UPDATE: Health departments in Iowa and Nebraska today announced that the source of Cyclospora infections in the two states is prepackaged salad mix, but federal health officials said they are working to determine if the findings apply to cases in other states and are looking into other possibilities.
Mers and Cylospora Update: As of July 26, 2013, CDC has been notified of 353 cases of Cyclospora infection from the following 15 health departments: Iowa , Texas , Nebraska , Florida, Wisconsin , Illinois, New York City, Georgia, Missouri, Arkansas, Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Ohio
As our new resident product strategist, Debbie Gilligan’s responsibilities include building long-term one-on-one relationships, identifying customer pain points, and serving as the product development “compass” for FirstWatch when it comes to effectively communicating the changing needs of our customers. For Debbie, it is the collaborative relationships with her customers and her grasp of the marketplace and user needs that drive her success. “It is my job to make sure we join forces with our customers to identify areas of growth...
Download PDF The CDC released a Public Health Advisory yesterday regarding an increase in overdose deaths related to a synthetic opiate Acetyl Fentanyl over a three month period in Rhode Island. Acetyl Fentanyl is a synthetic opiate that is not sold in the United States and is a very powerful narcotic, up to five times more potent than heroin. The CDC states that other states may have seen overdoses attributed to “Fentanyl laced heroin” and urge vigilance in looking for...
Download PDF The Obama administration has declared MERS-CoV a significant potential for a public health emergency that may lead to affects on national security or the health and security of US citizens living abroad.
Download PDF The Beijing Center for disease control announced yesterday they had found an additional case of H7N9 in a six-year-old boy. Saudi Arabia announced that they had identified five more cases of MERS-CoV yesterday while Agence France Presse (AFP) reported the death of a 65-year-old man infected with the MERS-CoV. Recommendations for EMS do not change.
Alabama public health officials are standing down, as they have determined that the cluster of respiratory illness was normally occurring and there is no longer a need for enhanced surveillance. For more information, please see their Press Release
Download PDF (JEMS, May MCI Issue, 2013) To monitor health-related threats, New Orleans turned to the FirstWatch Realtime Situational Awareness System, which is used by systems throughout the world. The sophisticated system tracks information entered into computer-aided dispatch (CAD) systems in real-time, and immediately sends an alert via email or text message to designated public health and safety officials if it detects certain symptoms or trends of concern.
Download PDF Alabama public health officials are investigating a cluster of severe respiratory infections with an unknown cause around the Dothan area. Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) said in a press release yesterday that seven people were hospitalized with similar symptoms of cough, fever and shortness of breath. There has been no evidence that the cases traveled to either China or the Middle East where H7N9 influenza virus or the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) are...
Download PDF There are no cases of either in the U.S. or even North America. Both viruses have high case fatality rates; currently 25% for H7N9 and 55% for nCoV.There are currently too many unknowns surrounding these viruses, so keeping a careful watch for updates is prudent. It is also be a good time for agencies and individuals to assure that their Pandemic Flu Plans are updated and ready for use should the need ever arise.
Download PDF The GlobalTimes reported today that China has downgraded the response to H7N9. There continues to be no evidence of human-to-human transmission. Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome – Coronavirus has now unofficially entered an eighth country with news coming from the Kuwait News Agency of potential victims in Tunisia. To date there have been no reports of either of these viruses in the US, and the risk of human to human exposure is very low. However, EMS...
Download PDF There continue to be more cases of people with diagnosed H7N9 infection in multiple Provinces of China clustered in the same region. One additional case has been reported in Taiwan. As of April 24, the WHO reported 108 confirmed cases and 22 deaths with a case fatality rate of 20%.
Download PDF Chinese health & government authorities continue to update WHO (World Health Organization), with other public health authorities and agencies, such as the CDC andECDC, participating in the investigation of the virus, including known and potential animal hosts. Although there are limited human cases infected with this virus (as of April 7, there have been 21 cases with six deaths; three more cases are listed as mild while twelve others are considered severe).
Download PDF Reports of influenza activity in the United States continued to decline in diagnosed influenza throughout the U.S, although levels are still elevated.Influenza-like illness levels improved again with 6 of 10 regions at or above expected baseline levels (previously 7 of 10 regions were). Deaths related to flu remained above the epidemic threshold.
Download PDF The CDC has been monitoring the development of a new strain of Coronavirus that has been seen in just a few cases on the Arabian Peninsula and in the United Kingdom.
Download PDF Reports of influenza activity in the U.S. continued to decline in both diagnosed influenza and influenza-like illness, although levels are still elevated. Even fewer states reported “widespread” flu activity (9) than last week (22). Puerto Rico plus 28 states reported “regional” activity, and Wash., D.C., plus 13 states had “local” activity reported.
Download PDF (Best Practices in Emergency Services, February 2013)FirstWatch was on-hand at the Republican and Democratic National Conventions to monitor health-related threats and keep attendees safe.
Download PDF According to the CDC, at the end of Week 8 (2/23/13), reports of influenza activity in the United States continued to decline in both diagnosed influenza and influenza-like-illness throughout the U.S. Even fewer states reported "widespread" flu activity (12) than last week (22). There were increases in "regional" and "local" activity reported with 28 states plus Puerto Rico and Wash., D.C. plus 7 states, respectively. Three (3) states reported "sporadic". Influenza-like illness levels improved again with 8 of...
Download PDF (San Diego Business Journal, Volume 34, Number 7) The San Diego Business Journal features FirstWatch for Innovation in Technology: Safety, Fire, Disease Among Uses for Incident Tracking.
Download PDF According to the CDC, at the end of Week 7 (2/16/13), reports of influenza activity in the United States continued to be elevated although there were continued declines in both diagnosed influenza and influenza-like-illness throughout the U.S. Even fewer states reported "widespread" flu activity (22) than last week (31). There were increases in "regional" and "local" activity reported with 21 states plus Puerto Rico and Wash., D.C. plus 6 states, respectively. One state reported "sporadic". Influenza-like illness...
