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Week of July 30
** Health Alert ** Increased Pertussis Activity in LA County
California Department of Public Health has issued a warning of a marked increase in and potential continued activity of pertussis for this year. Pertussis is a cyclical disease with peaks every 2-5 years. The CDPH, LADPH & Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles are very concerned that 2010 will be a peak year for pertussis, as it was 2005 when at least eight infants died. So far in 2010, four infants are known to have died of pertussis in California and all infant deaths were under 3 months of age. In comparison, there has been an average of three deaths per year over the past decade. In addition, twice as many pertussis cases are being reported this year compared to the same time period last year.
AAP-CA2 has partnered with the LADPH to provide you the most up-to-date information regarding this warning, please review the documents below for more information, and check our Web site frequently for additional updates.
- REPORTING: Health care providers are encouraged to increase their suspicion for pertussis among patients of all ages, especially infants within the first year of life, and to report suspect cases immediately.
- Suspect cases in Los Angeles County should be reported immediately to the Morbidity Reporting Unit at 888-397-3993 (phone) or 888-397-3778 (fax).
- Suspect cases in the Cities of Long Beach or Pasadena, call the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (562-570-4302) or the Pasadena City Health Department (626-744-6000).
- Letter to Physicians - May 18, 2010
- LADPH Pertussis Health Alert - May 25, 2010
- LADPH Pertussis Laboratory Testing Guidelines
Week of June 22
** Health Alert ** Increased Pertussis Activity in LA County
California Department of Public Health has issued a warning of a marked increase in and potential continued activity of pertussis for this year. Pertussis is a cyclical disease with peaks every 2-5 years. The CDPH, LADPH & Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles are very concerned that 2010 will be a peak year for pertussis, as it was 2005 when at least eight infants died. So far in 2010, four infants are known to have died of pertussis in California and all infant deaths were under 3 months of age. In comparison, there has been an average of three deaths per year over the past decade. In addition, twice as many pertussis cases are being reported this year compared to the same time period last year.
AAP-CA2 has partnered with the LADPH to provide you the most up-to-date information regarding this warning, please review the documents below for more information, and check our Web site frequently for additional updates.
- REPORTING: Health care providers are encouraged to increase their suspicion for pertussis among patients of all ages, especially infants within the first year of life, and to report suspect cases immediately.
- Suspect cases in Los Angeles County should be reported immediately to the Morbidity Reporting Unit at 888-397-3993 (phone) or 888-397-3778 (fax).
- Suspect cases in the Cities of Long Beach or Pasadena, call the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (562-570-4302) or the Pasadena City Health Department (626-744-6000).
- Letter to Physicians - May 18, 2010
- LADPH Pertussis Health Alert - May 25, 2010
- LADPH Pertussis Laboratory Testing Guidelines
Tdap Resources for Adults Caring for Infants Vulnerable to Pertussis
With the current pertussis outbreak in California, ALL physicians are encouraged to promote Tdap vaccination of adults caring for infants who are too young to be fully vaccinated against this disease (“cocooning”). However, it is generally recognized that pediatricians cannot be the primary source for Tdap vaccination of parents.
AAP CA Chapter 2, working in conjunction with the Los Angeles Department of Public Health (LADPH), has identified these strategies to promote Tdap vaccination among adults:
- Discuss with the internists, obstetricians and emergency room physicians you regularly work with the urgent need to stock and administer Tdap
- Adults needing Tdap should be strongly encouraged to contact their regular provider of care first for vaccination
- Those without a regular source of care, for whatever reason, should be encouraged to find such a source. These patients may be directed to the LA Department of Health Services website (www.ladhs.org) where information on no and low cost health care programs, as well as county staffed clinics, may be found by clicking on “No Cost & Low Cost Health Care Programs” under the “Patient Information” heading
- If the patient is still not able to secure the vaccine through a regular provider of care, they may be directed to one of the LADPH’s public health centers whose clinic locations and phone numbers can be accessed at www.lapublichealth.org. But, patients are strongly advised to call first as hours for vaccine clinics and Tdap availability may vary by clinic.
Thank you in advance for your participation in this important public health effort to control the pertussis outbreak and to protect our most vulnerable patients.
Advocacy Now -- District IX Advocacy Web site --District IX has developed a comprehensive Web site that details current legislation pertinent to children’s health issues in our State. By visiting http://www.aap-ca.org/bills you can see which bills AAP-District IX are working on, and how you can help. Congratulations and thank you to the District for your efforts to keep us informed.
2011 ALF Resolution Template -- Have something you’d like to change about the AAP? Now is the time to consider drafting a resolution for consideration during the 2011 Annual Leadership Forum. Please click here for the 2011 template.
Health Care Reform -- Please click here for an updated timeline of when various aspects of the Health Care Reform Act will go into effect, developed by the Kaiser Foundation. Additionally, click here for frequent updates regarding the Academy’s efforts for Health Care Reform.
Protect Tomorrow Campaign -- National AAP has launched a new campaign discussing the importance of immunizing children through a series of public service announcements. The PSAs are currently being aired on TV and radio around the country. Please visit target="_blank">www.ProtectTomorrow.com for more information. You can also contact Gina Steiner in the AAP office of Communications at 847-434-7945.
Upcoming Events:
HITEC-LA Priority Primary Care Provider Orientation -- LA Care has been named the exclusive federally-designated Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (REC) for Los Angeles County, HITEC-LA (www.hitec-la.org). Through this program, HITEC-LA is charged with helping 3,000 priority primary care providers purchase, implement and use electronic health records in a meaningful way. A priority primary care provider is a pediatrician working in individual and small groups in settings that predominantly serve the un/underinsured or medically underserved.
- Provider Orientation -- HITEC-LA is hosting a provider orientation to give interested providers details on how to enroll, eligibility and qualification requirements, and information on the application process. The program is targeted to primary care providers, mid-levels and office staff.
- Date: July 28, 2010
- Time: 5:30PM – 8:30PM
- Location: The Center at Cathedral Plaza, 555 W Temple Street Los Angeles, CA 90012
Smoking Cessation Education -- The New York State Cessation Center is hosting a collaborative conference call on June 30, 2010 from noon- 1pm EST titled "How Child Health Providers Can Help Family Members Quit Tobacco Use." The call will be presented by Jonathan Winickoff, MD, MPH, a practicing pediatrician and researcher at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Winickoff will provide concrete tools that can easily be introduced into a pediatric setting to address family tobacco use.
Week of June 14
** Health Alert ** Increased Pertussis Activity in LA County
California Department of Public Health has issued a warning of a marked increase in and potential continued activity of pertussis for this year. Pertussis is a cyclical disease with peaks every 2-5 years. The CDPH, LADPH & Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles are very concerned that 2010 will be a peak year for pertussis, as it was 2005 when at least eight infants died. So far in 2010, four infants are known to have died of pertussis in California and all infant deaths were under 3 months of age. In comparison, there has been an average of three deaths per year over the past decade. In addition, twice as many pertussis cases are being reported this year compared to the same time period last year.
AAP-CA2 has partnered with the LADPH to provide you the most up-to-date information regarding this warning, please review the documents below for more information, and check our Web site frequently for additional updates.
- REPORTING: Health care providers are encouraged to increase their suspicion for pertussis among patients of all ages, especially infants within the first year of life, and to report suspect cases immediately.
- Suspect cases in Los Angeles County should be reported immediately to the Morbidity Reporting Unit at 888-397-3993 (phone) or 888-397-3778 (fax).
- Suspect cases in the Cities of Long Beach or Pasadena, call the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (562-570-4302) or the Pasadena City Health Department (626-744-6000).
- Letter to Physicians - May 18, 2010
- LADPH Pertussis Health Alert - May 25, 2010
- LADPH Pertussis Laboratory Testing Guidelines
Advocacy Updates:
AB2093 -- The AAP-CA District Office needs your support for a bill put forward in conjunction with CMA. AB2093 calls for insurance plans to set a reasonable floor for vaccine acquisition cost reimbursement and would require health plans to pay a reasonable fee for vaccine administration. Last week, the bill passed through the Assembly and will now move into the senate.
- YOUR ACTION MATTERS: Appropriation members in our Chapter area include, Fuentes (Chair), Conway (Vice Chair), Bradford, Davis, De Leon, Hall and Miller. Please go to http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html to identify which Assembly person is in your district and take action now. You can call or write them [TEMPLATE LETTER] to offer your perspective on the importance of immunization support.
- Click here to view a copy of the bill.
FMAP Extension: Action Needed! Federal Senate action on the “tax extenders” bill currently includes a federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) extension, unlike the House version, which would authorize an extension of emergency federal Medicaid funding. This would provide much-needed fiscal relief to states, including California, as they work to recover from the impacts of the economic recession.
Upcoming Events:
HITEC-LA Priority Primary Care Provider Orientation -- LA Care has been named the exclusive federally-designated Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (REC) for Los Angeles County, HITEC-LA (www.hitec-la.org). Through this program, HITEC-LA is charged with helping 3,000 priority primary care providers purchase, implement and use electronic health records in a meaningful way. A priority primary care provider is a pediatrician working in individual and small groups in settings that predominantly serve the un/underinsured or medically underserved.
- Provider Orientation -- HITEC-LA is hosting a provider orientation to give interested providers details on how to enroll, eligibility and qualification requirements, and information on the application process. The program is targeted to primary care providers, mid-levels and office staff.
- Date: July 28, 2010
- Time: 5:30PM – 8:30PM
- Location: The Center at Cathedral Plaza, 555 W Temple Street Los Angeles, CA 90012
Smoking Cessation Education -- The New York State Cessation Center is hosting a collaborative conference call on June 30, 2010 from noon- 1pm EST titled "How Child Health Providers Can Help Family Members Quit Tobacco Use." The call will be presented by Jonathan Winickoff, MD, MPH, a practicing pediatrician and researcher at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Winickoff will provide concrete tools that can easily be introduced into a pediatric setting to address family tobacco use.
Week of May 25
** Health Alert ** Increased Pertussis Activity in LA County
California Department of Public Health has issued a warning of a marked increase in and potential continued activity of pertussis for this year. Pertussis is a cyclical disease with peaks every 2-5 years. The CDPH, LADPH & Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles are very concerned that 2010 will be a peak year for pertussis, as it was 2005 when at least eight infants died. So far in 2010, four infants are known to have died of pertussis in California and all infant deaths were under 3 months of age. In comparison, there has been an average of three deaths per year over the past decade. In addition, twice as many pertussis cases are being reported this year compared to the same time period last year.
AAP-CA2 has partnered with the LADPH to provide you the most up-to-date information regarding this warning, please review the documents below for more information, and check our Web site frequently for additional updates.
- REPORTING: Health care providers are encouraged to increase their suspicion for pertussis among patients of all ages, especially infants within the first year of life, and to report suspect cases immediately.
- Suspect cases in Los Angeles County should be reported immediately to the Morbidity Reporting Unit at 888-397-3993 (phone) or 888-397-3778 (fax).
- Suspect cases in the Cities of Long Beach or Pasadena, call the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (562-570-4302) or the Pasadena City Health Department (626-744-6000).
- Letter to Physicians - May 18, 2010
- LADPH Pertussis Health Alert - May 25, 2010
- LADPH Pertussis Laboratory Testing Guidelines
AAP-CA2 Elections - The deadline to submit your election ballots is May 30, 2010. Please vote electronically, or mail in your paper ballot by that time to ensure your vote is counted.
May E-Newsletter - Click here to see what the Chapter has been up to this month. Watch for our Spring/Summer hard-copy newsletter in your mail in June.
Chapter 2 Partners with the Los Angeles Department of Public Health for Seasonal & H1N1 Flu Updates
Do you know the facts about H1N1 and Seasonal Flu? -- With all the media hype, many parents are posing important questions that pediatricians need to be prepared to answer. This fact sheet from the AAP-CA2 Immediate Past President, Bill Mason, helps to dispel some common myths this flu season. H1N1 Myths vs Facts
Fast Facts: H1N1 Influenza Prevention
- H1N1 vaccine will be available free-of-charge in mid-October through state and local public health departments for the vaccination of high priority groups; those groups include patients ages 6 months to 24 years, household contacts of infants less than 6 months, health care workers, pregnant females, and adults 25 to 64 years with chronic illnesses or compromised immune systems; the CDC is in direct discussion currently with insurers about reimbursement of fees related to vaccine administration
- In Los Angeles County, H1N1 vaccine will be directly distributed to those physicians registered to be H1N1 vaccine providers; register now at http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/h1n1vaccine/ to receive the vaccine. Chapter members in other counties should contact their local county public health departments for similar information
- Vaccine safety: while long term safety data is not available for any seasonal influenza or H1N1 vaccine, the methods used to produce both are the same and the seasonal influenza vaccines have few reported adverse effects; however, there are extensive monitoring systems in place for the rapid reporting of adverse effects
- Vaccinating patients 6 months to 24 years, household contacts of infants less than 6 months, and healthcare workers will help protect those too young to receive the vaccine and those at risk for illness who are not in the priority groups
- All influenza activity can be monitored weekly through LADPH Influenza Watch: sign up for automatic updates at http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/acd/Flu.htm
- Pediatricians should have in place protocols for offering both seasonal and H1N1 vaccine that minimize the chances that those presenting for vaccination are not exposed to potentially ill contacts
- Pediatricians should be educating their families now about respiratory illness prevention through good hygiene, vaccination & isolation from daycare, school or work, about when to call or when to present to the office and about standard measures to treat any seasonal flu. Protocols should be in place for the isolation or masking of those patients presenting with a cough and fever.
Fast Facts: H1N1 Influenza Testing and Treatment
- H1N1 testing will NOT be done on any outpatient case; testing will be restricted to inpatient settings only; while most cases of H1N1 influenza will not be formally diagnosed, distinguishing between seasonal and H1N1 influenza will not alter the care of the patient
- The decision to treat with Tamiflu will be at the professional discretion of the provider and his/her assessment of the patient’s unique individual circumstances; at this time, there is no predicted shortage of Tamiflu
- Clinically diagnosed cases of H1N1 may return to daycare or school 24 hours after the resolution of fever
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