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10/23/24 Health Advisory: Presumed positive human cases of avian influenza in Washington.
Washington State Department of Health is investigating presumed positive human cases of avian influenza in Washington. Healthcare providers should consider avian influenza in patients who present with acute respiratory illness, isolated conjunctivitis, or influenza-like illness (ILI). Assess patients for exposure to animals––especially poultry, cattle, and wildlife, or to people suspected or known to be infected. Current…
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05/24/22 Health Advisory: Monkeypox virus in non-endemic countries
Advisory or Update, Emerging Diseases and Conditions, Health Advisory, Infection Control, Provider ResourcesRequested actions Be aware, monkeypox virus infections are occurring in non-endemic countries, including 1 case in the United States. Assess for alternative etiologies in conditions causing pox-like lesions—herpes simplex, syphilis, varicella, etc. Report suspected or confirmed monkeypox cases to the Health Department. Call (253) 649-1412. Background Since May 14, 2022, providers have reported clusters of…
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05/20/22 Health Advisory: CDC Recommends 5-11 year olds get a Pfizer COVID-19 Booster
Advisory or Update, COVID-19, Health Advisory, Immunizations, News and Alerts, Notifiable Conditions, Provider ResourcesRequested actions Be aware, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup recommend children 5–11 years old get a booster dose of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine 5 months after completing their primary series. The recommendation came after Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded its emergency use authorization (EUA) for Pfizer…
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05/19/22 Health Advisory: Severe Hepatitis of Unknown Cause in Children
Requested actions Be aware cases of severe hepatitis are occurring in children in the United States and worldwide. Consider adenovirus testing for pediatric patients with hepatitis of unknown cause. Report suspected cases to the Health Department. Call (253) 649-1412. A suspected case is a child with elevated AST or ALT (>500 U/L) with hepatitis of…
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05/12/22 Health Advisory: FDA Limits Use of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine.
Advisory or Update, Communicable Disease and Immunization Update, COVID-19, Health Advisory, Provider ResourcesRequested actions Background FDA limited the authorized use of J&J to people age 18 years and older: This decision came after FDA analyzed, evaluated and investigated reported cases of TTS after getting J&J. TTS is rare and includes potentially life-threatening blood clots in combination with low levels of blood platelets. Symptoms typically start 1–2 weeks…
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05/05/22 Health Advisory: Colorado person first U.S. case of H5 bird flu
A person in Colorado tested positive for avian influenza A(H5N1) virus (H5 bird flu), Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported April 28, 2022. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed it is the first U.S. case of H5 bird flu. The person was involved in the culling of poultry with presumptive H5…
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04/27/22 Health Advisory: CDC Treatment Updates and ACIP discusses eligibility for second booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine
Requested actions Be aware, on April 25, 2022, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) advisory about the availability and use of recommended COVID-19 therapies. It also advised against using unproven treatments that have known or potential harm. Follow National Institutes of Health (NIH) COVID-19 treatment guidelines and use…
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04/08/22 Health Advisory: COVID-19 Information for Providers
Advisory or Update, Communicable Disease and Immunization Update, COVID-19, Health Advisory, News and Alerts, Notifiable Conditions, Provider ResourcesRequested actions Be aware, on March 29, 2022, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amended its emergency use authorization (EUA) for Moderna COVID-19 booster dose vaccine. A new multi-dose vial is now available. It has a dark blue cap and a label with a purple border. Doses from this vial are 0.5 mL. Multi-dose vials are…
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03/30/22 Health Advisory: CDC endorses second booster dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine for certain groups
Advisory or Update, Communicable Disease and Immunization Update, Health Advisory, News and Alerts, Notifiable Conditions, Provider ResourcesRequested actions Be aware, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup endorsed Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) emergency use authorization (EUA) of a second booster dose of Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for specific groups. The EUA allows: A second booster dose of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at least…
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03/07/22 Health Advisory: Update on Johnson & Johnson vaccine ordering and guidance for healthcare settings
Advisory or Update, COVID-19, Health Advisory, Immunizations, News and Alerts, Notifiable Conditions, Provider ResourcesRequested actions Be aware, on March 4, Washington State Department of Health (DOH) discontinued ordering Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine because inventory is very low at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Washington Immunization Information System (IIS). We encourage providers to post and look for available doses on IIS vaccine advertisement page. Email…
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02/25/22 Health Advisory: COVID-19 Updates for Providers
Requested actions Be aware, on Feb. 22, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revised its COVID-19 vaccine clinical considerations. An 8-week interval between first and second doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Moderna and Pfizer) may be optimal for males 12–39 years old to reduce risk of myocarditis and increase efficacy. CDC still recommends a…
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02/14/22 Health Advisory: CDC Updated Covid-19 Vaccination Guidelines; FDA Postponed its pediatric Covid-19 Vaccination Review
COVID-19 Updates for Providers Requested actions Be aware, on February 11, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated their guidance for COVID-19 vaccination to include: For people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised: People who have completed a primary series of an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) are recommended to receive an mRNA booster…
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02/01/22 Health Advisory: FDA Provides Full Approval For Spikevax
Advisory or Update, Communicable Disease and Immunization Update, COVID-19, Health Advisory, Notifiable Conditions, Provider Resources, UncategorizedCOVID-19 Updates for Providers Requested actions Be aware, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted full authorization to Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for people 18 years or older. Evidence shows the vaccine is safe and effective and manufactured with high quality. The vaccine will now be called Spikevax but has the same formulation as emergency use…