EPI UPDATE

Please print out this material and share with epidemiology staff, county health department directors, administrators, medical directors, nursing directors, environmental health directors and others with an interest in information of this type. Thank you.

The Bureau of Epidemiology is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for consultation at our main number (SunCom 205-4401 or 850/245-4401) PLEASE NOTE: Consultation after 5 p.m. & on weekends is intended for emergencies.

The Department of Health has a home on the World Wide Web at http://www.doh.state.fl.us

For information on diseases and conditions of public health importance go to MyFlorida.com, click on Health and Human Services, then Consumers--Diseases and Conditions.

In this issue:

Robin Oliveri, Arbovirus Surveillance Coordinator

Weekly arbovirus surveillance maps and data summary tables demonstrating dead bird surveillance results, sentinel chicken data and comprehensive arbovirus surveillance data are available through the Bureau of Epidemiology website at the following address: http://www.doh.state.fl.us/Disease_ctrl/epi/htopics/arbo/index.htm , then choose either "surveillance information" or "maps".

Table 1: Summary of West Nile Positive Data as of November 29, 2001 since last summary report on November 19, 2001.

The UC Berkeley Public Health Library discovered that WHO has published its out-of-print 1400+ page book, "Smallpox and its eradication" by Fenner F, Henderson DA, Arita I, Jezek Z, Ladnyi ID:

Chapter 1, "Clinical features," contains extensive color photographs of typical/ordinary, modified, flat and hemorrhagic variants of smallpox (pp. 7-36). These images might be useful for many groups, including clinicians, and local health departments.

http://www.who.int/emc/diseases/smallpox/Smallpoxeradication.html

Samuel Crane, MPH, Bureau of Epidemiology

The Bush administration secured a contract Wednesday with Acambis Inc., who will provide 155 million doses of smallpox vaccine to the nation‘s stockpile. The contract was finally signed after HHS officials had been negotiating for weeks with Acambis and several other pharmaceutical manufacturers including, Merck & Co. and GlaxoSmithKline.

Currently, the government has 15.4 million doses of smallpox vaccine. Researchers have shown that diluting the vaccine is safe and effective. Plans are being made to dilute each one to create five doses bringing the total to 77 million. Researchers are still studying whether it would be possible to dilute the current batch even further to 10 doses for each existing dose. Officials have already ordered 54 million doses from Acambis which are expected to be delivered next year. The new contract with Acambis will expand the nation’s stockpile of vaccine to 286 million doses by the end of next year. This would allow health officials to provide a smallpox vaccine to every American citizen. Acambis will share some of the production burden with Baxter International, which will begin producing doses immediately. Research has shown that the vaccine can be administered four days after exposure to smallpox and still offer protection. For that reason and the possible side effects, no plans have been made to resume routine vaccinations which ended in 1972.

The cost to purchase the new 155 million doses is $428 million, or $2.76 per dose. The Bush administration originally asked congress for $509 million to pay for more vaccine. Due to the plans to expand existing vaccine stock by dilution, the government will save nearly $120 million.

Submitted by: Melanie Black, Professional Training Coordinator, Bureau of Epidemiology, Florida Department of Health

CDC Satellite Broadcasts

"CDC Responds: Risk Communication and Bioterrorism"
Thursday, December 6, 2001
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

This live satellite and web broadcast will address the following topics: forming your public information messages about health risks caused by an act of bioterrorism; responding to public concerns at the local, state and federal levels; and issues of concern when a public health investigation and a criminal investigation converge.

"Smallpox: What Every Clinician Should Know"
Thursday, December 13, 2001
12:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Because of concerns that smallpox virus could be used as an agent of bioterrorism, providers should be familiar with the disease and the vaccine to prevent it. This live satellite broadcast will present information on virology, epidemiology, clinical features and diagnosis of smallpox, and the characteristics and use of smallpox vaccine.

If you are interest in viewing this program, please contact your site coordinator or you can contact Melanie Black, MSW by email [Melanie_Black@doh.state.fl.us] or by phone (850) 245-4444 ext. 2448, SunCom 205-4444 ext. 2448.

* The column of data representing the "3-year average to week ##" is the average of years 1998, 1999 and 2000 cases to the current listed week (##)