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Dr. Sheila Pinette Director, Maine CDC Osteopathic physician Public Health Update October 4, 2012 In this update: National Food Day, Oct. 24 Healthy Maine Walks Breast Cancer Awareness Month Pertussis (whooping cough) Updated reports Recognizing Disease Intervention Specialists Flu Public health preparedness HIV Pre-exposure prophylaxis Upcoming events Follow us National Food Day, Oct. 24 The focus of National Food Day is very close to home here in Maine. Setting aside one day to focus on food reminds us of: • the connection between health and great tasting food, like Maine apples; • what we can do to end hunger; and • the importance of having Maine farms and farmers that produce some of the best tasting fruit, vegetables, meats, chicken, fish, and grains in the nation. Every day truly could be food day here in Maine. Take some time this month to stop and think about what you eat. • Are the food choices you are making keeping you well? • Did you ever wonder where your apples or carrots or meat comes from? • Do you take time to enjoy the flavor of your food? If you answered “No” to any of these questions, take action by taking the Food Day Challenge: 1. Take a small step to eat like your life depends on it - it does. • Add one more veggie to your meals. • Switch to lower fat dairy, whole grains, and grilled, baked, or broiled foods. • Eat a little less. 2. Look for local produce in season. Farmers markets go all year long now. Check: http://www.getrealmaine.com/ 3. Savor your food with a family member or a friend. 4. When you donate foods to the food bank, think about health. For healthy recipes, check http://recipefinder.nal.usda.gov/, which allows you to search for healthy and affordable recipes. Each recipe includes nutritional information, ingredients, instructions, and cost per recipe and per serving. Healthy Maine Walks Scientific research has shown that regular physical activity not only promotes health and well-being, it also reduces the risk of developing many chronic diseases and of becoming overweight or obese. Walking routes offer a safe and fun way to get health-promoting physical activity. Walking requires little or no equipment and can be enjoyed by most individuals, regardless of their abilities. Many routes are also wheelchair accessible. Healthy Maine Walks is the most comprehensive listing of walking routes in the state. A Healthy Maine Walk is an accessible indoor or outdoor walking route that most people can walk in one hour or less at a brisk pace. Walking routes may be a local high school track, a downtown "museum in the streets" trail, or a portion of a larger trail system. This website is designed specifically to provide users with information about where to find a place to walk near where they live, work or play to help them lead an active healthy lifestyle. This online resource has just undergone its first major overhaul since being launched over ten years ago. The new site is more user friendly and provides more information about the walking routes listed. Most of all it enables people across the State who manage and maintain walking routes to upload their route information directly by becoming a HMW “Walk Liaison”. To learn how you can become a Walk Liaison, or to find a walk near you, go to or contact Doug Beck ([EMAIL REDACTED]) Physical Activity Coordinator in the Maine CDC Division of Population Health for more information. ---PAGE BREAK--- Breast Cancer Awareness Month Maine CDC recognizes October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In 2012, it is anticipated that 1,170 Maine women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 180 women will die from the disease. Eating more fruits and vegetables and exercising regularly are two important steps to lessen the risk. To increase the chance of finding breast cancer early, it is important that women be screened regularly. Early detection is the best protection and mammograms are still the best screening test. The 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey found that more than 80% of 221,241 Maine women age 40 and older reported having a mammogram in the past two years. Help is available for women age 40 and older who are in need of breast, cervical, and colorectal screening tests if they meet program qualifications. The Maine CDC Breast and Cervical Health and Colorectal Cancer Control Programs can provide information about cancer screening tests as well as resources for free cancer screenings. Interested women are encouraged to call 1-[PHONE REDACTED] or 1-[PHONE REDACTED], TTY users call Maine Relay 711. More details can also be found at: http://go.usa.gov/Y4b3 Pertussis (whooping cough) Pertussis cases continue to be reported in Maine. Most reported cases have been in children ages 7 to 19. More than 25 cases have been reported in children younger than 1 year old. Weekly updates on pertussis in Maine are posted to www.mainepublichealth.gov on Thursdays. DTaP vaccine is recommended for all infants and children. Tdap vaccine is recommended for all preteens, teens, and adults. For more information, visit http://go.usa.gov/dCO Updated reports The following updated surveillance reports have been posted to the Maine CDC website: • August 2012 reportable diseases: http://go.usa.gov/Y42P • Haemophilus influenza 2011: http://go.usa.gov/Y4TC Recognizing Disease Intervention Specialists Maine CDC, in conjunction with the National Coalition of Sexually Transmitted Disease Directors (NCSD), will be participating in the first National Disease Intervention Specialists Recognition Day on Friday. Intended to be an annual event celebrated the first Friday of October, the day has been set aside to honor the Disease Intervention Specialists (DIS) workforce, which is the underpinning of all STD and HIV programs. DIS personnel provide confidential interviews to people diagnosed with an STD to address concerns about their diagnosis, treatment, counseling, and referral needs. In addition, they work to obtain the names and contact information of sexual and needle-sharing partner(s) in order to confidentially notify them of their possible exposure and offer counseling, testing, and treatment. This service effectively breaks the chain of disease transmission and protects public health. In 2011, DIS in Maine worked 1,768 cases of individuals diagnosed with an STD or HIV. All of those diagnosed with HIV and 85% of those with an STD were successfully linked to treatment and services. For additional materials and information on HIV and STDs in Maine, visit: www.mainepublichealth.gov/std ---PAGE BREAK--- Flu Weekly updates on flu activity will resume later this month. Maine CDC reminds everyone to take everyday preventive measures against the flu: • Wash your hands frequently • Cough and sneeze into your elbow or shoulder • Stay home when you feel sick • Get vaccinated – find locations at www.flu.gov Public health preparedness US CDC has updated last year’s state-by-state preparedness report. The 2012 state-by-state report presents available data that display trends and document progress related to 3 of the 15 preparedness capabilities: public health laboratory testing, emergency operations coordination, and emergency public information and warning. These data points do not represent all preparedness activities occurring in states, localities, and insular areas, but provide available data for the three capabilities. As other data become available, they will be included in future reports. To view the report and for more information, visit http://go.usa.gov/Yghh HIV Pre-exposure prophylaxis Over the summer, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of once-daily Truvada® for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the risk of HIV-1 infection in uninfected individuals who are at high risk of HIV-1 infection and who may engage in sexual activity with HIV-infected partners (http://go.usa.gov/GM3). US CDC has now issued interim guidance for clinicians considering the use of PrEP for the prevention of HIV-1 infection in heterosexually active adults (http://go.usa.gov/GMx) in addition to its 2011 interim guidance on prescribing HIV PrEP for men who have sex with men (http://go.usa.gov/GMq). Maine CDC has developed a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to PrEP for the general public and another for health care providers, which are posted at www.mainepublichealth.gov/hiv Upcoming events • Maine Public Health Association Annual Meeting. MPHA will hold its annual meeting from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. October 17 at the Augusta Civic Center. Dr. Sheila Pinette, Director of Maine CDC, and Dr. Dora Mills, former Director of Maine CDC and current Vice President of Clinical Affairs at the University of New England, will co-present an address focused on identifying, creating and sustaining collaborative partnerships within and outside our public health system. Registration costs vary. For more information and to register: http://conta.cc/VcAEhx • Infectious Disease Conference. Maine CDC’s Infectious Disease Conference will be held from 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. November 13 at the Augusta Civic Center. This year’s meeting is dedicated to a review of emerging issues in the field of infectious diseases, particularly as they impact the Maine medical community. Issues presented will include challenges in controlling infectious diseases, information on responding to new disease threats, and clinical updates and approaches. The cost is $35 if registration is received on or before Oct. 24; $50 if registration is received Oct. 25 or later. For more information and to register: http://adcarecdc.neias.org/infectiousdisease/ • Upcoming Summit Meeting. Bridging Mental Health and Public Health Summit Meeting: A Focus on Local, State, and National Efforts will be held from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. November 14 at Governor Hill Mansion, 136 State St., Augusta. The Summit Meeting is presented by the Maine Health Access Foundation; the Maine Department of Health and Human Services Chronic Disease Division; and the USM Muskie School of Public Service. For more information and to register: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QZ55T63 ---PAGE BREAK--- Follow us Follow Maine CDC’s Social Media Updates: • Facebook (www.facebook.com/MaineCDC) • Twitter (http://twitter.com/MEPublicHealth) • Blog (http://mainepublichealth.blogspot.com) You may subscribe to these updates for free through an RSS feed at http://go.usa.gov/G6u. In Internet Explorer and Firefox, you will be prompted to Subscribe to the Feed and then select the folder where feeds are stored. For clinical consultation and outbreak management guidance, call Maine CDC’s toll-free 24-hour phone line: 1-[PHONE REDACTED] For questions and potential exposure to poison, call the Poison Center’s 24-hour phone line: 1-[PHONE REDACTED]