Blogs

COVID-19 disrupted both in-person learning and routine well-child visits for many children during the last year. We all want our kids to be back in school safely, and that means getting caught up on vaccines that were missed during the past year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) public sector vaccine ordering data show a 14% drop in childhood vaccines for the period of the 2020-2021 school year compared to the 2018-2019 school year, and measles vaccine is down by more than 20%. Catch-up vaccination will require efforts from healthcare systems, healthcare providers, schools, state and local governments, and families.

COVID-19 cases and outbreaks continue to pop up in childcare, daycare, and preschool facilities. As a friendly reminder, all COVID-19 cases within Spokane County should be reported to Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD) as soon as possible and all COVID-19 positives and close contacts should be advised to isolate or quarantine at home as appropriate.

Hepatitis C (HCV) continues to be a problem in Spokane County and around the country. Nationally, HCV is a growing problem with ties to the opioid epidemic. Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD) is currently offering case management for patients who may struggle to complete HCV treatment for many reasons, including active addiction. Case management consists of meeting with patients to provide support before and during HCV treatment, with periodic follow-ups after treatment is completed, coordination of appointments, and contact with providers as necessary. It is important to provide treatment to any patient identified as HCV positive who agrees to completing the course of treatment.

Summer is upon us, and with it increased outdoor water recreation, exposures to wildlife, BBQs and picnics. Every year, beginning in the spring, we see a rise in enteric pathogenic infections such as Salmonellosis (nontyphoidal Salmonella). To date for 2021, Spokane County has had 14 confirmed cases of Salmonella reported to Spokane Regional Health District. From 2014 to 2018, Spokane County had an average of 39.8 cases per 100,000 of Salmonella per year, with a mean of 40 cases.

In spring 2021, there was a typhoid fever outbreak in Spokane County, with seven people developing typhoid fever between March 24 and April 21 (five confirmed, two probable). Prior to this cluster, a total of two confirmed cases of typhoid fever were reported in Spokane County over the past five years. The seven recent cases had no known exposure to a diagnosed typhoid fever case or recent international travel. Contact tracing and whole genome sequencing confirmed an epidemiological link between the seven cases and connected them to a cluster of cases in Hawaii. Two of the seven cases were hospitalized.