COCA Email Updates: March 10 - March 24, 2014

Available for download: March 24, 2014, COCA Email Update

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COCA News and Announcements

NEW:

Upcoming COCA Call/Webinar:

Tickborne Diseases: A Springtime Review of Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention

Date: Thursday, April 10, 2014

From May through July, people get tick bites and tickborne diseases more often than any other time of year in the United States. In 2012, over 4,000 cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever and 30,000 cases of Lyme disease were reported to CDC. Tickborne diseases can cause symptoms that range from mild to life-threatening. Early recognition and treatment of tickborne diseases decreases the risk of serious complications. During this COCA call, CDC subject matter experts will describe the signs and symptoms, treatment, management, and prevention of tickborne diseases in the U.S., with an emphasis on Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Additional COCA Conference Calls

Free CE credit/contact hours (CME, CNE, ACPE, CEU, CECH, and AAVSB/RACE) are available for most COCA calls. For more information on free CE.

CDC News and Announcements

New TB Screening Guidelines Overseas Save U.S. Estimated $15 Million – (CDC)

Updated CDC recommendations for overseas tuberculosis (TB) screening of immigrants and refugees have identified hundreds of cases that otherwise would have gone undetected until after arrival in the United States, saving taxpayers an additional $15 million in medical costs.

CDC Science Clips: Volume 6, Issue: 11 – (CDC)

Each week select science clips are shared with the public health community to enhance awareness of emerging scientific knowledge. The focus is applied public health research and prevention science that has the capacity to improve health now.

Public Health Preparedness

NEW: Public Health Matters Blog - Flood Safety Awareness Week 2014 – (CDC)

Turn Around Don’t Drown, or TADD for short, is a NOAA National Weather Service campaign used to educate people about the hazards of driving a vehicle or walking through flood waters.

NEW: Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Disaster App – (SAMHSA)

We often hear about CDC professionals who are preparing the nation and responding to various public health emergencies. But what about the students who are contributing to these initiatives?

Emergency Preparedness and Response – (CDC)

Find resources for All Hazards and Specific Hazards preparedness.

Emergency Preparedness and Response Training Resources for Clinicians – (CDC)

Find online and in-person training centers and resources.

Natural Disasters and Severe Weather

NEW: Tsunami Preparedness Week: March 23 – 29, 2014 – (NTHMP)

A coordinated national effort to assess tsunami threat, prepare community response, issue timely and effective warnings, and mitigate damage.

Be Safe and Smart About Floods – (NOAA)

Find tips on how to be flood safe.

Food and Water Needs: Preparing for a Disaster or Emergency – (CDC)

Health and Safety Concerns for All Disasters – (CDC)

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)

MMWR publications are prepared by the CDC. Electronically Subscribe.

March 14, 2014 / Vol. 63 / No. RR--2 Download .pdf document of this issue

• Recommendations for the Laboratory-Based Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae — 2014

Infectious, Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases

NEW: National Center for Emerging Zoonotic and Infectious Diseases (NCEZID): Accomplishments 2013 – March 19 (CDC)

NCEZID Accomplishments 2013 includes examples of notable infectious disease outbreak response, as well as groundbreaking research, investigations, and new innovations aimed at reducing illness and death from infectious disease.

NEW: Meningococcal Disease Update

On Monday, March 10, a Drexel University student tragically died from serogroup B meningococcal disease. CDC’s laboratory analysis shows that the strain in Princeton University’s serogroup B meningococcal disease outbreak matches the strain in the Drexel University case by “genetic fingerprinting.”

Seasonal Influenza

Weekly Flu View – February 15 (CDC)

This is a weekly influenza surveillance report prepared by CDC Influenza Division. All data are preliminary and may change as CDC receives more reports.

Planning and Preparedness: Health Professionals and Seasonal Flu – (HHS)

Health care providers play an important role during flu season. The following guidance and information will assist health care providers and service organizations to plan and respond to seasonal flu.

Travel Safety

Current Travel Warnings – February 23 (US Department of State)

Travel Warnings are issued when long-term, protracted conditions that make a country dangerous or unstable lead the State Department to recommend that Americans avoid or consider the risk of travel to that country. A Travel Warning is also issued when the U.S. Government's ability to assist American citizens is constrained due to the closure of an embassy or consulate or because of a drawdown of its staff.

Food, Drug and Device Safety

NEW: FDA approves Impavido to treat tropical disease leishmaniasis – March 19 (FDA)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Impavido (miltefosine) to treat a tropical disease called leishmaniasis.

NEW: FDA allows marketing of first medical device to prevent migraine headaches – March 11 (FDA)

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allowed marketing of the first device as a preventative treatment for migraine headaches. This is also the first transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) device specifically authorized for use prior to the onset of pain.

MedWatch: The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program – (HHS/USFDA)

Your FDA gateway for clinically important safety information and reporting serious problems with human medical products.

FoodSafety.gov Reports FDA and USDA Food Recalls, Alerts, Reporting & Resources – (HHS/UDSA/FDA/CDC/NIH)

For recalls and alerts by both FDA and USDA, or to report a problem or make inquiries.