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April 26 2007 Texas Governor's HPV Vaccine Order Rejected
Texas Governor Rick Perry's order requiring sixth-grade girls to get the human papillomavirus virus (HPV) vaccine was rejected Wednesday by Texas lawmakers, who sent the governor a bill that would block, for at least four years, officials from requiring girls to get the vaccine.

HPV is a sexually transmitted disease that causes cervical cancer.
After Perry issued his executive order in February, prominent legislators vowed to overturn the order because they said the vaccine was too new to force on Texas families, the Associated Press reported. The order was to have taken effect in September 2008.

Perry has 10 days to sign or veto the bill passed by the legislature. Even if he does veto it, lawmakers have the two-thirds majority vote in both chambers needed to override the veto.

The vaccine, which protects against four HPV strains, was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in girls and women ages 9 to 26.
To date, about 20 states have introduced bills to require girls to get the vaccine, the AP reported. Critics charge that making the vaccine mandatory promotes promiscuity and infringes on parents' rights.

(February 22, 2007) Health Advisory Update: Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella State and federal officials continue to investigate the almost 300 cases of Salmonella that have been associated with the consumption of Peter Pan peanut butter. Onset dates for these patients range from August 1, 2006 to January 21, 2007. Thirty-nine states have had reported cases. A complete release from the Food and Drug Administration can be viewed at U.S. Food and Drug Administration web site. The affected jars of Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter have a product code located on the lid of the jar that begins with the number “2111”. If you have this in your household, please discard it.

Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12-72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without treatment. However, in some persons the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness.

Persons who think they may have become ill from eating peanut butter are advised to visit their health care provider for treatment and laboratory diagnosis. The health care provider will contact the DSHS epidemiology program of any confirmed cases of the outbreak strain of Salmonella Tennessee , as required by state policy and regulations.

DSHS laboratory will ONLY test peanut butter from persons who have been identified as having the outbreak strain of Salmonella Tennessee . The lab also will NOT test free of charge anyone who currently has a diarrheal illness and regularly eats peanut butter.

Health Alert Flu Activity (February 19, 2007) The Waco-McLennan County Public Health District receives voluntary influenza reports from dedicated physicians, clinics, hospitals and laboratory staff on a weekly basis.  These numbers are not comprehensive of the numbers of actual cases of influenza diagnosed in McLennan County; however, they provide a valuable tool to monitor baseline levels of influenza activity within our community.  The following graph shows the reports that the Health District has received. [Flu Activity Report pdf]  We note sporadic reporting throughout the early weeks of flu season and a dramatic increase beginning at the end of January.  This corresponds with the flu activity level for the week ending January 27, 2007 to be raised to “Widespread” at a state level.  Again, these numbers are not comprehensive.  If you are a physician, nurse, or school nurse and would like to report cases, please contact Ann Davis, Epidemiologist, at (254) 750-5493.

Probable Meningococcal Meningitis (February 16, 2007) On February 16, 2007, a student in the La Vega Independent School District was presumptively diagnosed with meningitis. All indications are that it is meningococcal meningitis also referred to as spinal meningitis, but the strain is unknown at this time. There is no connection to the case at Baylor University earlier this week.

Transmission of the disease is from close contact, person to person, through infected droplets of respiratory secretions. The incubation period is form 1-10 days, most commonly less than 4 days. The bacteria that causes the disease is not as contagious as the common cold of flu and is not spread by casual contact or by simply breathing the air where a person with meningitis has been.

Preventative medication is recommended for high-risk contacts. High-risk contacts are identified as:

• Those with direct exposure to the patient's secretion through kissing of sharing toothbrushes or eating utensils.
• Those who spend 4 or more hours per day with the patient
• Those that frequently sleep or eat in the same dwelling as the patient.

High-risk contacts should seek preventative treatment from their physician.

Preventative medication is not recommended for low-risk contacts. Low-risk contacts are identified as those having causal contact or no history of direct exposure to the patient's oral secretions.

Exposed household or school contacts should be observed for the following symptoms: fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, drowsiness, confusion, vomiting, chills and a rash. The illness may develop over one or two days, but it can progress rapidly. If individuals have theses symptoms they should seek prompt medical attention and inform the physician that they were exposed.

Texas governor orders vaccine for school girls- Governor Rick Perry issued an order Friday, February 2, 2007, making Texas the first state to require that schoolgirls get vaccinated against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer.

The order states that beginning September 2008 girls entering the six grade - must receive the new vaccine against strains of human papilloma virus (HPV).

The Waco-McLennan County Public Health District will provide the vaccine and it is anticipated to be available by March of 2007. The vaccine will be provided to the health district through the Texas Vaccine for Children program administered by the Texas Department of State Health Services for girls ages twelve to eighteen.
[More from the CDC on HPV and the Vaccine]

Health Alert Waco-McLennan County Public Health District reports an increase in Flu and Flu-like illness (January 31, 2007)

The Waco-McLennan County Public Health District is reporting an increase in Flu and Flu-like illness with an average fever temperature of 104 ° in McLennan County. Anyone with a fever of 101 ° or higher should seek medical attention as soon as possible. The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is classifying flu activity as “widespread”* in Texas for the week ending January 27 th . Flu season typically runs from October to March with a peak in February. It is not to late to get a flu shot in January or February. The best protection against the flu is a flu shot.

The Waco-McLennan County Public Health District strongly advises everyone to get a flu shot. The flu vaccine has been approved for everyone including children as young as 6 months old and pregnant women. The vaccine is available in many locations including the Health District, physician offices and pharmacies. Flu is a viral respiratory illness that is spread when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks, releasing the contagious virus into the air. People with flu generally can transmit the virus to others from one day before getting sick to up to seven days after showing symptoms of the flu.

The Health District clinic is located at 225 W. Waco Dr. For more information you can contact the Immunization Clinic at 750-5410.

Clinic Hours

Monday 8:30am-11: 30am 1:30p-4:30pm

Tuesday 8:30am-11: 30am 1:30p-4:30pm

Wednesday 8:30am-11: 30a 1:30p-7:30pm

Thursday 8:30am-11: 30am 1:30p-4:30pm

Friday 8:30am-11: 30am

Second Saturday of each month from 10:00-12:00

* The “widespread” classification is used when there are increases in flu-like illnesses in at least half the regions in the state and recent lab-confirmed flu cases. DSHS reported “widespread” flu activity for the same week last year. Flu is not a reportable condition in Texas, but DSHS relies on reports from a surveillance network including the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District to classify flu activity. DSHS reports the weekly classifications to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC's flu-activity classifications range from no activity to sporadic, local, regional and widespread.

The immunization rate for Texas children increased 11 percent in 2005, moving the state up in the national rankings to No. 24, according to statistics released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC's National Immunization Survey, which tracks immunization rates among preschool children, found that the Texas rate for a key vaccine series was 76.8 percent in 2005. That's an 11 percent increase over the state's 2004 rate of 69.3 percent, and it's the first time since the survey's inception in 1995 that Texas ranked above the national average. Texas now ranks 24 th in the nation for immunization rates, up from 41 st in 2004.

Locally, rates in McLennan County also increased 11 percent in 2005. In 2003 the immunization rate for children 24 months of age was 63.7%. The rate rose to 70.9% in 2005. There was also an increase for the Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis (DTaP) vaccine from 68.7 to 74.7 percent. The incidents of Pertussis have been on the rise in Texas and McLennan County. In 2005, there were 43 cases of Pertussis and 2 infant deaths. Properly vaccinating children and adults is the best protection against this deadly disease.

The National Immunization Survey provides vaccination coverage estimates for children 19 through 35 months of age. State rankings are based on the percentage of children completing the 4:3:1:3:3:1 series of immunizations. That series includes four doses of diphtheria, tetanus and Pertussis (DTaP), three doses of polio vaccine, one dose of measles-containing vaccine, three doses of Hib vaccine, three doses of hepatitis B vaccine and one dose of varicella vaccine.  Local rates are based on the 4:3:1 series which includes 4 doses of DTaP, 3 doses of polio and 1 does of a measles-containing vaccine.