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Although Island County
has experienced numerous cases of H1N1 ...few were severe. There have
been 22 ILI hospitalizations of Island County residents (eleven having been
hospitalized out of county); Two type A influenza deaths in elderly residents of
Island County have
occurred since mid September (only 1 confirmed as H1N1 influenza). The number of
cases has sharply declined throughout the county since mid November, and the
flu season appears to be over.
- Communicable Disease:
Region 1 Communicable Disease Epidemiology Report,
June 2010
Measles: According to CDC, more measles cases
were reported in the United States in 2008 than the same period in any year since
1996. There were 131 cases reported, with at least 15 hospitalizations and no
deaths.
A case of measles was confirmed in an adult in Seattle in
December 2009, and in a child in mid-February, 2010.
Health Advisory: Measles
Outbreak in Vancouver, BC - 8 April 2010
Measles Update 21 April 2010
[Countries associated with measles exposure include Switzerland,
Israel, Belgium, Italy, India, Germany, China, Pakistan, Russia and the Philippines.
Measles has again become endemic in Britain, 14 years after its spread was
halted in the resident population. Vaccination rates have fallen below the level
necessary to prevent the disease becoming established in the general population.
Total British cases for the year are 461 with one fatality. This adds an additional
country of concern for importation through international travel and visitors.]
Mumps: 23 October
2009 New
York Mumps Outbreak Strikes 57 People Between Ages Of 1 To 42
The New York Department of Health has
confirmed an outbreak of old fashioned mumps in the Borough Park section
of Brooklyn where at least 57 confirmed or probable cases have been
reported since Aug. 21. At least 75 percent of those who have become
sick had been vaccinated for mumps, the ages of victims has ranged from
1-year-old to 42 with most being between 10 and 15.
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Addendum:
The outbreak has spread and gradually increased in size and is
now the largest US mumps outbreak since 2006,
CDC said in a bulletin. Its also the largest
outbreak in New York since 2005, according to Tom Allocco, a
spokesman for the state Department of Health. More than
600 cases have been
reported statewide outside of New York City, with half in Rockland and
half in Orange County, and
now into New Jersey and Connecticut.
Pertussis:*CDC now reports that fewer than 5% of our adult
populace are fully immunized with the
recommended vaccines for adults:
Tdap
if you have not had this booster which includes pertussis vaccine; "shingles"
vaccine and pneumococcal pneumonia vaccine for those 60 and older;
Hepatitis
B vaccine for young adults and emergency response personnel; and annual influenza
vaccine (especially for children, pregnant women,
working adults and health care givers). The
protective effect of "herd immunity" is slowly vanishing in
America this requires 95+ percent of the population to be fully immunized to be an effective deterrent for
communicable disease.
*Are you among the 5%
who are fully immunized? . . . probably not!
Advice to the public:
If you are experiencing continuing
symptoms of cough, please contact your health care provider... you may be unknowingly
spreading disease. And please bring your immunizations up to date –
especially your influenza and Tdap
immunizations! If you are between the ages of 12 and 64 and haven't had a booster
Tdap since 2005, you are past-due and should speak with your health care provider. (It has
been reported that 10 - 12 % of adults in America are walking around with a chronic cough
consistent with sub-acute pertussis, and are unwittingly spreading the disease among the
susceptible.
As with any disease, STAY HOME if you are ill, COVER YOUR COUGH, and
WASH YOUR HANDS.
Pertussis Flyer
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