Carroll County Coalition For Public Health

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G290 CarrollCty12-8-EMI-12

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EP conference 2012

2012 Registration Packet MRC

Concord,  NH  –  The  New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS),  Division  of  Public Health Services recognizes World Tuberculosis Day,  sponsored  by  the  Stop  TB  Partnership,  which  aims  to eliminate tuberculosis  worldwide.  World TB Day is held on March 24th, commemorating the  date  in  1882  when  Dr.  Robert  Koch  announced  his  discovery  of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes TB. The goal of World TB  Day is to raise awareness of the disease and work toward elimination of TB disease and infection.

There  were  10  cases  of tuberculosis (TB) identified in New Hampshire in 2010.  In  the  United  States there were 11,182 reported cases in the same year,  a  rate of 3.6 cases per 100,000, which is a decrease from 2009. The
2009  rate  showed the greatest single-year decrease ever recorded and 2010 was  the lowest recorded rate since national TB surveillance began in 1953.
TB  case  counts  and rates decreased both among foreign-born and U.S.-born persons.  However, despite this great news, cases of this treatable disease continue  to be seen in the United States so there is concern that there is not enough progress being made toward elimination.

“Although tuberculosis is an ancient disease and is treatable unfortunately it  is  still with us,” said Dr. José Montero, Director of Public Health at DHHS.  “TB  is  a  worldwide problem that also affects people in the United States.  It  is estimated that about one third of the world’s population is infected with the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacterium. The very success of declining  case  numbers in the U.S. makes us vulnerable to complacency and neglect,  but  there  is  more  we  can  do to help stop the spread of this disease and one of the most important steps is education.”

Tuberculosis  disease  can attack any part of the body, not just the lungs. TB  is  most  often  spread when an infected person coughs and the bacteria become airborne. Symptoms of TB can vary from person to person but the most common ones include a bad cough that lasts longer than 3 weeks and coughing up  blood or phlegm. People may also experience weakness or fatigue, weight loss, loss of appetite, chills, fever, and/or night sweats.
 
For  more  information about TB, visit www.cdc.gov/tb, the NH Department of Health   and  Human  Services  website  at  www.dhhs.nh.gov,  the  Stop  TB Partnership    at    www.stoptb.org,    or   Breathe   New   Hampshire   at www.breathenh.org.    For   questions   about  tuberculosis  and  reporting requirements,  call  the  DHHS  Bureau  of  Infectious  Disease  Control at 603-271-4496.

• Saving lives 24/7 – poison centers provide free, confidential medical advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year.
• Do you have questions? Not sure if it’s an emergency? When in doubt, check it out. Call your local poison center at 1-800-222-1222.
• Poison centers save lives and save money.
• Every $1 spent on poison centers saves about $7 in unnecessary healthcare costs.
• More than 70% of people who call a poison center get needed help without having to go to a doctor or emergency room.
• In 2010, 1.7 million people who called a poison center were treated at home and didn’t have to go to the doctor or hospital.
• Poison centers are for everyone. Even doctors and nurses call the experts at poison centers for treatment advice for their patients. 
• U.S. poison centers answer more than 4 million calls each year. That’s one call every eight seconds! 
• The Poison Help line (800-222-1222) connects you to your local poison center. Program the Poison Help line in your phone. 
• Poison centers are in jeopardy after suffering a federal funding cut of 36 percent in 2011 and additional cuts at the state and local levels. Further cuts will make it difficult for poison centers to continue to provide life-saving services.

What is norovirus?

Noroviruses are a group of viruses that cause the “stomach flu,” or gastrointestinal (stomach and digestive) illness. Norovirus infection occurs occasionally in only one or a few people or it can be responsible for large outbreaks, such as in long-term care facilities.

Who gets norovirus?

Norovirus infects people of all ages worldwide. It may, however, be more common in adults and older children.

How does someone get norovirus?

Norovirus is spread from person to person via feces, but some evidence suggests that the virus is spread through the air during vomiting. Good hand washing is the most important way to prevent the transmission of norovirus. Outbreaks have been linked to sick food handlers, ill health care workers, cases in facilities such as nursing homes spreading to other residents, contaminated shellfish, and water contaminated with sewage.

What are the symptoms of norovirus?

Serious illness rarely occurs. The most common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and stomach cramps. Diarrhea may occasionally accompany vomiting. Fever is usually low grade or absent. Infected people generally recover in 1-2 days.

How  soon  after exposure do symptoms appear?

The incubation period for norovirus is 1-2 days.

How is norovirus infection diagnosed? Laboratory diagnosis is difficult but there are tests that can be performed in the New Hampshire Public Health Lab in situations where there are multiple cases. Diagnosis is often based on the combination of symptoms and the short time of the illness.