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Dr. Sheila Pinette Director, Maine CDC Public Health Update February 9, 2012 In this update: American Heart Month Norovirus Influenza Position opening – medical director Salmonella associated with pet turtles Rabies Travel-related illness Birth control recall Follow us American Heart Month February is American Heart Month. Most of us know someone who has had a heart attack or stroke. In Maine about 23% of all deaths are from heart disease and another 5% are from stroke. You can help protect yourself and your loved ones from heart disease and stroke by understanding the risks and taking these steps Know your ABCS o Ask your doctor if you should take an Aspirin every day o Find out if you have high Blood pressure or Cholesterol, if you do, work with your doctor to treat it o If you Smoke, get help to quit Be physically active at least 30 minutes on most days Eat more fruits, vegetables and other foods low in sodium and transfat Take medicine as prescribed by your doctor For more information visit http://www.mainehearthealth.org/ Norovirus Since the end of December, Maine CDC has investigated 16 reports of gastroenteritis outbreaks statewide. Norovirus Genotype II has been identified as the cause of one of the outbreaks. Norovirus infections typically increase during the winter months, and Maine CDC routinely receives reports of suspected and confirmed norovirus outbreaks each year. Public health partners are encouraged to consider norovirus when assessing clusters of gastroenteritis and to act to prevent the spread of illness. Noroviruses spread easily, causing more than 20 million gastroenteritis cases each year in the U.S. There's no vaccine to prevent norovirus infection and no drug to treat it. Wash your hands often and follow simple tips to stay virus-free. For more information, see this health alert (http://go.usa.gov/QCD) or this US CDC feature (http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Norovirus/). Influenza Maine CDC reported sporadic flu activity for the week ending Jan. 28. Weekly updates on flu activity 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 In 15 of the last 30 years, flu activity has begun to increase in January, peaked in February or March and continued into May. If you haven’t gotten vaccinated yet, get your vaccine now before flu activity increases. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for the body’s immune response to fully kick in. CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older get an annual flu vaccine. 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 ---PAGE BREAK--- Position opening – medical director Maine CDC’s Division of Population Health has an opening for a full-time medical director based in Augusta. The successful candidate will provide leadership for public health activities within the state that pertain to maternal and child health and chronic diseases and their prevention. Direct Hire applications must be completed and sent to Human Resources by Feb. 17. To learn more, go to: http://go.usa.gov/QaG Position Description: The Population Health Medical Director serves as the principal medical subject matter expert and resource in the Population Health Division of the Maine CDC. This position provides leadership and medical direction for public health activities within the state that pertain to maternal and child health and chronic diseases and their prevention. Assists program managers with program planning and implementation. Provides guidance and consultation to ensure programming is evidence-based or best practices. Provides technical assistance to epidemiologists in the Division and assists in developing reports on disease burden and epidemiology. Represents the Division as the medical subject matter expert on internal and external workgroups and committees. Requirements: Graduation from an accredited Medical or Osteopathic School in the United States (graduates of foreign medical schools must present evidence of having passed FLEX or National Board Examinations or of current Maine licensure) AND a Masters Degree in Public Health or at least two years of full-time experience in specialty area. Certificate of registration with the right to practice medicine and surgery in Maine as issued by the State Board of Registration of Medicine is required. Preference will be given to candidates with experience in public health, preventive medicine, or quality improvement. Salmonella associated with pet turtles US CDC is collaborating with the State Health Department in an ongoing investigation of the outbreak of 132 human Salmonella infections between August 2010 and September 2011 associated with exposure to small turtles (those with shell less than 4 inches). Many of these infections occurred in young children, whose illness can be severe and cause hospitalization. Despite a three-decade ban on the sale of small turtles, these infections continue to occur. Turtles are not appropriate pets in households with young children or other high risk individuals (pregnant women, older persons and the immune-compromised). For more information: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/SalmonellaFrogTurtle/ Rabies Maine CDC and the Maine Department of Agriculture remind people to be cautious around wild animals and to vaccinate their pets following an increased number of animal rabies cases in January. Eleven cases of rabies were confirmed in January 2012, compared to one confirmed case in January 2011. Rabid animals have been reported in Androscoggin, Cumberland, Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Oxford and York counties. The rabies virus is spread when infected animals bite or scratch a person or another animal. The virus can also be spread if saliva or tissue from the brain or spinal cord touches broken skin or gets into the mouth, nose or eyes. Rabies in humans is preventable through prompt appropriate medical care. It is important to report possible exposures right away to ensure appropriate follow up. For more information, please contact your local animal control officer or Maine CDC at 1-[PHONE REDACTED]. ---PAGE BREAK--- Travel-related illness Maine CDC investigated multiple cases of travel-related illness in 2011. With school vacation week coming up in February, it is likely some Maine residents will travel outside the US to warmer climates, putting them at risk for vector-borne and food- borne diseases. Many travel-related illnesses can be prevented by vaccinations, good hand washing, and knowledge of high risk conditions in other countries. For more information, see this health alert: http://go.usa.gov/QCW or visit US CDC’s travelers’ health website: http://go.usa.gov/nbW Birth control recall If you are unsure if your birth control is part of the nationwide recall, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has posted pictures at http://go.usa.gov/QCb. You can also check with your pharmacist. 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://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/rss.php?tid=1049. 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]