Now tracking the new emerging South Africa Omicron Variant |
Group gives US states middling marks on disease re |
Post Reply |
Author | |
arirish
Admin Group Joined: June 19 2013 Location: Arkansas Status: Offline Points: 39215 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Posted: December 21 2014 at 2:12pm |
Group gives US states middling marks on disease readiness
Filed Under: Ebola ; Pandemic Influenza ; Public Health Robert Roos | News Editor | CIDRAP News | Dec 18, 2014 Citing the bumpy response to Ebola as an illustration, a public health advocacy group asserted today that many US states have a mediocre level of preparedness for infectious disease threats. The nonprofit group Trust for America's Health (TFAH) said half the states met 5 or fewer of 10 key indicators of the ability to prevent, detect, diagnose, and respond to infectious disease outbreaks. The measures pertain to things like public health funding, childhood vaccination rates, healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), and reporting of HIV data. The nation has achieved dramatic improvements in state and local capacity to respond to outbreaks and emergencies in the past decade, said TFAH Executive Director Jeffrey Levi, PhD, in a press release. "But we also saw during the recent Ebola outbreak that some of the most basic infectious disease controls failed when tested," he added. "The Ebola outbreak is a reminder that we cannot afford to let our guard down. Five states—Maryland, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Vermont, and Virginia—tied for the top score by achieving 8 of 10 indicators, while Arkansas had the lowest score, at 2 of 10, according to the report. Thirteen states achieved 6 of the 10 indicators, making the largest score group. Seven states achieved 7; nine states and Washington, DC, scored 5; eight states scored 4; and seven scored 3. Key preparedness findings TFAH highlighted scores on several of the key indicators in its press release. On the positive side, for example, 47 states and Washington, DC, reported conducting an exercise or using a real event to assess how long it took for sentinel laboratories to acknowledge an urgent message from the state's laboratory. In the area of incident management, 27 states and the nation's capital scored at or above the national average on the Incident and Information Management Domain of the National Health Security Preparedness Index (NHSPI). (The index is a recently updated assessment of national preparedness for health emergencies and disasters, developed by a large coalition of groups, including the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.) As for immunizations, only 14 states could boast that at least half of the population received a seasonal flu vaccine for 2013-14, and only 35 states and Washington, DC, met the Healthy People 2020 target of 90% of children ages 19 to 35 months receiving at least three doses of hepatitis B vaccine. In other findings on the key indicators: Only 10 states increased or maintained public health funding over the past 2 fiscal years. Only 16 states performed better than the "national standard infection ratio" for central line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs). Only 10 states reduced CLABSIs from 2011 to 2012. Thirty-seven states require reporting of CD4 cell count and HIV viral load data, which is considered a key strategy for classifying disease stage and preventing further transmission. Thirty-eight states met the national standard of testing 90% of reported Escherichia coli O157:H7 cases within 4 days. Fifteen states have completed a plan for adapting to climate change, including its health impacts. The report makes some general recommendations about maintaining core capabilities, integrating healthcare and public health, and leadership and accountability http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2014/12/group-gives-us-states-middling-marks-disease-readiness |
|
Buy more ammo!
|
|
CRS, DrPH
Expert Level Adviser Joined: January 20 2014 Location: Arizona Status: Offline Points: 26660 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
^Thanks, Arirish! I can testify that Illinois is lagging in many areas, including childhood vaccination compliance, seasonal influenza vaccination in healthcare workers (OK, they missed the strain, big deal!) etc.
Our Illinois hospitals didn't perform very well in recent assays of nosocomial infection rates: I saw this on the news - "old" diseases like whooping cough (pertussis), measles, & mumps are on the upswing, and the anti-vaccine crowd is a big reason. |
|
CRS, DrPH
|
|
Guests
Guest Group |
Post Options
Thanks(1)
|
I can tell you DrPH. that Boulder CO has had big problems with whooping cough because all the Hippie types don't believe in vaccines.
The only vaccine I have not gotten is the shingles because it is only 25% effective. I am going to get the new pneumonia vaccine have the current pneumonia vaccine but want more coverage. I agree with you on the flu shot this year we have some years that don't hit well. |
|
CRS, DrPH
Expert Level Adviser Joined: January 20 2014 Location: Arizona Status: Offline Points: 26660 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Ha! Not only hippies, but young yuppies, convinced that vaccination is the cause of autism. Interesting bit I've discovered - increasing autism rates may be tied to increased consumption of organic mercury by expectant moms! Moms are wolfing down sushi, canned tuna etc. to keep weight down when preggers - that exposes the kids to high levels of neurotoxic metals. Go ahead with the shingles vaccine, my wife had shingles & it was pretty nasty! Good thinking on pneumonia as well. I pretty much get all the vaccines that I am eligible for. Be safe, FluMom!
|
|
CRS, DrPH
|
|
Guests
Guest Group |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Thank you DrPH, I just got my colonoscopy today and passed with flying colors. Hate the prep but don't have to do it for 10 years! YES!
I believe in vaccines and will continue to take them and wish more would do the same. I always thought that autism had something to do with what women ate or drank. I think that is why mother nature makes us so many of us sick the first months of pregnancy. I could only eat cheese sandwiches and chicken broth for the first three months of my pregnancies. Could not even cook the smell made me so sick. My poor hubby went out to eat or made cold meals for that time. I always was very careful not to eat too much of anything during my pregnancies. Did not even eat tuna and I love tuna just that the smell was too strong and I don't eat sushi, as for keeping my weight down...LOL! |
|
arirish
Admin Group Joined: June 19 2013 Location: Arkansas Status: Offline Points: 39215 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
FluMom said - "I just got my colonoscopy today and passed with flying colors. Hate the prep but don't have to do it for 10 years! YES!"
Our deductible was covered so just had my first colonoscopy last Friday and I couldn't agree with you more! The prep is no fun! Not as bad as food poisoning but a close second! |
|
Buy more ammo!
|
|
SeaWolfe
Guest Group |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Flu Mom - - go for the Shingles shot. I had a very mild case that took six months to get over and left scares. A realative had a full blown case that was devastating. If you had chicken pox don't fool around with this.
|
|
Post Reply | |
Tweet
|
Forum Jump | Forum Permissions You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You can vote in polls in this forum |