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.

April Crowley, Office of Communications
Press Release
February 18, 2002

FLORIDIANS URGED TO PROTECT THEMSELVES AGAINST ARBOVIRUSES

TALLAHASSEE—The Florida Department of Health (DOH) and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) announced today that the first cases of West Nile virus (WN) for this year have been reported. It has been confirmed that a wild turkey in Calhoun County, a hawk in Alachua County, one sentinel chicken in Volusia County, and three horses in Marion County have tested positive for WN virus.

According to DOH Secretary Dr. John O. Agwunobi, it is not necessary to place any counties under a medical alert at this time: "While the chance of humans contracting WN virus is currently low, people in areas with high concentrations of mosquitoes still need to take precautions against mosquito bites."

FDACS Commissioner Charles Bronson agreed: "Many areas in Florida stay warm year-round, so it’s a good idea to eliminate any mosquito-breeding sites around your home. Also, horses should always be vaccinated against WN virus (and eastern equine encephalitis virus) by a licensed veterinarian."

Additionally, since last year was the first time that WN virus had been found in the state, officials encourage anyone who discovers a dead bird to report it via the Internet. The reporting system is located on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Web site at: http://wld.fwc.state.fl.us/bird. If people do not have access to the Internet, they may report dead birds at 1-800-871-9703.

A total of 12 human WN virus cases were reported to the State Health Office during 2001. The number of dead birds that were found with WN virus in Florida was over 1,000, along with close to 200 sentinel chickens testing positive for the disease. FDACS reports over 400 horses in the state contracted WN virus. "Due to the heavy load of WN virus in the environment and our inexperience with both this new emerging disease and the new vaccine just released last year, our State Veterinarian is recommending that all horse owners vaccinate their horses with the full two dose series again this year," Bronson said.

For more information on West Nile virus, visit DOH’s Bureau of Epidemiology’s West Nile Web site at MyFlorida.com (click on Health and Human Services, then Consumers – Diseases and Conditions, then West Nile Virus), or http://www.doh.state.fl.us/disease_ctrl/epi/htopics/arbo/index.htm or call the Bureau’s hotline at 1-888-880-5782 for recorded information. The Department of Agriculture also has a Web site with information about West Nile at http://doacs.state.fl.us/ai/westnile.htm.

2. Florida’s Response to Bioterrorism is Model for Other States

April Crowley, Office of Communication
Press Release
February 20, 2002

TALLAHASSEE—Health officials from numerous states throughout the country were in Tallahassee on Wednesday, February 20, 2002, for a hands-on demonstration of the Florida Department of Health’s (DOH) Merlin Disease Reporting System. The web-based system identifies and tracks disease outbreaks and provides an early warning for health care workers.

"Merlin enables all of Florida’s 67 county health departments to report diseases of importance to the public’s health," said State Epidemiologist Steven Wiersma, M.D., M.P.H. "We now have one statewide system that allows for rapid detection of an outbreak, guides prevention, and enables health officials to use information that can be put into action."

Benefits of Merlin include:

• Real-time reporting;
• Web based application;
• Statewide data base; and,
• Allows DOH’s "disease detectives" to monitor the data as it is being investigated.

In an occurrence of bioterrorism, speed is of the utmost importance. Merlin makes it possible for health officials to identify cases early, isolate them and treat them in a secure and confidential environment.

"Preparing Northeast Florida Communities for the Latest Challenges in Healthcare"

The goal of this meeting is to provide an opportunity for health professionals and community leaders to:

1. Increase participants understanding of access to care issues and possible solutions to improve the communities’ ability to provide healthcare to all citizens.

2. Learn about the effects of bioterrorism and how the state and local communities are preparing for a possible bioterrorist threat.

At the end of the program, the participant will be able to:

1. Describe the socio-cultural, economic, political, and environmental factors that impact access to timely and appropriate healthcare.

2. Discuss how to empower citizens in organizing delivery of healthcare services in their communities, which helps eliminate access to healthcare problems.
3. Identify national, state and local "best practice" initiatives that have been effective in increasing access to healthcare.
4. Recognize the early signs of a bioterrorist attack and how to respond appropriately to such an event.

5. Describe the role of public health, law enforcement and healthcare providers in early detection and treatment of a biological agent released in the community.

APIC Chapter # 50 "INFECTION CONTROL IN THE RIVER CITY"

WHEN: MARCH 14^TH 2002

WHERE: MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA

TIME: 7:00 TIL 3:30

TOPICS INCLUDE:

• MANDATORY AIDS

• DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

• WEST NILE VIRUS

• BIO-TERROISM

• INFECTIONS IN ELDERLY

• O.B/GYN INFECTIONS

Melanie Black, MSW, Professional Training Coordinator
Tuesday, February 26, 2002
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST
Dial-In by 11:10 AM at (850) 487-8587 or SunCom 277-8587

Carina Blackmore, M.S. Vet. Med., PhD. Regional Epidemiologist, Bureau of Epidemiology, Florida Department of Health

Influenza virus infections, most often with secondary bacterial pneumonia, are the leading cause of infectious disease mortality in the United States. Because of its segmented genome and high replication rate, influenza viruses regularly evolve into new strains, able to evade the immune system and the vaccine-induced influenza immune response.

Although influenza is not a reportable disease, Florida Department of Health in collaboration with CDC tracks influenza virus activity in the state by:

1. The Florida Sentinel Physician Influenza Surveillance Network, a network of primary care physicians reporting clinical cases of influenza-like illness.
2. Laboratory testing by sentinel physicians, other private providers and hospitals in the state.
3. Tracking mortality through the 122 cities mortality reporting system at the CDC.

Data from the 2000 and 2001 influenza surveillance program will be presented. Strategies for public health involvement in influenza outbreak investigations and disease prevention will also be discussed.

Further details regarding the audio-conference call and the PowerPoint files will be posted on the Bureau of Epidemiology Intranet web site. Be sure and register on line at the end of the program to obtain nursing and laboratory CEU’s. Information about upcoming topics and presenters will also be posted in the Epi Update. If either of these access points is unavailable to you, please email Melanie Black [Melanie_Black @doh.state.fl.us] or telephone (850) 245-4444 ext. 2448 (SunCom 205-4444 ext. 2448) to request presentation materials.

While we realize you might not always be able to call in at 11:10 AM, it can be distracting to the speaker and others in the audience when participants dial-in throughout the hour. Please try to call in on time and remember to put your phones on mute so as not to disturb others. Thank you for your cooperation.

Bill Parizek, Office of Communications
Press Release
February 20, 2002

Tallahassee – Florida Department of Health (DOH) Secretary John O. Agwunobi, M.D., M.B.A., today announced the creation of the Office of Public Health Preparedness in the Department of Health. The office will coordinate efforts within the Department of Health and among other state agencies to ensure enhanced preparedness and response for bioterrorism and other emergency events.Agwunobi said the new office will help support the efforts of his department and its state and local partners in enhancing the public health infrastructure: "This office will spearhead our efforts to coordinate communication and collaboration among the department and our numerous state and local partners. This coordination will be essential as we work together in the preparation for and possible response to a public health emergency."

John V. "Jack" Pittman has been appointed as the Public Health Preparedness Administrator to oversee the new office. "I feel honored to have been selected to lead the Office of Public Health Preparedness," said Pittman. "I share Governor Bush’s and Secretary Agwunobi’s commitment to ensuring health and safety in our state, and this office will help coordinate state and local efforts to that end."

Pittman, whose experience includes managing terrorism response and waterborne disease programs for the Department of Health’s Bureau of Environmental Epidemiology, is a retired Army Lt. Colonel (22 years of service) who specialized in nuclear, biological, and chemical operations and training. He has also worked 9 years at an environmental consulting firm as an installation project manager conducting environmental investigations and developing cleanup plans for military installations in Florida and Georgia.

An integral component of the Office of Public Health Preparedness will be Hospital Preparedness Planning. This function, which will be coordinated by Art Clawson, director of DOH’s Division of Emergency Medical Services and Community Health Resources, will focus on upgrading the preparedness of Florida’s hospitals and health care system to respond to bioterrorist events, in addition to nonterrorist epidemics such as outbreaks of rare diseases.

Carina Blackmore, M.S. Vet. Med., Ph.D.

National report: During week 6 (February 3-February 9, 2002), 363 (17.5%) of 2,071 specimens tested by the World Health Organization (WHO) and National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (NREVSS) collaborating laboratories across the United States were positive for influenza. During the past three weeks (weeks 4-6) the highest proportion of positive influenza cultures (41%) were reported from the West South Central region of the United States (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas). Since September 30, a total of 42,409 specimens for influenza viruses have been tested and 4,151 (9.8%) specimens from 50 states were positive. Of the 4,151 isolates identified, 4,091 (99%) were influenza A viruses and 60 (1%) were influenza B viruses. One thousand two hundred and ninety-nine (32%) viruses were subtyped, 1,284 (99%) were influenza A (H3N2) and 15 were influenza A (H1) viruses. So far this season, CDC has characterized 169 influenza A (H3N2) and A (H1) isolates antigenically. All viruses were similar to the flu A strains in the 2001-2002 vaccine. The proportion of patient visits to sentinel physicians for influenza-like illness (ILI) overall was 3.0%, which is above the national baseline of 1.9%. The proportion of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza as reported by the vital statistics offices of 122 U.S. cities was 7.4% during week 6. This percentage is below the epidemic threshold of 8.3% for this time. Influenza activity was reported as widespread in 11 states (Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, New York, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington), regional in 27 states (Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming) this week. Sporadic activity was reported from 10 states.

Florida: Influenza activity, calculated based on the proportion of patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) seeking care by physicians participating in the Florida Sentinel Physicians Surveillance Network was 1.49% this week, the highest reported level of activity so far this season. Influenza-like illness activity was detected in 16 of 24 participating counties from Escambia to Monroe. Higher flu activity than expected for this time of year (>2%) was reported by physicians in Brevard, Escambia, Hillsborough, Leon, Monroe, Palm Beach, Polk and Seminole Counties. Eighteen cases of influenza were laboratory confirmed this week. Influenza A (H3N2) was confirmed from Duval (2), Indian River (3), Lake (1), Leon (3), Levy (1), Osceola (1), Palm Beach (2), and Sarasota (1) Counties. Influenza A of unknown subtype was detected from patients in Hillsborough and Orange Counties. Positive rapid antigen tests were reported from Hillsborough County. Between September 4 and February 14, influenza A (H3N2) was isolated from 104 patients residing in Broward, Collier, Duval, Escambia, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Leon, Levy, Marion, Monroe, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Polk, Santa Rosa, Sarasota and St. John’s Counties. Influenza A (H1N1) from 2 patients in Duval and Palm Beach Counties and influenza A of unknown subtype, was diagnosed in patients in Broward, Gadsden, Lee, Martin, Orange, Pinellas, Palm Beach and Hillsborough County. Influenza B has been recovered from patients in Broward (1), Hillsborough (2) and Palm Beach (1) Counties. In addition, positive rapid antigen tests were reported from Duval County, Escambia, Hillsborough, Palm Beach, Lee, Marion, Miami-Dade, Okaloosa, Pinellas and Volusia Counties.

* The column of data representing the "3-year average to week ##" is the average of years 1999, 2000 and 2001 cases to the current listed week (##).