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Dr. Sheila Pinette Director, Maine CDC Osteopathic physician Public Health Update February 7, 2013 In this update: Flu Immunization recommendations Important public health data now online Pertussis (whooping cough) Follow us Flu Maine CDC continued to report widespread flu activity for the week ending Feb. 2. Weekly updates are available online: • for Maine: http://go.usa.gov/NoK • for the US: http://go.usa.gov/ITB • for the world: http://go.usa.gov/ITK Guidance and recommendations for clinicians: • Summary of CDC Recommendations for Influenza Antiviral Medications (US CDC): http://go.usa.gov/4Z4h • Influenza Update for Geriatricians and Other Clinicians Caring for People 65 and Older (US CDC): http://go.usa.gov/4ySF • Emergency Compounding of an Oral Suspension from Tamiflu (FDA): http://go.usa.gov/4Z9R • Maine CDC’s most recent influenza update: http://go.usa.gov/4ZC4 • Maine CDC’s most recent influenza conference call Q&A: http://go.usa.gov/4yeC Guidance and recommendations for the public: Take everyday measures to prevent the flu: • Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, but especially after coughing and sneezing. Alcohol-based hand gels can also be used. • Avoid touching your nose, mouth, and eyes. Germs can spread this way. • Get vaccinated against the flu. This year’s flu vaccine appears to be a good match to the circulating strains, and it is not too late to get vaccinated. Flu vaccine is still available through health care providers and local pharmacies. To find locations where vaccine is available, call 211 or visit www.211maine.org or search by zip code and vaccine type at www.flu.gov • Consult your health care provider about getting a pneumococcal vaccine for anyone who is younger than 5, between ages 5 and 64 with high risk conditions, or age 65 and older. • Avoid contact with sick people. If you are at very high risk for complications, you may want to avoid large crowds. If you have the flu: • Stay home if you are sick, until you are fever-free for a full 24 hours without taking fever-reducing medicine. • Cough and sneeze into your elbow or into a tissue. Throw the tissue away. • Although most people can stay home to recover without seeing a health care provider, it is possible for healthy people to develop severe illness from the flu. Anyone with the flu should seek medical attention for: o Dehydration o Trouble breathing o Getting better, then suddenly getting a lot worse o Any major change in condition ---PAGE BREAK--- Immunization recommendations Each year, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) develops recommendations for routine use of vaccines in children, adolescents, and adults in the US. This year, for the first time, recommended immunization schedules for children and adolescents up to age 18 and adults age 19 and older are being published together. Updated schedules are available at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/ The MMWR for children and adolescent immunization schedules is available at http://go.usa.gov/4yJk The MMWR for adult immunization schedules is available at http://go.usa.gov/4yJP Adult vaccination is critical to public health. Far too few adults are fully vaccinated, leaving themselves and others at risk of vaccine preventable diseases, including pneumococcal disease, whooping cough, and shingles. US CDC has issued an MMWR describing the status of vaccination of US adults in 2011. For more information, read the MMWR at http://go.usa.gov/4yzB Important public health data now online Maine CDC is pleased to release the Maine Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2000-2010 Interactive web-query that should make most popular public health data easily available. non-institutional adult data is available at the State, District, and County levels in a variety of public health categories including General Health, Chronic Disease, Risk Factors, Prevention Activities, and Environmental Health. Since 1987, Maine data has been an important surveillance data source for Maine CDC programs, other DHHS programs, and public health entities. A new version with additional data and a new weighting methodology will be available soon. Subsequent yearly updates will be available. The web-query should be intuitive in its use. It has both basic and advanced query functions and there is a "Quick Guide" reference for more information. The web- query, a link to the National homepage with additional data, and related information are available at http://go.usa.gov/4yhm Any questions regarding this Maine web-query system can be directed to Kip Neale, Maine Coordinator at [EMAIL REDACTED] or 287-1420. Pertussis (whooping cough) Reported cases of pertussis appear to be on a downward trend, but cases do continue to be reported. DTaP vaccine is recommended for all infants and children. Tdap vaccine is recommended for all preteens, teens, and adults. Maine CDC encourages health care providers to continue to follow guidelines from the July 31 health alert available at: http://go.usa.gov/Gob. For guidance and information, visit http://go.usa.gov/dCO Follow us Follow Maine CDC’s Social Media Updates: • Facebook (www.facebook.com/MaineCDC) • Twitter (http://twitter.com/MEPublicHealth) • Blog (http://mainepublichealth.blogspot.com) ---PAGE BREAK--- 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]