Subject Line: Swine Influenza Second Update
April 29, 2009
TO: The NMSU Campus Community
FROM: Robert Moulton, Interim Executive Vice President and
Provost
SUBJECT: Swine Influenza Second Update
As indicated earlier this week, the university is continuing to monitor
the Swine Influenza outbreaks in the U.S., Mexico and elsewhere and will
keep the NMSU community informed if any actions are needed. To our
knowledge the situation locally has not changed. There is currently no
health emergency in New Mexico.
Again, the NMSU Communicable Disease Preparedness Committee has been
meeting on a regular basis for several years and the response plan can be
found at
http://www.nmsu.edu/~safety/emergency.htm.
As this situation continues to evolve, we want to make information
available to our campuses. At the request of the New Mexico Higher
Education Department the following update is being distributed for your
information. We will continue to keep you informed.
THIS A NEW MEXICO HEALTH UPDATE –
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.
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:
- within 7 days of
close contact with a person who is a confirmed case of swine influenza A
(H1N1) virus infection, or
- 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
- 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 87131 (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:
- Interim Guidance
for Swine influenza A (H1N1): Taking Care of a Sick Person in Your
Home
- Interim Guidance
on Antiviral Recommendations for Patients with Confirmed or Suspected
Swine Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infection and Close Contacts
- Interim CDC
Guidance for Nonpharmaceutical Community Mitigation in Response to Human
Infections with Swine Influenza (H1N1) Virus
- Interim
Recommendations for Facemask and Respirator Use in Certain Community
Settings Where Swine Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Transmission Has Been
Detected
- Interim Guidance
on Specimen Collection and Processing for Patients with Suspected Swine
Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infection
- Swine Influenza A
(H1N1) Virus Biosafety Guidelines for Laboratory Workers
- Interim Guidance
for Infection Control for Care of Patients with Confirmed or Suspected
Swine Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infection in a Healthcare Setting
- Interim Guidance
on Case Definitions to be Used For Investigations of Swine Influenza A
(H1N1) Cases
- Interim Guidance
to Assist Airline Flight Deck and Cabin Crew in Identifying Passengers
Who May Have Swine Influenza
- 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)
===============================================
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.