Blogs

From Jan. 1, 2019 through April 4, 2019, over 465 individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 12 states, already surpassing the entire years’ totals for seven of the last nine years. Public health is asking for healthcare providers’ help to ensure all patients are up to date on their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations. Parents trust the expertise of their doctor more than anyone else. Explain to patients that MMR vaccine is the best protection against measles infection. 

Benjamin Franklin said it best, but unfortunately, there is a subset of individuals in Spokane County who are living it, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Some people in our community are not prepared for measles. 

In each issue of the Epigram, we are pleased to introduce you to a member of the Disease Prevention and Response team at SRHD. In this issue we feature Disease Intervention Specialist (DIS), Kirsten Duncan, MPH. Kirsten works in our HIV/STD Prevention program where she focuses largely on syphilis investigation, treatment, and contact tracing.

U = U, Undetectable=Untransmittable, is the new hot slogan aimed at reducing the stigma of having HIV. The campaign is focused on educating others that viral suppression of HIV (defined as less than 200 copies/mL or undetectable levels) achieved through antiretroviral therapy (ART) prevents sexual HIV transmission. Formally recognized by CDC in a Dear Colleague statement last fall, scientific advances have validated this benefit, in addition to preserving the health of people living with HIV.

The latest Five-Year Communicable Diseases Report for Healthcare Providers from SRHD for 2012-16 (the most recent years for which complete data are available) was published last month. Data are organized by disease type, and include new spotlight features on recent diseases that have had local impact, including mumps, the 2016 norovirus outbreak at House of Charity, and Zika virus. Also new this year are comparison figures with US population data.