COCA Email Updates: October 13, 2015 – September 28, 2015

Available for download: October 13, 2015, COCA Email Update

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COCA News and Announcements

Recent COCA Calls/Webinars:

Title: How to Prevent and Control Pediatric Influenza

Date:Thursday, October 1, 2015

Title: The Role of Clinicians in Addressing the Opioid Overdose Epidemic

Date:Thursday, September 24, 2015

Title: Weathering the Storm — Understanding the Mental Health Impact of Hurricane Sandy

Date:Thursday, September 17, 2015

Additional 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.

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CDC Emergency Response – CDC Response to 2014 Ebola in the United States and West Africa

Updated: Case Counts

CDC News and Announcements

NEW: Healthcare-associated Infections: Prevention Epicenters Program - (CDC)

CDC funded Prevention Epicenters are dedicated to advancing prevention research by working collaboratively with academic partners to create new knowledge that leads to the prevention of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and other adverse health outcomes. In 2015, CDC expanded the program to include 11 Prevention Epicenters. This expansion was made possible by awarding $11 million to six additional academic institutions to join the CDC Prevention Epicenters Program.

NEW: Updates & Improvements to the NCHHSTP Atlas - (CDC)

CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP) launched updates to the NCHHSTP Atlas--the one-stop shop for the most recent HIV, viral hepatitis, STD, and TB surveillance data. A new version of an advanced query function gives users the power to access 10+ years of data to compare two or more diseases, view data from multiple states and counties, probe two or more years of data at the same time, and drill deeper into the data for important subpopulations.

CDC Science Clips: Volume 7, Issue: 40 – (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

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

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 CDC. Electronically Subscribe.

October 9, 2015 / Vol. 64 / No. 39 Download .pdf document of this issue

• Establishment of an Ebola Treatment Unit and Laboratory — Bombali District, Sierra Leone, July 2014–January 2015
• Update: Shortened Interval for Postvaccination Serologic Testing of Infants Born to Hepatitis B-Infected Mothers
• Notes from the Field:   Severe Illness Associated with Reported Use of Synthetic Cannabinoids — Mississippi, April 2015
• Notes from the Field:   Measles in a Patient with Presumed Immunity — Los Angeles County, 2015
  

Infectious, Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases

Seasonal Influenza

What You Should Know for the 2015-2016 Influenza Season

Information for Health Professionals

Weekly Flu View – October 3 (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.

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 - October 9 (US Department of State)

The U.S. Department of State issues Travel Warnings when long-term, protracted conditions make a country dangerous or unstable. Travel Warnings recommend that Americans avoid or carefully consider the risk of travel to that country. The State Department also issues Travel Warnings 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 State Department staff.

Food, Drug and Device Safety

NEW: FDA Investigates Outbreak of Listeria Linked to Soft Cheeses Distributed by Karoun Dairies Inc. - (FDA)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local officials are investigating several cases of listeriosis.

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 FDA and USDA Food Recalls, Alerts, Reporting & 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.