Environmental health specialists from the Fayette County and Kanawha-Charleston health departments hand delivered and mailed letters this week to Paint Creek-area residents whose water wells were tested for a chemical spilled on the West Virginia Turnpike in late August.
Please Safety Check Your Heart Health Before Going Hunting
Like many West Virginians, I, too, am an avid hunter. I share this information about myself because I understand the lure of the mountains this time of year. When the leaves put on their fall colors, my mind turns to the woods. I want to be nowhere else, and I know my fellow sportsmen and women feel the same.
As a longtime emergency physician, I’ve seen a tragic side of hunting, too. It forces me to have painful conversations with families who have just lost loved ones because they had a heart attack or stroke while hunting and couldn’t get help quickly enough. This little-known consequence of a tradition so many of us love is something we don’t like to think or talk about, but we should.
HEALTH ADVISORY #205 Acute Flaccid Melitis (AFM)
Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) is a reportable condition in West Virginia. Suspected cases should be reported to the local health department (LHD) per the West Virginia Reportable Disease Rule (64 CSR7). Surveillance has shown that AFM cases generally peak in the months of September and October. A biennial pattern has been observed with a larger number of cases reported in 2014, 2016, and 2018. In 2020, cases did not increase likely due to pandemic mitigation measures. Health officials are unsure what to expect in 2022. Public health partners and healthcare providers should be aware of the symptoms of AFM and the related resources to assist with identifying, reporting, and collecting specimens of suspected AFM cases at any time.
HEALTH ALERT #204 CDC Recommends Omicron COVID-19 Booster
On September 1, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsed the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendations for use of the COVID-19 Omicron updated boosters (i.e., bivalent boosters) from Pfizer-BioNTech for people ages 12 years and older and from Moderna for people ages 18 years and older.
Variant Influenza Virus Infections: Recommendations for Identification, Treatment, and Prevention for Summer and Fall 2022
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is issuing this Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory to provide updates on recent variant1 influenza virus infections and summarize CDC’s recommendations for identification, treatment, and prevention of variant influenza virus infection for the summer and fall of 2022.
HEALTH ADVISORY #203 Variant Influenza Detected In WV
The 2022 fair season in West Virginia is underway. Past agricultural fairs across the United States have been linked to human infections caused by variant influenza A viruses that are commonly found in swine.
HEALTH ADVISORY #202 WV Monkeypox Outbreak Update
Since late May 2022 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been tracking cases of monkeypox that have been reported in the U.S. and other countries without a history of monkeypox activity.
HEALTH ADVISORY #201 CDC Supports Authorization of Novavax New COVID-19 Vaccine for Adults
On July 19, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsed the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendation that the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine be used as a primary-series option for adults ages 18 years and older. Novavax, which will be available in the coming weeks, is the first protein subunit COVID-19 vaccine recommended for use in the U.S. Having multiple types of COVID-19 vaccines offers options and flexibility for providers and recipients. The Novavax COVID-19 vaccine’s safety and effectiveness have been confirmed by clinical trials with thousands of individuals in the U.S.
Stay Safe in the Summer Heat
Heat related deaths are preventable. Stay safe and protect your family and our entire community during times of extreme heat this summer.
HEALTH ADVISORY # 199 – CDC Recommends COVID-19 Vaccine for Children 6 Months through 5 Years
On June 18, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsed the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendation that children ages 6 months through 5 years should receive COVID-19 vaccination.
HEALTH ADVISORY #198 Amendments to the WV Reportable Disease Rule
The purpose of this advisory is to communicate important changes related to the reporting of communicable diseases in West Virginia. The following summarizes amendments to the West Virginia Legislative Rule, Reportable Diseases, Events and Conditions (64CSR-7)
HEALTH ADVISORY #197 Updated Rabies Preexposure Prophylaxis Recommendations
Human rabies is a preventable viral infection often transmitted following a rabid animal bite. The infection is almost always fatal once symptoms develop, so prevention is critical. There are measures to prevent rabies infection in humans including vaccination of targeted animals, use of personal protective equipment (PPE), avoid aggravation of high-risk mammals, and administration of rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) following potential rabies exposure.
HEALTH ADVISORY #196 CDC Recommends COVID-19 Booster for Children 5 to 11 Years and Strengthens Recommendations
On May 19, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsed the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendation that children 5 to 11 years old should receive a COVID-19 booster five months after their initial Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric vaccine series.
HEALTH ADVISORY #180 CDC Recommends Booster Dose of Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine for Certain Populations and Those in High-Risk Settings
On September 24, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsed the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendation for a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in certain populations and recommended a booster dose for those in high-risk occupational and institutional settings.
HEALTH ADVISORY #178 CDC Recommends Additional Dose of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine for Immunocompromised People
Studies indicate some immunocompromised people have a reduced immune response following a primary COVID-19 vaccine series compared to vaccine recipients who are not immunocompromised and that a third dose may enhance immune response. For people with moderate to severe immune compromise due to a medical condition or receipt of immunosuppressive medications or treatments, the potential to increase immune response coupled with an acceptable safety profile, support the recommendation for an additional mRNA vaccine dose after an initial 2-dose primary mRNA COVID-19 vaccine series.
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