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. |
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) 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. |
June 01, 2018 |
Advisory |
Increased Pertussis Cases in School-Aged Children Since January 2018, Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) has noted a marked increase in reported pertussis cases in school-aged children across the county, and clusters of pertussis cases in some schools. Most cases have occurred in high school-aged children. Like the rest of California, Alameda County has experienced a cyclical increase in pertussis cases every 3 to 5 years; the most recent peaks were in 2010, 2014, and now, 2018. |
May 11, 2018 |
Update |
High Levels of Pertussis in Alameda County Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a contagious disease affecting the lungs. It is caused by a bacteria that can spread when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks near to other people. Pertussis can affect people of all ages but infants younger than 6 months are at greatest risk for severe disease leading to hospitalization and death. The highest rates of pertussis are seen in infants who are too young to have received all their pertussis vaccines, and in teenagers 14 to 17 years old whose pertussis vaccine protection has "worn off". |
April 05, 2018 |
Advisory |
Measles in San Francisco Bay Area Between 3/5/18 and 4/3/18, measles has been confirmed in six (6) unvaccinated patients who are residents of Santa Clara County (5) and Alameda County (1). One (1) additional linked case has been confirmed in Nevada. All cases are linked to an unvaccinated traveler who was exposed in Europe and developed measles after returning to the San Francisco Bay Area. Local health departments in the Bay Area are conducting contact investigations. Measles is very infectious, and airborne transmission can occur in settings with large numbers of people like healthcare facilities, schools, childcares, shopping centers, public transportation, airports, and amusement parks. Clinicians should be vigilant in identifying and appropriately managing suspected measles cases to avoid ongoing transmission and ensuring that their patients and staff are up-to-date with immunizations. |
March 22, 2018 |
Advisory |
School Water Lead Testing and Blood Lead Level Testings Increased levels of lead have been found in water drawn from schools in Alameda County. Schools and school districts are notifying parents about the potential lead exposures at the school and blood lead level testing. As a result, we expect parents and school staff will be requesting a blood lead test and would like you to order a blood lead test for a suspected exposure to lead. In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established a new "reference value”"of 5 micrograms per deciliter for blood lead levels, thereby lowering the level at which evaluation and intervention are recommended. Depending on your patient’s age and blood lead level, they may be referred for Lead Poisoning Prevention Services, i.e. a combination of health, environmental and residential hazard reduction services, provided by the Alameda County Healthy Homes Department’s Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. |
March 21, 2018 |
Update |
Alameda County Public Health and Berkeley Public Health Hepatitis A Guidance for Healthcare Facilities and Clinicians A high demand of single antigen hepatitis A vaccine resulted in a national vaccine shortage toward the end of 2017. Currently, issues with single antigen vaccine supply and ordering appear to be resolved. Medical providers should now be vaccinating based on their own inventory instead of trying to ration or prioritize hepatitis A vaccine. Administer hepatitis A vaccine to any person exposed to a case of hepatitis A (household/sexual contact) and continue to vaccinate all persons in the following risk groups:
If inventory permits, also consider vaccinating persons with close contact to individuals in high risk groups listed above as well as anyone seeking protection from hepatitis A disease. |
January 04, 2018 |
Advisory |
Influenza Testing, Treatment and Vaccination The California Department of Public Health has issued a clinical advisory to direct clinicians about national influenza testing and treatment recommendations. All patients with suspected or confirmed influenza who are hospitalized, severely ill, or at higher risk for complications should be treated as soon as possible with a neuraminidase inhibitor antiviral agent such as zanamivir or oseltamivir and tested using a real-time reverse polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) assay. The full clinical advisory is linked below. Other Resources: |
October 30, 2017 |
Advisory |
Hepatitis A Vaccine Supply Prioritization: Guidance for Healthcare Facilities and Clinician A hepatitis A outbreak in San Diego, Santa Cruz and Los Angeles counties means that medical providers in Alameda County and Berkeley need to take particular precautions to:
Full ACPHD & BPH Joint Hepatitis A Vaccine Supply Prioritization Advisory |
October 11, 2017 |
Alert |
Unhealthy Air Quality Due to Wildfires Information is evolving rapidly; please check website resources listed for most current information. Very unhealthy air quality from the North Bay wildfires continues to cause unprecedented levels of air pollution throughout the Bay Area. Due to changing wind patterns, air quality could be impacted for many days. Local air quality will be variable and unpredictable; it may improve at times, or get worse very quickly. Today's air quality for the majority of Alameda County is within the 100-150 range, which is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups. Air quality tomorrow, Friday, Saturday and Sunday are expected to worsen and be designated Unhealthy. Active children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should limit prolonged outdoor exertion. Residents should protect themselves from the impacts of heavy smoke. If you see or smell smoke in the immediate area, avoid outdoor activity, including exercise. Prevention
Website Resources:
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