Johnson County Health Department - EPI Update Newsletter

As of February 28, influenza activity continued to increase across the state. It is likely that the flu vaccine protects against the more predominant A(H1) strain, and likely that the antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu) is not effective against this strain. For the CDC’s interim guidance on antiviral use, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/antivirals/index.htm

Good Health Habits for Prevention

Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.
Stay home when you are sick if possible. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.
Clean your hands. Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
Practice other good health habits. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.

Be Prepared For Severe Weather

March often comes in like a lion – with the threat of severe weather in the Kansas City metro region. Severe weather will probably affect each of us in some way this spring season, and you can be prepared. Here are a few steps to take to ensure you are ready when and if dangerous weather strikes.

Step 1: Identify the severe weather hazards you may face.
In our area, severe weather occurs most often in the form of tornadoes, damaging wind gusts, large hail, and heavy rain that can produce flash flooding.

Step 2: Set up your plan.
Everyone should have a severe weather plan for their home, and businesses should have one for the workplace.

Establish who is responsible for creating and implementing the plan.
How will you receive weather warnings? A NOAA weather radio is the best way to receive severe weather warnings from the National Weather Service, and television and commercial radio often break in to regular programming when severe weather is a threat. Don’t solely rely on one method - have multiple ways to receive information.
If you receive a weather warning, how will you inform people you are responsible for?
Establish a shelter area in your home or workplace. Depending on the amount of people who need to be sheltered, multiple areas may be needed. If your home or building is in an area prone to flooding, you need to have an evacuation plan in place.

Step 3: Practice your plan!
Conduct drills and then review the drill to find strengths and weaknesses and make improvements where necessary.

Some things to do to protect your family include:

Have a family disaster plan, and make sure all family members know about it. Give emergency information to babysitters and other caregivers.
Have an emergency supply kit on hand at home, for your office, and your car. A kit should have bottled water, a radio with extra batteries, a flashlight, prescription medicine, and first-aid supplies.
Make sure all family members know all possible ways to exit your home and wehre to meet outside the house. Keep all exits clear.
In the event of a flood, tornado, or earthquake, learn ho w to shut off your water, gas, and electricity. Know where to find the shut-off valves and switches.

Much more information can be found at: http://www.jocoem.org/PE/weather.shtml

Content pulled from National Weather Service website, http://www.crh.noaa.gov/eax/?n=severewx-prws

The Olathe School District and the Johnson County Health Department have created a table to assist school nurses and other staff in knowing what vaccines and how many doses each child needs. The chart is broken down by each major vaccine and the specifications for each. This is provided to serve as a tool when there are questions regarding vaccination status.

Please call the Johnson County Health Department Immunizations line at (913) 826-1261 with questions or comments.

Link to table: http://health.jocogov.org/docs/vacc_table.pdf

B ack to top

Chlaymdia Rates Skyrocketing

Chlamydia rates are still climbing in Johnson County, with a 189% increase in cases from January to February. There were 176 reported cases of Chlamydia in Johnson County last month.

Chlamydia is a common sexually-transmitted disease caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, which can damage a woman’s reproductive organs. It is the most frequently reported bacterial sexually transmitted disease in the United States, with more than a million cases reported to the CDC in 2006.
Symptoms of Chlamydia can include:

Abnormal vaginal discharge/discharge from the penis
Burning sensation when urinating
Lower abdominal pain
Low back pain
Nausea
Fever
Pain during sexual intercourse
Bleeding between menstrual periods

Individuals who have contracted Chlamydia can be easily treated and cured with an antibiotic regimen. A single dose of azithromycin or a week of doxycycline tablets (twice daily) are the most common treatments. It is important that all sex partners of an infected individual should be contacted, evaluated, tested, and treated.

Chlamydia can be prevented easily by abstaining from sexual contact or by being in a long-term monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and is known to be uninfected. Latex male condoms, when used consistently and properly, can reduce transmission.

If anyone has the symptoms on the list above, they should stop having sex and contact their health care provider. Sexual activity should not resume until all sex partners have been examined and, if necessary, treated to eliminate repeated reinfection.

For additional information on Chlamydia, go to http://health.jocogov.org/docs/chlamydia_facts.pdf

Source: http://www.cdc.gov/std/chlamydia/STDFact-Chlamydia.htm

Johnson County Disease Report

Disease Name	Jan 09	Feb 09	Total YTD
Calicivirus/Norwalk-like virus (norovirus)	0	0	0
Campylobacter Infection (Campylobacter spp.)	2	3	5
Cryptosporidiosis (Cryptosporidium parvum)	0	0	0
Dengue	0	0	0
Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever	0	0	0
Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli shiga toxin positive (not serogrouped)	0	1	1
Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli toxin positive (serogroup non-O157)	0	0	0
Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli 0157:H7	0	0	0
Giardiasis (Giardia lamblia)	1	3	4
Salmonellosis (Salmonella spp.)	2	2	4
Shigellosis (Shigella spp.)	1	2	3
Amebiasis (Entamoeba histolytica)	0	0	0
Ehrlichiosis, human monocytic (HME)	0	1	1
Ehrlichiosis, human monocytic (HGE)	0	0	0
Ehrlichiosis, human other	0	0	0
Hepatitis A	1	4	5
Hepatitis B, acute	1	0	1
Hepatitis B, chronic	7	10	17
Hepatitis C virus infection (past or present)	21	14	35
Legionellosis	1	0	1
Listeriosis (Listeria monocytogenes)	0	0	0
Lyme Disease (Borrelia burgdorferi)	1	1	2
Malaria (Plasmodium spp.)	1	0	1
Meningitis, other bacterial	0	0	0
Q Fever (Coxiella burnetii)	0	1	1
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (Rickettsia rickettsii) (RMSF)	3	2	5
Streptococcal Disease, Invasive, Group A (Streptococcus pyogenes)	0	5	5
Streptococcal pneumoniae, invasive, drug-resistant	2	2	4
Toxic Shock Syndrome, streptococcal and staphylococcal	0	1	1
Transmissable Spongioform Encephalitis (TSE./CJD	0	0	0
West Nile, non-neurological (includes WN Fever)	0	0	0
Haemophilus influenzae, invasive	0	0	0
Measles (Rubeola)	0	0	0
Mumps	1	0	1
Pertussis (Bordetella pertussis) (Whooping cough)	6	9	15
Varicella (Chickenpox)	13	23	36
Early Syphilis	2	4	6
Gonorrhea	5	25	30
Chlamydia	61	176	237

This includes the number of reported cases investigated by JCHD (case classifications include: confirmed, probable, suspect, not a case.)

Disease Reporting Notes:

If you have any questions about the monthly Epi Update, or any other disease surveillance or containment questions, please contact Nancy Tausz, RN, BSN, Director of the Disease Containment Division, at (913) 826-1222 or by email at: Nancy.Tausz@jocogov.org.

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 the Disease Containment staff a call if you have any questions or concerns at (913) 826-1303. On behalf of the Johnson County Health Department, 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.