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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Advisory
ADVISORY: | provides important information for a specific incident or situation; may not require immediate action. |
November 08, 2024 |
Advisory |
Increase in Pertussis Cases More than 60 confirmed or probable cases of Pertussis have been reported in Alameda County during the 2024-2025 school year, along with multiple high school outbreaks. This is an increase compared with recent years. No hospitalizations have been reported. Despite high vaccination rates in our community, any person who has Pertussis-like symptoms should avoid taking care of or spending time with pregnant persons or infants, as Pertussis can cause severe illness or, in rare instances, death. A person infected with Pertussis is considered contagious for 21 days after the onset of cough or until 5 days of antibiotics have been completed. ACTIONS REQUESTED OF CLINICIANS:
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October 09, 2024 |
Advisory |
First Marburg Virus Disease Outbreak in the Republic of Rwanda The purpose of this advisory is to share a CDC HAN from 10/3/24 about Rwanda’s first confirmed outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD). There were 56 cases and 12 deaths reported as of October 8, 2024, including at least 19 cases in healthcare workers. No confirmed cases of MVD related to this outbreak have been reported in the United States or other countries outside of Rwanda to date. Currently, the risk of MVD in the United States is low; however, clinicians should be aware of the potential for imported cases. Please review the HAN for a full list of recommendations for clinicians, including infection prevention considerations. Contact ACPHD immediately (510-267-3250 M-F 8:30-5PM or 925-422-7595 after hours and on weekends) about any patient who has been to an area with an active MVD outbreak in the past 21 days, AND who has compatible symptoms (e.g., fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, loss of appetite, gastrointestinal symptoms, or unexplained bleeding), AND has reported epidemiologically compatible risk factors within the 21 days before symptom onset including direct contact with a symptomatic person with suspected or confirmed MVD, or with any objects contaminated by their body fluids. Recommendations for Infection Prevention and Control Measures in Hospitals
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September 30, 2024 |
Advisory |
Staff Masking Required in Higher-Risk Healthcare Settings beginning November 1st The fall and winter of 2023-2024 saw substantial waves of RSV, flu and COVID-19, and a similar pattern is expected this year. To combat the spread of these viruses to vulnerable patients and residents and minimize the associated risk of severe illness and death, Staff and other workers in specified Health Care Facilities (HCFs) in Alameda County, including the City of Berkeley, are required to wear high-quality, well-fitting masks in patient care areas from November 1, 2024 through March 31, 2025, regardless of vaccination status (see Order). Alameda County and the City of Berkeley are aligning with many health jurisdictions across the Bay Area in implementing this policy. The following HCFs are covered by this Order: General Acute Care Hospitals, Long Term Acute Care Hospitals, Psychiatric Hospitals, Skilled Nursing Facilities, Dialysis Centers, and Infusion Centers. This Order does not require patients, residents, or visitors to wear masks, although masks are strongly recommended for everyone in all health care settings, including Staff in health care settings not covered by this Order. Order No. 20-16b (requiring Health Care Workers in specified facilities to receive annual flu vaccinations or wear masks), which was suspended last year, has now been rescinded. |
September 24, 2024 |
Advisory |
Increased Oropouche Virus Activity and Associated Risk to Travelers A CDC HAN from 8/16/24 about the increase in Oropouche virus disease originating from endemic areas in the Amazon basin and new areas in South America and the Caribbean was distributed. As of September 17, there were 74 travel-associated cases in the U.S. in 2024, including one in California. Recommendations for healthcare providers include:
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September 10, 2024 |
Advisory |
Detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) in California dairy cattle A CAHAN from 9/4/24 about the detection of avian influenza A(H5N1) in cows at three California dairies located in the Central Valley is being distributed. Below are some reminders for Alameda County healthcare providers (HCPs):
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July 23, 2024 |
Advisory |
Critical shortage of Becton Dickinson (BD) BACTEC™ blood culture media bottles On July 23, 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory to inform healthcare providers, laboratory professionals, and healthcare facility administrators of a critical shortage of Becton Dickinson (BD) BACTEC™ blood culture media bottles. This shortage has the potential to disrupt patient care by leading to delays in diagnosis, misdiagnosis, or other challenges in the clinical management of patients with certain infectious diseases. Facilities affected by this shortage should immediately begin to assess their situations and develop plans and options to mitigate the potential impact of the shortage on patient care. For a full list of recommendations, please see the attached Health Advisory. If you were forwarded this message and would like to receive future communications from ACPHD directly, please register yourself for our AC Alert system here. |
April 29, 2024 |
Advisory |
Adverse Effects Linked to Counterfeit or Mishandled Botulinum Toxin Injections The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and state and local partners are investigating 22 people from 11 states who reported adverse effects after receiving injections with counterfeit botulinum toxin, or injections administered by unlicensed or untrained individuals or in non-healthcare settings, such as homes or spas. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) received reports of two California residents who are included in the investigation; one reported purchasing counterfeit “Botox" on the internet. Both patients received injections in non-health care settings. Botulism is a medical emergency and requires immediate medical and public health response.[BOLD previous sentence] Clinicians must immediately report any patients with suspected botulism to Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) who will then coordinate with CDPH to authorize botulism antitoxin (BAT) release if appropriate. To reach ACPHD, call 510-267-3250 (Option 2), M-F 8:30AM-5PM. After hours and on weekends, ask for the ACPHD Duty Officer on call at 925-422-7595. For more information, please see the full CDC Health Advisory. |
February 16, 2024 |
Advisory |
Cluster of Shigellosis and Shigellemia Cases The Alameda County Public Health Department has detected an increase in reports of infections due to Shigella bacteria species in Alameda County, including cases of bacteremia known as shigellemia. These cases have mainly occurred among residents of Board and Care facilities and persons experiencing homelessness (PEH); some patients also have a history of drug use. In these recently reported cases, most patients have required antibiotics, and some have required hospitalization. Associated isolates have been susceptible to fluoroquinolones and carbapenems. |
January 09, 2024 |
Advisory |
Discontinuation of ciprofloxacin for invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) The purpose of this Health Advisory is to update clinicians on the current recommended regimen for post exposure prophylaxis for invasive meningococcal disease in Alameda County. Due to the detection of ciprofloxacin-resistant strains of Neisseria meningitidis, local health jurisdictions (LHJs) in the Bay Area and Sacramento regions are recommended to discontinue the use of ciprofloxacin for invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). |
December 11, 2023 |
Advisory |
Severe and Fatal Confirmed Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever among People with Recent Travel to Tecate, Mexico The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued the attached Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory to notify healthcare providers and the public about an outbreak of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) among people in the United States with recent travel to or residence in the city of Tecate, state of Baja California, Mexico. RMSF is a severe, rapidly progressive, and often deadly disease transmitted by the bite of infected ticks, although many patients do not recall being bitten by a tick. Doxycycline is the treatment of choice for patients of all ages. As of December 8, 2023, five patients have been diagnosed with confirmed RMSF since late July 2023; all had travel to or residence in Tecate within 2 weeks of illness onset. RMSF is endemic in multiple border states in northern Mexico, including but not exclusive to Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Nuevo León. Healthcare providers should consider RMSF in their differential diagnosis of patients who have reported recent travel to Tecate, Mexico, or other areas of northern Mexico and subsequently develop signs or symptoms of an unexplained severe febrile illness. Consider initiating doxycycline based on presumptive clinical and epidemiologic findings, and do not delay treatment pending the result of a confirmatory laboratory test. Early treatment with doxycycline saves lives. Healthcare providers can contact ACPHD's Acute Communicable Disease Section at acutecd@acgov.org with questions. |
November 14, 2023 |
Advisory |
Perinatal Hepatitis B Reporting The purpose of this Health Advisory is to remind Healthcare Providers to submit reports of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) in a pregnant person OR an infant born to a person with HBV to the ACPHD Perinatal HBV Prevention Program.
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October 13, 2023 |
Advisory |
CAHAN: Preparation for Respiratory Virus Season The California Department of Public Health has issued a Health Advisory Preparation for Respiratory Virus Season (COVID-19, Influenza and RSV) (10/10/23). COVID-19:
o Vaccinating pregnant persons protects infants <6 months old, who had a similar COVID-19 hospitalization rate to adults aged 65–74 in 2022.
o Updated NIH Treatment Guidelines (10/10/23) o AFL-23-29 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Treatment Resources for Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) (9/26/23) Influenza:
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV):
o Adults 60 and older may receive an RSV vaccine, using shared clinical decision-making. o Persons who are 32-36 weeks during September to January should receive RSV vaccine to protect their babies against severe RSV disease. o Infants younger than 8 months who are born during – or entering – their first RSV season should receive one dose of nirsevimab. Some older infants/toddlers should receive a dose before their second RSV season. COVID-19, influenza & RSV vaccines can be co-administered. See also: Updated laboratory reporting requirements for SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) . |