COCA Digest: June 5
If you have any questions on these or other clinical issues, please write to us at coca@cdc.gov
Available for download: June 5, 2017, COCA Email Update
COCA News and Announcements
Recent COCA Calls
Potential for Falsely Low Blood Lead Test Results from LeadCare® Analyzers
Date: Wednesday, May 24, 2017
On May 17, 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety communication warning about the use of Magellan Diagnostics’ LeadCare® analyzers with venous blood samples because they might result in falsely low test results. FDA is now advising that Magellan Diagnostics’ LeadCare® analyzers should no longer be used with venous blood samples. The safety alert does not apply to capillary blood lead test results collected by fingerstick or heelstick. During this COCA call, clinicians learned the importance of lead testing for children and pregnant or lactating women, which patients may be impacted, and CDC’s recommendations for re-testing
Zika Update: Findings from the U.S. Zika Pregnancy Registry and Updated Clinical Guidance
Date: Thursday, May 4, 2017
During this COCA Call, clinicians learned about the latest findings from the U.S. Zika Pregnancy Registry and updated CDC clinical guidance to assist in caring for these patients based on currently available data.
Archived COCA Conference Calls
Free continuing education credits (CME, CNE, ACPE, CEU, CECH, and AAVSB/RACE) are available for most calls. More information about free CE.
CDC Emergency Response
2016 Zika Virus
General Resources
Zika Virus Information for Healthcare Providers
Key Messages – Zika Virus
A collection of the most up-to-date and cleared information on the ongoing Zika virus outbreak.
Print Resources in Different Languages
CDC fact sheets and posters for distribution to patients are available in languages, including Spanish, Arabic, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Creole, and Korean. These resources cover a variety of topics, including travel information, insect repellent, sexual transmission, and mosquito control.
Clinicians Caring for Pregnant Women and Women of Reproductive Age
When Should Pregnant Women Be Tested? Widget
CDC has designed an algorithm widget based on current recommendations to assist in clinical decision making about testing for Zika virus infection. Testing recommendations by area of travel are outlined on this page. For more information on testing pregnant women, see:
https://www.cdc.gov/zika/hc-providers/pregnant-women/testing-pregnant-women.html
U.S. Zika Pregnancy Registry
CDC and state, tribal, local, and territorial health departments request that healthcare providers, especially obstetric and pediatric healthcare providers, participate in the US Zika Pregnancy Registry.Clinical Guidance for Healthcare Providers Caring for Pregnant Women
Clinical Guidance for Healthcare Providers Caring for Women of Reproductive Age
Clinicians Caring for Infants and Children
Clinical Guidance for Healthcare Providers Caring for Infants & Children
Sexual Transmission
Travel Information
NEW: CDC Updates Zika Guidance for Miami-Dade County, Florida
CDC has updated guidance for people who travel to or live in Miami-Dade County to lift the Zika cautionary (yellow) area designation. There have been no new cases of local Zika virus transmission identified and no cases under investigation in Miami-Dade County for more than 45 days. Lifting the yellow area designation means that there are no longer any travel recommendations related to Zika virus for Miami-Dade County, Florida.
CDC News and Announcements
CDC Science Clips: Volume 9, Issue: 21
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.
COCA Partner Resources
NEW: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Children’s Hospitals and Preparedness Webinar Series: Who’s on First? Handoff Strategies in the Children’s Hospital
June 29, 2017, 1:00pm ET
The “handoff” of a pediatric patient from one person, department, or agency to the next can be a risky moment, especially during a disaster situation. Critical information can be lost or altered to the detriment of the patient and the clinicians in charge of their care. AAP has established best practices and tools to help clinicians every step of the way. In this webinar, pediatrician experts from the Section on Emergency Medicine and Committee on Hospital Care will present on the AAP clinical report “Standardization of Inpatient Handoff Communications“, a new policy statement, “Handoffs: Transitions of Care for Children in the Emergency Department“, and two new tools: the ‘Handoff Evaluation Tool’ and the ‘Briefing Checklist Tool’.
Public Health Preparedness
Emergency Preparedness and Response – (CDC)
Find preparedness resources for all hazards.
Emergency Preparedness and Response Training Resources for Clinicians – (CDC)
Find online and in-person training resources.
Natural Disasters and Severe Weather
Prepare for Spring Weather – (CDC)
Food and Water Needs: Preparing for a Disaster or Emergency – (CDC)
Health and Safety Concerns for All Disasters – (CDC)
Infectious, Vector-Borne, and Zoonotic Diseases
NEW: Multistate Outbreaks of Human Salmonella Infections Linked to Live Poultry in Backyard Flocks, 2017
CDC is working with public health, veterinary, and agriculture officials in multiple states and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) to investigate eight separate multistate outbreaks of human Salmonella infections linked to contact with live poultry in backyard flocks.There have been 372 people infected from 47 states between January 4, 2017, to May 13, 2017. Thirty-six percent of those sickened are children. 71 ill people have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.
NEW: 2017 Ebola Outbreak in Congo (DRC)
On May 11, 2017, the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo notified international public health agencies of a cluster of suspected cases of Ebola Virus Disease in the Likati health zone of the province of Bas Uélé. As of June 1, 2017, there are been 13 suspect, probable, or confirmed cases, 4 deaths, and 72 contacts being followed.
NEW: 2017 Meningococcal Outbreak in Liberia
Meningococcal disease is found worldwide, with the highest incidence of disease found in the ‘meningitis belt’ of sub-Saharan Africa. In this region, major epidemics occur every 5 to 12 years with attack rates reaching 1,000 cases per 100,000 population. Other regions of the world experience lower overall rates of disease and occasional outbreaks, with annual attack rates of around 0.3 to 3 per 100,000 population.
NEW: Crypto Outbreaks Linked to Swimming Have Doubled Since 2014
Outbreaks of a parasitic infection linked to swimming pools and water playgrounds are increasingly being reported to CDC, with twice as many outbreaks in 2016 as in 2014.
At least 32 outbreaks caused by Cryptosporidium (also known as “Crypto”) linked to swimming pools or water playgrounds in the United States were reported in 2016, compared with 16 outbreaks in 2014, according to preliminary data published in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
NEW: CDC Finalizes Vaccine Recommendation for Adults Traveling to Areas with Cholera
CDC’s recommendation for the use of a cholera vaccine in adults traveling to areas with cholera is now final. The final recommendation was published in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The vaccine, brand name Vaxchora, is a single-dose, live oral cholera vaccine and was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2016 for prevention of cholera caused by serogroup O1. It is approved for use in adults 18 through 64 years old and is the only FDA-approved cholera vaccine in the United States. The federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, composed of medical and public health experts, voted to recommend the vaccine in June 2016.
Seasonal Influenza
Weekly Flu View – May 27 – (CDC)
Flu View is a weekly influenza surveillance report prepared by CDC Influenza Division. All data are preliminary and may change as CDC receives more reports.
Information for Health Professionals– (CDC)
2016-2017 Flu Season – (CDC)
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/fluvaxview/1617season.htm
Food, Drug and Device Safety
NEW: HAN 403: Potential for Falsely Low Blood Lead Test Results from LeadCare® Analyzers
FDA has issued a safety communication warning about the use of Magellan Diagnostics’ LeadCare® analyzers (LeadCare, LeadCare II, LeadCare Ultra and LeadCare Plus) with venous blood samples because they might result in falsely low test results. FDA is now advising that Magellan Diagnostics’ LeadCare® analyzers should no longer be used with venous blood samples. The safety alert does not apply to capillary blood lead test results collected by fingerstick or heelstick. The purpose of this Health Advisory is to notify state and local health departments, healthcare providers, and laboratories about CDC’s re-testing guidance in light of the safety alert.
MedWatch: The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program – (FDA)
MedWatch is your Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gateway for clinically important safety information and reporting serious problems with human medical products.
FoodSafety.gov: Reports of FDA and USDA Food Recalls, Alerts, Reporting, and Resources – (HHS/USDA/FDA/CDC/NIH)
Foodsafety.gov lists notices of recalls and alerts from both FDA and USDA. Visitors to the site can report a problem or make inquiries.
The CDC and HHS logos are the exclusive property of the Department of Health and Human Services and may not be used for any purpose without prior express written permission. Use of trade names and commercial sources is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Links to non-Federal organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. Links do not constitute an endorsement of any organization by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organizations.
- Page last reviewed: June 6, 2017
- Page last updated: June 6, 2017
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