•This USDA fact sheet gives information on how to safely defrost frozen foods before cooking them
•This food safety blog discusses food safety at farmer’s markets
•US CDC describes food safety at fairs and festivals
Other Precautions
•Playing outdoors this summer can mean getting cuts that may become infected with bacteria commonly found in soil, including the ones that cause tetanus. Tetanus vaccine can help prevent tetanus disease.
•A single mosquito bite can give you West Nile Virus. Why take a chance? Use repellant.
HEALTH REFORM
This Kaiser Health News article describes seven health care changes that will take effect in the coming months: http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2010/July/09/health-overhaul-changes.aspx
This article explains Comparative Clinical Effectiveness Research and its roles in health reform: http://www.healthreformgps.org/resources/comparative-clinical-effectiveness-research/
Healthcare.gov is a new web site with various information, including your new consumer rights and benefits under the Affordable Care Act, a timeline of when new programs under the new law will come online between now and 2014 and a new insurance finder that will make it easy to find both private and public health insurance option that works for you. The site also features important new information about the quality of care available in outpatient and emergency departments, including how well hospitals care for patients with heart attacks and protect outpatients from surgical infections: http://www.healthcare.gov/compare/index.html.
HUMAN ARBOVIRUS UPDATE FOR HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS
Arboviral infections including Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile Virus (WNV) are very serious. These infections are transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito, and although rare, they have potentially severe and even fatal consequences for those who contract them. Because both of these diseases are seen primarily in the later summer and fall, and have been detected in animals here in Maine, clinicians should be aware of the potential for human disease activity.
For more information, see this Health Alert:
INFLUENZA UPDATE
Planning efforts for the fall flu vaccine campaign are underway. Consent forms and other tools for schools conducting vaccine clinics will be posted on the Maine CDC web site as soon as they are finalized, around the time that Vaccine Information Statements (VIS) are released. Information for schools is posted at: http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/boh/maineflu/h1n1/educators.shtml.
For general questions on flu, call 2-1-1 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days per week or e-mail flu.questions@maine.gov
New Information on H1N1 Expired Vaccine Disposal
US CDC has organized a Central Vaccine Recovery Program to recover unused doses of the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine. Health care providers who received 2009 H1N1 vaccine and have signed a Provider Agreement should expect to receive two pre-paid shipping labels from UPS in coming weeks. Providers who were not registered to receive H1N1 vaccine directly should contact the provider who redistributed vaccine to them for this information.
The Vaccine Recovery Program will collect unused doses of 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine (i.e. unopened vials/pre-filled syringes/nasal sprayers). Ancillary supplies (i.e. needles, syringes, and sharps containers) should not be returned through this program.
Providers should continue to comply with this Q&A on 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine with long-dated expirations. An additional shipping label will be sent in the fall to collect 2009 H1N1 vaccine that expires after June 2010.
For more information, visit:
Request for Comment on Updated Guidance: Prevention Strategies for Seasonal Influenza in Healthcare Settings
Updated Guidance: Prevention Strategies for Seasonal Influenza in Healthcare Settings
US CDC is seeking public comment on proposed new guidance which will update and replace previous seasonal influenza guidance and the Interim Guidance on Infection Control Measures for 2009 H1N1 Influenza in Healthcare Settings.
The updated guidance emphasizes a prevention strategy to be applied across the entire spectrum of healthcare settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, physicians' offices, urgent-care centers, and home health care, but is not intended to apply to settings whose primary purpose is not health care. It focuses on the importance of vaccination, steps to minimize the potential for exposure such as respiratory hygiene, management of ill healthcare workers, droplet and aerosol-generating procedure precautions, surveillance, and environmental and engineering controls. CDC will consider the comments received and intends to publish the final guidance prior to the 2010-2011 influenza season.
Written comments must be received on or before July 22, 2010. Comments received after July 22, 2010 will be considered to the extent possible.
The Federal Register notice requesting public comments can be accessed through either of these links:
http://www.shea-online.org/Assets/files/policy/Influenza_FRN_06_22_2010.pdf or http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-15015.htm
ORGAN DONOR REGISTRY
Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap has announced a new online organ donation service. Nearly 500,000 driver license holders have already added their names to the Maine Organ Donor Registry, yet there are nearly 600,000 who are not listed. Until this year, license holders were only able to add or remove their names to the registry when obtaining a license or renewal or purchasing a duplicate license. Virtually none of the 125,000 non-driver identification card holders are listed in the registry as they have not been able to add their names to the registry in the past. Beginning this year, any credential holder may visit a motor vehicle branch office at any time to update his or her donor status and the new web site will provide all Maine credential holders with an easy online way to add their names to the Maine Organ Donor Registry. The web site is available at: www.maine.gov/sos/bmv/donatelife
NEW VITAL RECORDS LAW IN EFFECT
A new law preventing fraudulent use of vital records is now in effect. The law requires a person requesting a copy of records less than 100 years-old to provide documentation establishing their direct and legitimate interest in the records. Vital records include birth certificates, fetal death and death certificates, marriage certificates, and domestic partner registrations. Until now, Maine has been one of just a handful of states that have allowed anyone, including individuals with bad intentions and for profit entities, access to these records. Information from vital records will become completely open to the public 100 years from the date of the event. For more information, see this press release: http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=DHS+Press+Releases&id=110099&v=article
OTHER UPDATES
•Days after the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that scientists had discovered antibodies that will assist in designing a vaccine for HIV and antibody therapy for other diseases (http://www.niaid.nih.gov/news/newsreleases/2010/Pages/HIVantibodies.aspx) the National HIV/AIDS strategy was released: http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/onap/nhas
•US CDC has launched a monthly series highlighting key public health indicators. Learn more: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/VitalSigns/?s_cid=tw_cdc57
•The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to modify the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) to include the privacy, security, and enforcement rules in the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Once it is published in the Federal Register, the notice of proposed rulemaking may be viewed and commented on for 60 days at www.regulations.gov.
STAY UPDATED
Follow Maine CDC’s Social Media Updates:
•For clinical consultation and outbreak management guidance, call Maine CDC’s toll free 24-hour phone line at: 1-800-821-5821.
