Public health Archives - Page 7 of 71

Message from a Concerned School Nurse

Robin Cogan

In case you have not seen the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for schools, published on August 11, 2022, here they are: Operational Guidance for K-12 Schools and Early Care and Education Programs to Support Safe In-Person Learning.

Key changes in CDC guidance for schools.

The CDC has chosen the path of least resistance as schools are about to reopen or are in their first few weeks of the new school year. Although the word “prevention” is included in the CDC’s name, this central goal seems to have been removed from these guidelines, including crucial pieces of the mitigation strategies that in the past prevented the school-level spread of the virus:

The recommendation to cohort has been removed—its absence will increase class sizes, removing a layer of mitigation.
The recommendation to conduct screening focused on high-risk activities during times of high COVID-19 spread or an outbreak has been changed, mostly leaving it up to individual districts to determine what constitutes an outbreak, with little guidance from local health departments.
The recommendation to quarantine has been removed, except in high-risk congregate settings. I would suggest that schools are congregate settings. We can quibble about use of the term “high-risk,” but we certainly do have high-risk staff, students, and community […]
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Guest Author2022-08-25T09:13:06-04:00August 25th, 2022|infectious diseases, Nursing, nursing perspective, Public health, school nurses|2 Comments

Poliovirus: Still a Threat

First U.S. polio case in nearly a decade.

Henderson respirator 20th century. Credit: Wellcome Library, London, via Wikipedia Creative Commons.

Last month, an unvaccinated 20-year-old in Rockland County, New York, was diagnosed with paralytic polio. He had not traveled in the previous month; he was infected by an (unknown) individual who had travelled and acquired the infection abroad.

According to the CDC, poliovirus was also found in wastewater from Rockland and a neighboring county—coincidentally sampled in May, June, and July as part of SARS-CoV-2 surveillance—and some of the positive samples were genetically linked to virus from the patient. This reflects ongoing community transmission and ongoing risk to unvaccinated residents. Because most poliovirus infections are […]

Betsy Todd, MPH, RN2022-08-23T08:43:27-04:00August 23rd, 2022|infectious diseases, Nursing, Public health|0 Comments

Heat Illnesses: Nursing Essentials from a NYC Emergency Department

As complex as health care may be in an emergency department (ED) setting, the weather and seasonality have added additional variables to that complexity. It is critical that registered nurses in the ED understand the health care trends associated with the weather and seasons. As in many other places, the summer here in New York City is a time when people are more active, spending time outdoors and traveling. This summer we have experienced several stretches with temperature in the high 90 degrees. July recently had a seven-day stretch with temperatures nearing and exceeding 100 degrees in New York. These heat waves can become physiologically unbearable.

Jonathan Nover, MBA, RN

Who is most vulnerable to heat illness?

During these heat waves, it is important to recognize the pockets of vulnerability among us. Older adults are often the most vulnerable because of decreased capacity to thermoregulate in response to changes in temperature. It is also important to consider the effects of heat on the homeless community and people without access to air-conditioned environments. Children are more susceptible to heat illness than adults. Some medications, such as diuretics, and consumption of alcohol and illicit drugs can increase a person’s risk of heat exhaustion. Additionally, individuals who perform strenuous […]

Guest Author2022-08-18T11:39:58-04:00August 18th, 2022|climate change, environmental health, Nursing, nursing perspective, Public health|0 Comments

The Monkeypox Vaccine: What Nurses Need to Know

Colorized transmission electron micrograph of monkeypox particles (red) found within an infected cell, cultured in the laboratory. Credit: NIAID. (Wikimedia Commons)

In the current monkeypox outbreak, the pandemic-strained U.S. public health system is once again faced with a major threat. This time, a vaccine is already available, but only in limited quantities. Here’s what nurses need to know. It will remain important to keep up with new developments as they occur.

The Jynneos vaccine

Jynneos is a live but nonreplicating vaccine for the prevention of both monkeypox and smallpox. It is made from vaccinia virus, a less virulent relative of these two viruses. The vaccine is given subcutaneously in two separate doses administered at least 28 days apart, and a person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after the second dose.

The most common vaccine side effects are pain, redness, induration, swelling, or itching at the vaccination site. (People with HIV infection or atopic dermatitis do not seem to experience additional or more severe side […]

Betsy Todd, MPH, RN2022-08-17T06:34:29-04:00August 17th, 2022|infection control, infectious diseases, Nursing|0 Comments

Monkeypox Update: As Knowledge Increases, More to Be Learned

Colorized transmission electron micrograph of monkeypox particles (red) found within an infected cell (blue), cultured in the laboratory. Credit: NIAID. (Wikimedia Commons)

It seems impossible that we have to confront the rapid spread of a new virus when we’re still dealing with the effects of COVID-19. But for monkeypox, we didn’t have to respond “from scratch.” After decades of research and clinical work on smallpox, a related but considerably more lethal virus, testing protocols and vaccines were already available for use in monkeypox.

Nearly 20,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported around the world since May, with more than 5,000 infections reported in the U.S. There are probably many more undiagnosed and unreported cases.

Variations in presentation.

In New York City, where more than 1,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported, clinicians are seeing variations from “classic” presentations of monkeypox. The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reports that many people with monkeypox are not experiencing prodromal symptoms […]

Betsy Todd, MPH, RN2022-08-01T14:17:20-04:00August 1st, 2022|infection control, infectious diseases, Nursing, Public health|0 Comments

Message from a Concerned School Nurse

Key changes in CDC guidance for schools.

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Poliovirus: Still a Threat

First U.S. polio case in nearly a decade.

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Heat Illnesses: Nursing Essentials from a NYC Emergency Department

Who is most vulnerable to heat illness?

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The Monkeypox Vaccine: What Nurses Need to Know

The Jynneos vaccine

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Monkeypox Update: As Knowledge Increases, More to Be Learned

Variations in presentation.

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