[BHS etree] BUSD: Update from Alameda County Health Officer

[bhs at idiom.com]

Please do not contact the e-tree; contact Mark Coplan
Mark_Coplan at berkeley.k12.ca.us

The City of Berkeley Health Department has done an exceptional job of keeping us informed and well advised on the local situation; Superintendent Huyett continues to be in contact with Dr. Berreman. I thought people would like to see this update from Alameda County, of the county, regional, national and international picture. This is part of a much longer report available on their website.

Mark Coplan, BUSD Public Information Officer
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FROM:  Alameda County Health Officer: Update on the Larger Picture

DATE:  5/5/2009 5:30 PM

RE:    2009 Influenza A H1N1 Cases in California, Nationally and Internationally. Pandemic Significance. Update # 11

NEW INFORMATION SINCE LAST UPDATE:

· Total Alameda County cases now 5 (probable + confirmed).

· Alameda County Board of Supervisors declares a local emergency. Marin and Contra Costa also declare local emergencies. All Bay Area counties have now declared local emergencies.

· CDC rescinds its school closure recommendations.

· Alameda County pre-school and Berkeley elementary school are reopened.

· Contra Costa, Santa Clara and Marin are reopening schools that had been closed.

· 2nd U.S. death reported in a pregnant woman in her 30s in Texas. Baby was delivered successfully by C-section.

· Potential cluster of a dozen or so ill school-aged kids in Fremont being monitored.

SUMMARY: As of 5:30 pm, Tuesday, May 05, 2009:

California reporting 99 confirmed cases and 119 probable cases -- 13 hospitalized cases in California. Clinical features, even among hospitalized patients appears to be mild and associated with patients with underlying chronic conditions.

Five cases in Alameda County. Cities: Alameda, Oakland, and Berkeley. Berkeley Health Department is lead on Berkeley case and is collaborating closely with ACPHD. 

No schools are closed under public health order in Alameda County. Federal and state declared emergencies continue. All Bay Area counties have declared local emergencies. 

Daily conference calls at the national, state and regional level continue. ACPHD is participating in these calls. Hospitals and clinics continue to make requests through the County EOC for various resources including anti-viral medications and N-95 respirators. The requests are being reviewed and filled to the extent that supplies are available.

SURVEILLANCE (Who, What, Where, When, How?)

Global: As of 16:00 GMT, 5 May 2009, 21 countries have officially reported 1490 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection. Mexico has reported 822 laboratory confirmed human cases of infection, including 29 deaths. The United States has reported 403 laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death. The following countries have reported laboratory confirmed cases with no deaths - Austria (1), Canada (140), China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (1), Colombia (1), Costa Rica (1), Denmark (1), El Salvador (2), France (4), Germany (9), Ireland (1), Israel (4), Italy (5), Netherlands (1), New Zealand (6), Portugal (1), Republic of Korea (2), Spain (57), Switzerland (1) and the United Kingdom (27).

National: CDC's response goals are to reduce transmission and illness severity, and provide information to help health care providers, public health officials and the public to address the challenges posed by this emergency. The Federal Government and manufacturers have begun the process of developing a vaccine against the novel H1N1 flu virus.