News and Articles
04/29/2009
Swine Flu Info
THIS A NEW MEXICO HEALTH UPDATE -- Swine
Influenza Update No. 3 to the Previous New Mexico
Department of Health Advisory and Subsequent Updates
This information is being sent to infection
control practitioners, hospitals, physicians,
primary and urgent care contacts and facilities,
occupational medicine clinics, long-term care
facilities, student health clinics, schools,
first responders, emergency managers, IHS
contacts and facilities, CHRs, environmental and
public health contacts, veterinarians,
agricultural contacts, elected/appointed officials.
*** PLEASE DISTRIBUTE THIS INFORMATION FREELY. ***
=== TO SCHOOL HEALTH ADVOCATES AND SCHOOL
SUPERINTENDENTS: You are reminded to forward
this notification to the school nurses in your region/district. ===
===TO COUNTY FIRE AND EMS OFFICIALS: You are
reminded to forward this notification to the
district/volunteer departments/services in your county. ===
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IMPORTANT NOTE:
TO ENSURE THAT YOU RECEIVE THIS NOTIFICATION, IT
IS BEING SENT TO YOU VIA EMAIL AND FAX. BECAUSE
OF TECHNICAL PROBLEMS WITH OUR NOTIFICATION
SYSTEM THAT OCCURRED YESTERDAY, HOWEVER, SOME OF
YOU RECEIVED MORE THAN ONE FAX AND MANY OF YOU
DID NOT RECEIVE ANY FAXES. THE TECHNICAL PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN RESOLVED.
THIS UPDATE PROVIDES NEW INFORMATION ABOUT
CONFIRMED CASES. THE INSTRUCTIONS,
RECOMMENDATIONS, AND GUIDANCE REMAIN UNCHANGED
FROM YESTERDAY; THEREFORE, THE FAXES THAT FAILED YESTERDAY WILL NOT BE RE-SENT.
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Detailed Message:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) confirmed that there are 64 cases of swine
influenza in the United States. There are 45
cases in New York, 10 in California, 6 in Texas, 2 in Kansas, and 1 in Ohio.
The World Health Organization raised the
worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 4 which
is characterized by verified person-to person
transmission and the ability for the new virus to
cause "community-level" outbreaks." The increase
in the pandemic alert phase indicates that the
likelihood of a pandemic has increased.
ONGOING HEIGHTENED SURVEILLANCE FOR POSSIBLE SWINE INFLUENZA IN NEW MEXICO
- HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS: Until otherwise
notified, we ask that specimens be collected (see
below) from patients who have acute febrile
respiratory illness (defined as influenza-like
illness [ILI] in New Mexico) and are hospitalized
in New Mexico with suspect or confirmed influenza.
o INFLUENZA-LIKE ILLNESS DEFINITION
(ILI): Fever greater or equal to 37.8°C (100°F),
oral or equivalent, AND a cough and/or sore
throat in absence of a known cause other than influenza
- INFLUENZA SENTINEL PROVIDERS: We also ask
that influenza sentinel surveillance providers in
New Mexico collect specimens from outpatients who
meet the definition for influenza-like illness above.
- ALL OTHER HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS: If your
patient meets the definition for influenza-like illness with illness onset:
o within 7 days of close contact
with a person who is a confirmed case of swine
influenza A (H1N1) virus infection, or
o within 7 days of travel to
community either within the United States or
internationally where there are one or more
confirmed swine influenza A(H1N1) cases, or
o resides in a community where
there are one or more confirmed swine influenza cases:
we ask that you collect a nasopharyngeal swab for
viral culture and call the Epidemiology and
Response Division epidemiologist on-call at 505-827-0006.
Persons with acute febrile respiratory illness
should stay home from work or school to avoid
spreading infections (including influenza and
other respiratory illnesses) to others in their
communities. In addition, frequent hand washing
can lessen the spread of respiratory illness. If
your condition worsens or you have questions
about your illness, please contact your health care provider.
SPECIMEN COLLECTION: Please collect up to 2 (one
for your in-house rapid testing and one for the
state lab culture) nasopharyngeal swab from each
patient with ILI, placing the swab in a standard
container with 2-3 ml of viral transport media.
If the patient is hospitalized with pneumonia,
specimens from the lower respiratory tract (e.g.,
tracheal aspirate, bronchoalveolar lavage) should
also be obtained. Specimens should be collected
within the first 24-72 hours of onset of symptoms
and no later than 5 days after onset of symptoms.
Specimens should be shipped to: Scientific
Laboratory Division, 700 Camino De Salud NE
Albuquerque, NM 871 6 (505) 841-2500.
SPECIMEN STORAGE: The specimens should be kept
refrigerated at 4ºC and sent on cold packs if
they can be received by the Scientific Lab
Division (State PH lab) within 72 hours of the
collection date. If samples will not be received
by the laboratory within 72 hours of collection,
they must be frozen at -70 ºC or below and shipped on dry ice.
GUIDANCE:
Guidance is available from CDC at
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/guidance/ including:
o Interim Guidance for Swine
influenza A (H1N1): Taking Care of a Sick Person in Your Home
o Interim Guidance on Antiviral
Recommendations for Patients with Confirmed or
Suspected Swine Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infection and Close Contacts
o Interim CDC Guidance for
Nonpharmaceutical Community Mitigation in
Response to Human Infections with Swine Influenza (H1N1) Virus
o Interim Recommendations for
Facemask and Respirator Use in Certain Community
Settings Where Swine Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Transmission Has Been Detected
o Interim Guidance on Specimen
Collection and Processing for Patients with
Suspected Swine Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infection
o Swine Influenza A (H1N1) Virus
Biosafety Guidelines for Laboratory Workers
o Interim Guidance for Infection
Control for Care of Patients with Confirmed or
Suspected Swine Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infection in a Healthcare Setting
o Interim Guidance on Case
Definitions to be Used For Investigations of Swine Influenza A (H1N1) Cases
o Interim Guidance to Assist
Airline Flight Deck and Cabin Crew in Identifying
Passengers Who May Have Swine Influenza
o Interim Guidance-Pregnant Women
and Swine Influenza: Considerations for Clinicians
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports Dispatch
(April 24) provides detailed information about
the initial cases at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm58d0424a1.htm
For more information about swine flu: http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/
Additional information is also available by
calling 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636)
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Health alerts are messages from the New Mexico
Department of Health that contain important
information for responding to a health
emergency. Health alerts are sent to health care
providers, emergency responders, first
responders, and other affiliated professionals.
There are four types of messages that come from the Health Alert Network (HAN):
ALERT: Conveys the highest level of importance;
warrants immediate action or attention.
ADVISORY: Provides important information for a
specific incident or situation; may not require immediate action.
UPDATE: Provides updated information regarding
an incident or situation; unlikely to require immediate action.
TEST: Tests the alerting system technologies,
the ability to reach the intended recipients, or
provides simulated alerts for exercise purposes.
If you have questions about the Health Alert
Network, please contact the HAN at health.alert@cw.nmhealth.org.