The Alameda County Public Health Department sends out Health Alerts, Advisories, and Updates regarding communicable disease outbreaks, immunization updates, and other public health concerns to Alameda County clinicians and other partners. See recent releases below.
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Health Alerts
| 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. |
August 01, 2019 |
Advisory |
Travel Associated Diseases: Ebola, Dengue, Malaria, and Measles Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) and the City of Berkeley Public Health Division (COBPHD) regularly receive reports of malaria, dengue, and measles in persons with a history of international travel. Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) has also re-emerged in an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As the early symptoms of these diseases are non-specific, travel history is essential for timely diagnosis. Patients may not be aware of pre-travel recommendations for measles immunization or malaria chemoprophylaxis; proactive questioning about planned or recent travel assists with prevention, appropriate infection control, and diagnosis. Please see the Full Travel Associated Diseases Health Advisory for more information and an outline of actions requested of Healthcare Professionals. |
May 20, 2019 |
Alert |
Measles Current Situation: The City of Berkeley has 1 confirmed case of measles in a Berkeley adult resident. This individual is no longer contagious. This resident spent time at a few public venues during the infectious period (05/05/19 – 5/13/19), and it is not possible to identify every individual who may have been exposed. One location where there was prolonged exposure was the Berkeley Bowl located on Oregon Street. The resident visited the establishment on May 7th between 3 and 5 pm. Please see the Full Measles Health Alert for more information and an outline of actions requested of Healthcare Professionals. |
April 08, 2019 |
Advisory |
Measles in Alameda County Situation Update for Alameda County:
Clinicians are requested to consider/suspect measles in patients with a rash and fever ≥101°F (38.3°C) regardless of travel history. Ask about measles vaccination and exposure to known measles cases, international travel, or international visitors in the three weeks prior to illness. Please see complete Clinician Guidance in the full Health Advisory. |
March 29, 2019 |
Update |
Chronic Hepatitis B Infection: Call for Testing, Vaccinating and Providing Treatment Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is highly infectious and transmitted via blood or sexual contact. Persons with chronic HBV infection (presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), HBV DNA, or Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) for at least 6 months) require medical care as they are at increased risk for liver cirrhosis, liver cancer, and death. It is estimated that there are over 23,000 cases of chronic hepatitis B infection in Alameda County, yet there are only about 8,000 cases documented in the California Reportable Disease Information Exchange (CalREDIE). Approximately 1 in 12 people born in countries where hepatitis B is endemic and living in Alameda County is potentially chronically infected. The Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) asks clinicians to:
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February 28, 2019 |
Advisory |
CDPH Measles Clinical Guidance Measles continues to circulate in much of the world, including Europe, Asia and Africa. International travel, domestic travel through international airports, and contact with international visitors can pose a risk for exposure to measles. Recent measles outbreaks in other states have sparked concern about the risk to Californians. However, to date, all measles cases in the current Clark County, Washington measles outbreak were exposed locally, with little risk to Californians unless they travel to Clark County. While providers should consider measles in patients with fever and a descending rash, measles is unlikely in the absence of confirmed measles cases in your community or a history of travel or exposure to travelers. This guidance discusses which patients should be prioritized for measles testing |
January 31, 2019 |
Advisory |
Discharge Guidelines for Patients Experiencing Homelessness Effective January 1, 2019, California Health & Safety Code Section 1262.5 requires general acute care hospitals, acute psychiatric hospitals and special hospitals to offer the following to patients experiencing homelessness prior to discharge:Screening or referrals “for infectious disease common to the region, as determined by the local health department” Immunizations appropriate to their “presenting medical condition” The full advisory provides joint guidance to hospitals within the local health jurisdictions of Alameda County and the City of Berkeley to comply with Section 1262.5. |
January 23, 2019 |
Advisory |
Third Case of Rifampin/Penicillin-Resistant Strain of RB51 Brucella from Consuming Raw Milk On January 23, 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health advisory regarding Brucella RB51 exposures from consuming raw milk. The CDC reports on three confirmed cases of brucellosis from Brucella RB51 as well as exposures in 19 states, including California. The full health advisory can be found at the link below. Per Title 17 section 2500,2505, suspected and confirmed cases of Brucellosis are immediately reportable to the local public health department. To report cases to Alameda County Public Health Department, contact: Acute Communicable Diseases Section: 510-267-3250 M-F 8:30am-5pm. Weekends and afterhours: 925-422-7595 |
November 21, 2018 |
Update |
Improving Air Quality The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) has extended its Spare the Air alert through Wednesday, 11/21st, due to some pockets of “unhealthy” air quality remaining in the East Bay, but improvements to moderate air quality are anticipated throughout the region on Thursday, 11/22nd. |
November 14, 2018 |
Advisory |
Unhealthy Air Quality (Updated Nov. 16) The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) has an ongoing Spare the Air alert - updated on Wednesday, November 14th through Tuesday, November 20th. The Bay Area is continuing to experience heavy smoke from the Camp Fire in Butte County. Air quality continues to be unhealthy through much of the region. |
November 14, 2018 |
Advisory |
Wildfire Smoke: Ongoing Spare the Air Alert The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has an ongoing Spare the Air alert updated on Wednesday 11/14th through Friday 11/16th. The Bay Area is continuing to experience heavy smoke from the Camp Fire in Butte County. Air quality continues to be unhealthy through much of the region. While air quality is in the “unhealthy” range, the best option for everyone, especially children, the elderly, and persons with chronic lung or heart disease, is to stay indoors with windows and doors closed, and avoid prolonged outdoor activities. Masks, if properly fitted, may be helpful for those who must be outdoors. Masks are not suitable for men with beards or young children. Persons with chronic lung or heart disease or other medical conditions, should check with their healthcare provider before using an N95 mask, as they can make breathing more difficult. To monitor local air quality conditions and indicators to stay indoors, visit www.airnow.gov. For additional guidance, see the attached Alameda County Public Health Wildfires & Air Quality flyer and visit our Wildfire Resources page at Air Quality, which has links to the flyer in additional languages. |
September 21, 2018 |
Advisory |
Mandatory Influenza Vaccination or Masking of Health Care Workers During Every Influenza Season Health Officers for Alameda County and the City of Berkeley are re-issuing their joint Health Officer order (originally dated Aug. 28, 2013) (SUSPENDED 9/20/2023) mandating that all licensed health care facilities in Alameda County and the City of Berkeley require their health care workers (HCWs) to receive an annual influenza vaccination or, if they decline, to wear a mask during every influenza season while working in patient care areas. Influenza season dates are defined as November 1 to April 30 of the following year. This order is ongoing and applies to each influenza season, unless rescinded or modified. |
July 12, 2018 |
Advisory |
Joint Advisory on Cyclosporiasis in San Francisco Area Alameda County Public Health and Berkeley Public Health Joint Advisory on Cyclosporiasis in San Francisco Area In recent months, local health departments (LHDs) in the San Francisco Bay Area have received an unusually high number of reports of cyclosporiasis (infection with Cyclospora cayetanensis) in patients who have not traveled outside the United States (U.S.). As of July 9, 2018, 50 cases not associated with international travel were reported to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Only one case has been reported to the Alameda County Department of Public Health (ACPHD) and no cases have been reported to the City of Berkeley Public Health Division in 2018; however, this may be due to under-detection of this infection, which requires special testing methods. LHDs are investigating cases with CDPH to identify a common source. Cyclosporiasis is endemic in tropical and subtropical regions. Prior cyclosporiasis outbreaks in the U.S. have been associated with imported fresh produce items. |