World Hepatitis Day is July 28, 2016

Worldwide, over 400 million people are living with hepatitis B or C and over 1.2 million people die each year from hepatitis B or C-related liver diseases. These deaths could be prevented through increased education and understanding on how to prevent hepatitis. Learn more about the global campaign to eliminate the different types of hepatitis.

What is Viral Hepatitis?

“Hepatitis” means inflammation of the liver. The liver is a vital organ that processes nutrients, filters the blood, and fights infections. When the liver is inflamed or damaged, its function can be affected. Heavy alcohol use, toxins, some medications, and certain medical conditions can cause hepatitis. However, hepatitis is most often caused by a virus. In the United States, the most common types of viral hepatitis are Hepatitis A , Hepatitis B , and Hepatitis C  .

Travel Warnings Issued about Zika Virus

Jefferson County Public Health in partnership with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is advising the public that amid concerns about the potential association between Zika virus infection and birth defects in Brazil, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued and is updating travel warnings about areas with ongoing risk. Zika virus transmission now affects more than 20 countries and territories in the Americas. People in the U.S. who have had the virus all traveled to areas where it is common. 
Women who are pregnant or attempting to become pregnant should consider postponing travel to those places and check the CDC website for current alerts.
Zika virus is carried by the Aedes species mosquitoes. These mosquitoes pick up the virus when they bite an infected person and spread it by biting other people. The primary mosquito for Zika virus, Aedes aegypti, doesn’t live in Colorado, because our state is too dry and cold for them. The other mosquito that might transmit Zika, Aedes albopictus, has a larger range, but also does not live in Colorado.
Zika virus is usually mild, and symptoms last only a few days to a week. The most common symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes). You can prevent illness by preventing mosquito bites. People traveling to areas where Zika has been transmitted should use an EPA-registered repellent and apply and re-apply products according to the label directions. Examples of EPA-registered repellents are DEET, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, and picaridin. The mosquitoes that carry Zika are aggressive daytime biters and will bite indoors and out.
Travelers who think they may be ill with Zika should consult their health care provider. Zika virus testing is available for symptomatic people only from the CDC and four U.S. state health departments. Colorado’s state laboratory is not testing for Zika virus at this time, but will help health care providers send samples for testing.

If you have more questions about Zika, visit the CDC web page, the CDPHE web page or contact COHelp at 877-462-2911.  

Spring season brings warnings about egg safety!

Public Health warns Salmonella infection can result from handling live poultry, poultry cages and bedding.  Parents and caregivers should keep children 5 years of age and younger from handling young birds, such as chicks, ducklings, goslings and baby turkeys.  Download the JCPH egg safety flier. 

Enterovirus D68: What You Need to Know

As with any illness that spreads quickly across the country, it is natural for the public to have increased concern and even worry. After all, there have been almost 277 confirmed Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) cases across 40 states. Everyone can help prevent the spread of respiratory illness.

Jefferson County Public Health has compiled a list of facts to help better understand and prevent the virus.

Who Does the Virus Affect and How? 

• Children under the age of five are at higher risk of contracting the virus, but older kids and teenagers have been affected;
  
• Children with asthma and other preexisting respiratory issues are at highest risk and experience the most severe cases of EV-D68;
  
• Common symptoms include runny nose, cough, fever, and achiness. EV-D68 can also cause more severe and serious symptoms such as breathing issues leading to the need for respirators;
  
• The virus is spread through direct contact or through the air when propelled by a cough or sneeze of an infected person. 

Treatment and/or Prevention? 

• There is no vaccine or antibiotic treatment for EV-D68; 

• EV-D68 can only be diagnosed by doing specific lab tests on specimens from a person’s nose and throat;
  
• The best protection against contracting and/or spreading this respiratory virus is by practicing good hygiene: frequent hand washing, disinfecting areas and surfaces that may be contaminated, and containing sneezes and coughs so that particles cannot be spread through the air;
  
• Parents can treat aches and pains associated with the virus with over-the-counter medications. More serious cases are treated by doctors with supplemental oxygen and other prescription medications to ease pain.

If you believe your child has a respiratory illness, it is prudent to keep a close eye on their breathing. If your child begins to wheeze, breathe at a fast and irregular rate, or experience strain pulling in enough oxygen, immediately contact your medical provider. For children with asthma, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends meeting with your doctor to create and/or update an “asthma action plan.”

The CDC is working closely with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and Children’s Hospital Colorado to investigating the possible linkage of a cluster of neurological disease to the EV-D68 outbreak. The investigation is ongoing and the CDC will provide updated information as needed.

Download this infographic about EV-D68 from the CDC, and don’t forget to get an annual flu shot.

Measles in Colorado

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and its partners across the state are asking that everyone be up to date on their measles vaccinations and to be on the lookout for signs and symptoms of this highly contagious respiratory disease.  The CDPHE announced the first measles case in Colorado since 2006 in an adult male from India on June 4, 2013.  The first case was known to have visited a private physician’s office and later was hospitalized at Sky Ridge Medical Center. A second case was reported on June 7, 2013 and was exposed at that physician’s office, Dermatology and Laser Institute of Colorado, located at the Lone Tree Medical Plaza, 9695 S. Yosemite St., Lone Tree.  Health officials warn others may have been exposed.  

 The incubation period for measles ranges from 7 – 21 days, and susceptible individuals exposed to the secondary case could develop measles symptoms between June 9 and June 27.  In addition to staying up to date on immunizations, people should be alert for the symptoms of measles and contact a health care provider if they become ill.

JCPH Immunization Program offers vaccines to prevent many childhood diseases. Call 303-232-6301 to make an appointment or visit the JCPH Immunization web page.

JCPH Offers No Charge HIV Testing for National HIV Testing Day

Do you know your status? Join the nation and find out on National HIV Testing Day, Thursday June 27th. On this day, Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) will offer HIV testing and counseling for no charge. Call 303-232-6301 to make your appointment!

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 18.1% of people aged 13 years and older living with HIV infection do not even know they are infected. Getting tested, and encouraging your partner to get tested is the best way to make sure you are both safe. For more information, visit the Jefferson County Public Health website.

Help Prevent Hepatitis A, B, and C

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver and the name of a group of viral infections that affect the liver. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) state that an estimated 4.4 million Americans are living with chronic hepatitis, however many do not know they are infected. The only way to know if you have hepatitis is to be tested. If you know you have hepatitis, you can take steps to keep from spreading it to others.

Hepatitis A
Hepatitas A (HAV) is primarily transmitted by the fecal-oral route. This can be by person-to-person contact or consumption of contaminated food or water. The best way to protect yourself from hepatitis A is to get vaccinated. Recovering from HAV requires a lot of rest, usually over a period of several months. Currently, there is no cure for HAV. For more information, including symptoms and who may be at risk for HAV, please read JCPH’s brochure on HAV.

Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B (HBV) is transmitted through activities that involve a puncture through the skin or l contact with infectious blood or body fluids including semen or saliva. You can protect yourself from HBV by using a condom and not participating in injection drug use that involves sharing needles, syringes, or drug-preparation equipment. HAV can also be transmitted through contact with blood or open sores of an infected person, to a baby from an infected mother or sharing items such as razors or toothbrushes with an infected person. The best way to protect from yourself from hepatitis B is to get vaccinated. To learn more about HBV, visit the CDC’s website.

Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C (HCV) is the most common chronic bloodborne infection in the United States. According to the CDC there are approximately 3.2 million people chronically infected. Most of these people do not look or feel sick, so they are unaware that they are infected. There is no vaccine for Hepatitis C. The best way to prevent Hepatitis C is by avoiding behaviors that can spread the disease, especially injection drug use. Before 1992, when widespread screening of the blood supply began in the United States, Hepatitis C was also commonly spread through blood transfusions and organ transplants. This is why the CDC recommends that everyone born between 1945 - 1965 get a hepatitis test. More than 2 million U.S. baby boomers are infected with hepatitis C – accounting for more than 75 percent of all American adults living with the virus. For more information read JCPH’s Hepatitis C Brochure. For more information on hepatitis, please contact the Jefferson County Public Health Department at 303-232-6301. If you feel you are at risk, get tested as soon as possible or talk with your health care provider. Early treatment can help stop the spread of hepatitis and save you from liver disease.

Spring Cleaning and Hantavirus

Spring season is often a time for cleaning, which is why Jefferson County Public Health reminds everyone that there are some important steps to take to protect against the respiratory disease, Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS). Hantavirus is carried by rodents, most commonly the deer mouse in Colorado. People can get HPS when they are exposed to infected rodents or their urine or droppings. Not all deer mice carry the virus and there is no way to tell if a mouse is infected, thus the best way to prevent HPS is to eliminate or minimize contact with rodents. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hantavirus has a mortality rate of 38% and begins with symptoms of fatigue, fever and muscle aches especially in the large muscle groups—thighs, hips, back, and sometimes shoulders. These symptoms are universal and can begin anytime between 1 to 5 weeks of exposure. JCPH encourages everyone cleaning out garages, sheds, cabins, trailers and other places that have been ignored for most of winter, to keep their eyes open for any evidence that deer mice have been present and to take the necessary precautions.

Hantavirus can be stirred up in dust and breathed in by people. Sweeping up mouse droppings or wiping out areas where rodents have been present can stir the virus into the air where it can be inhaled.

Use the following steps to clean any areas you suspect have been contaminated:

• Use latex, rubber or vinyl gloves and thoroughly wet the areas with a bleach solution or household disinfectant. Spray the urine and droppings with a disinfectant or a mixture of bleach and water and let soak 5 minutes. The recommended concentration of bleach solution is 1 part bleach to 10 parts water.
• Once wet, contaminated materials can be taken up with damp towel and then mopped or sponged with bleach solution or household disinfectant. Contaminated gloves should be disinfected before taking them off. 
• After taking off the clean gloves, wash hands with soap and warm water. 

“These steps are especially important as vacuuming an area without first wetting it down can stir up dust and will not provide the necessary protection against Hantavirus,” said Dave Volkel, JCPH Zoonosis (animal-borne disease) program specialist.

The best way to prevent the risk of Hantavirus infection is to control the presence of rodents in and around the home. JCPH also advises that residents rodent proof their homes by plugging holes and entry points where mice can get inside; eliminating food sources for rodents; and removing abandoned vehicles and wood, brush and junk piles where rodents hide.

• Currently there is not an effective treatment for Hantavirus, so take precaution when cleaning this spring. For more information, please see our Hantavirus webpage or call the Zoonosis Program at 303-271-5700.
• Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment questions and answers: Q & A