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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Update
| UPDATE | provides updated information regarding an incident or situation; unlikely to require immediate action. |
August 17, 2020 |
Update |
Updated COVID-19 Healthcare Provider Reporting Requirements for Alameda County - Replaces June 17, 2020 Health Advisory This updated guidance for COVID-19 laboratory testing is intended to inform Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) efforts to control the epidemic and aid decision-making by clinicians and other testing providers. The guidance identifies groups that should be prioritized for testing, but it is not a requirement to test in these groups. Testing decisions and policies must be flexible to account for ongoing limitations in testing resources and protective equipment. Clinical judgment should be used to guide testing of symptomatic1 persons. ACPHD typically issues additional testing guidance for certain settings and situations, including outbreaks. |
August 17, 2020 |
Update |
COVID-19 Testing Guidance for Alameda County – Replaces May 12, 2020 Health Advisory Positive real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests and antigen tests for current SARS-CoV-2 infection— not antibody— must be reported to the Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD). |
August 07, 2020 |
Update |
Interim Guidance on Testing for SARS-CoV-2 before Non-Urgent Surgical, Dental, and Diagnostic Procedures During the COVID-19 epidemic in Alameda County, urgent medical and dental procedures have continued in both outpatient and inpatient settings. On May 13, 2020, the Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) released a Health Advisory encouraging medical and dental providers gradually to resume non-urgent clinical services, with several important caveats. While there is active transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Alameda County, ACPHD recommends that facilities, medical, and dental providers implement policies and strategies that include screening of all patients for symptoms of COVID-19 and selective preprocedural testing of patients undergoing non-emergent surgical, dental, or diagnostic procedures that may involve intubation or the generation of biological aerosols.
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July 29, 2020 |
Update |
Discontinuation of Transmission-Based Precautions and Release from Home Isolation Guidance Following a COVID-19 Infection This document describes updated guidance for releasing a person from home isolation or removing a patient or resident of a healthcare facility from Transmission-based Precautions for COVID-19. The test-based strategy, previously described as an option for ending isolation, should no longer be considered except in very specific circumstances and after consultation with an infectious disease expert. |
March 06, 2020 |
Update |
COVID-19 Testing Changes Alameda County healthcare providers should direct COVID-19 testing to commercial laboratories and other non-public health laboratories now offering COVID-19 testing. Providers may determine which patients are suspect COVID-19 cases using clinical judgement but should alert Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) regarding the priority cases listed below. ACPHD approval is no longer needed for testing. Alameda County healthcare providers should use the procedure described in the Update to request COVID-19 testing by our Public Health Lab (ACPHL). Please limit testing requests by phone to the hours 9am-5pm, 7 days per week. For more information on testing specifics, please see the full ACPHD Health Update: |
March 03, 2020 |
Update |
COVID-19 Update and Interim Guidance A presumptive case of COVID-19 was detected in an Alameda County resident who had contact to a case in another jurisdiction. The Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) is taking appropriate action. Cases of COVID-19 without travel history or links to known cases have been reported in our region and across the United States. These cases of COVID-19 in the Bay Area indicate local community transmission, and warrant public health and healthcare providers in Alameda County to continue preparing for increasing numbers of identified cases and a surge of patients. On February 27, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated guidance for evaluating persons under investigation (PUI) for COVID-19. For more information, please see the full ACPHD Health Update: |
February 19, 2020 |
Update |
Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) The disease caused by the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has now been officially named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization. No COVID-19 cases have been identified in Alameda County. On February 12, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated guidance for evaluating possible persons under investigation (PUI) for 2019-nCoV in the following categories: • Severely ill patients for whom a known source of exposure has not been identified For more information, please see the full ACPHD Health Update: |
February 05, 2020 |
Update |
Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) The emerging 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is now circulating in mainland China and cases have been reported in the United States and other countries. On January 31st, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated criteria for persons under investigation (PUI) for 2019-nCoV and the U.S. government declared a Public Health Emergency. The declaration included restrictions for travelers entering the country from China, effective February 3. For more information, please see the full ACPHD Health Update: |
December 03, 2019 |
Update |
Congenital Syphilis (CS) Screening Guidelines for Pregnant Women Syphilis rates are rising in Alameda County, across California, and throughout the country. Nationally, the rate of congenital syphilis has risen 40% in the last year alone, to a rate of 33 per 100,000 live births in 2018. California has the fifth-highest rate of congenital syphilis in the country, with 68 cases per 100,000 live births in 2018. In Alameda County in 2017, the rate of congenital syphilis was 26 per 100,000 live births. Healthcare providers treating pregnant women can prevent congenital syphilis by following CDC recommended screening and treatment guidelines for pregnant women living in communities with high syphilis prevalence. Please see the full Health Update for more information, including actions requested of clinicians. |
October 01, 2019 |
Update |
Updates to Reportable Disease Requirements The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has updated the California Code of Regulations, Title 17, Sections 2500 and 2505, which govern reporting requirements for healthcare providers and laboratories. Changes to Section 2500 provider reporting requirements are summarized in this Health Update. More information about disease reporting in Alameda County, including Section 2505 laboratory reporting requirements, can be found on our Reportable Diseases & Conditions website. Changes to both sections 2500 and 2505 go into effect October 1, 2019. The Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) has additional reporting requirements beyond those of the state’s, and as such, clinicians and healthcare facilities must follow Alameda County-specific disease reporting requirements. Please see the full Health Update for more information and updated recommendation for providers. |
September 03, 2019 |
Update |
Tuberculosis Health Update: Screening for Healthcare Personnel & Nationwide Tuberculin Skin Test Shortage Several updates regarding tuberculosis (TB) have been sent to healthcare facilities in the past few months by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) is releasing this health update to provide a brief summary of two of these notifications: 1) CDPH All Facilities Letter 19–28 regarding TB Screening for Healthcare Personnel; and 2) CDC Nationwide Shortage of TB Skin Test Antigens. Please see the full Tuberculosis Health Update for more information. |
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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