Johnson County Health Department - EPI Update Newsletter

The Kansas City Metro and surrounding areas are continuing to see an excess of cases of Shigellosis. Since January 1, the Metro Area and surrounding counties in Missouri have seen 474 cases. Jurisdictions in the state of Kansas, adjacent to the Kansas City Metro area, have also seen a high rise of cases this year, with a total of 97 cases.

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KDHE has posted the report "CDC Health Advisory - Cases of Vibrio Vulnificus Identified Among Hurricane Katrina Evacuees" on PHIX.

This is an official CDC Health Advisory
Distributed via Health Alert Network
September 07, 2005, 19:50 EDT (07:50 PM EDT) CDCHAN-00233-05-09-07-ADV-N

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A cryptosporidiosis outbreak is being investigated in Ford, Gray and surrounding counties in southwest Kansas.

Topeka, Kan. - infoZine - The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), both local health departments, and the Ford County Planning, Zoning and Environmental Health Department have identified a water slide in Ford County as the common location that all of the individuals visited prior to becoming ill late last week. Of 51 people who visited the Water Slide in Dodge City, 39 became ill. The water at the slide has been treated with high levels of chlorine to kill the parasite.

To read the entire article please visit http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/9686/

Last year, 31 cases of confirmed cryptosporidiosis were reported in Kansas. In 2003 in Kansas, 174 cases of cryptosporidiosis were reported, an increase of more than 10 times that of previous years. In 2002, 16 cases were reported statewide in Kansas, according to the Reportable Diseases in Kansas 2003 Summary. The three-year median for 2000-2002 was four cases.

To view the entire report please visit http://www.kdhe.state.ks.us/epi/download/disease_summary/dissum03.pdf

To learn more about healthy swimming please visit http://www.cdc.gov/healthyswimming.

Health observances are days, weeks, or months devoted to promoting particular health concerns.

This calendar lists selected health observances for 2005 in three ways: the calendar shows days and weeks, and both the text listings and the “At a Glance” sheet show monthly health observances as well. To see September 2005 please visit http://www.healthfinder.gov/library/nho/nho.asp?year=2005#m9

Health professionals, teachers, community groups, and others can use these special times to sponsor health promotion events, stimulate awareness of health risks, or focus on disease prevention. Materials available from sponsoring organizations range from a single flyer to packets of promotional materials.

Information appearing in this document does not represent an endorsement by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which do not have any role in naming national health observances.

For more information, please contact the sponsoring organization directly.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Public Affairs Contacts

This information is in the public domain, and duplication is encouraged. Please provide an appropriate credit line in any reproduction of this information, whether print or electronic: “Source: 2005 National Health Observances, National Health Information Center, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC.

Each year millions of Americans travel abroad for vacation, business, or to visit friends and family. Unfortunately, about half of these international travelers get sick or injured (hurt) during their trip. In 2003, of the 1,268 cases of malaria reported to CDC, all but 10 were related to travel overseas. Of the approximately 400 cases of typhoid fever each year in the U.S., 70% are related to trips abroad. In 1997, 40% of all preventable deaths of U.S. citizens abroad were due to injuries.

The good news is that most travel-related sickness and injury can be prevented. You are likely to be a traveler who has an enjoyable trip free from illness or injury when you follow these tips:

Be informed: Learn about travel health risks and what to do to avoid them before your trip.
Be ready: Get any vaccinations (shots) or medicines that you will need before your trip.
Be smart while you travel: Make sure you follow travel safety tips while you are on your trip.

For more information please visit http://www.cdc.gov/travel/other/traveltips.htm

For the travelers website please visit http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm

For Health Information for International Travel - The "Yellow Book"
The Yellow Book is published every two years by CDC as a reference for those who advise international travelers of health risks. The Yellow Book is written primarily for health care providers, although others might find it useful.

New! Go to the Current 2005-2006 Edition Online

Contact Information:

Travelers' Health Automated Information Line
FAX: 888-232-3299 toll free
(Any information available by fax is also posted on this site.) PHONE: 877-FYI-TRIP toll free

Click here for information on traveling immunizations available through the Johnson County Health Department.

To see upcoming workshops, satellite broadcasts, and more at the Johnson County Health Department, check out the What’s New? page of our website to see our calendar of events.

August Communicable Disease Report:

Disease Category	Aug 2005	Aug 5yr Avg	YTD 2005	2004 Total	2003 Total	2002 Total
Enteric Diseases:
Salmonella	4	6	16	85	50	38
Shigella	13	1	65	11	6	30
Central Nervous System:
Meningitis, Aseptic (including viral and fungal meningitis)	2	4.4	2	29	14	26
West Nile Encephalitis/Meningitis	0	0	1	2+	5	2
West Nile Fever	0	0	0	1+	0	0
Sexually Transmitted Infections:
Infection Numbers (excluding HIV/AIDS - see below)	147	86	683	981	849	876
Vaccine Preventable Diseases:
Influenza, A&B	0	0	4	1	7	1
Measles	0	0	0	0	0	0
Pertussis	2	1	12	19	5	4
Varicella	2*+	n/a	146*+	51*+	*	*
M. tuberculosis:
Confirmed Cases	0!	1.2	8	7	14	12
Rare Diseases (other than listed):
Brucellosis	0	0	0	2	0	0
HIV and AIDS	Apr-June 2005	June 5yr avg	YTD 2005	2004 Total	2003 Total	2002 Total
HIV	1	3.2	5	18	18	19
AIDS	5	3.8	5	24	15	8

* Became reportable in June 2004
+ Includes probable as well as confirmed cases
! 22 cases under investigation
n/a not applicable

Communicable disease reporting is the cornerstone of public health surveillance and disease control. Please remember to maintain an index of suspicion for bioterrorism and reportable disease, and give us a call if you have any questions or concerns (913-826-1303). On behalf of the Disease Containment Staff, thank you for your continued support.

Johnson County government does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age and handicapped status in employment or the provision of programs and services.