About the Guardian
The Guardian of Public Health is a monthly newsletter from the Bureau of EMS, Trauma, and Preparedness (BETP) within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The Guardian aims to provide its readers with relevant content on topics that affect the public health of citizens and communities in Michigan. For questions or comments please contact Kerry Chamberlain at chamberlaink2@michigan.gov.
Norovirus: A New Circulating Strain
Jennifer Beggs and
Tiffany Henderson, Bureau of Disease Control,
Prevention, and Epidemiology
You
have probably heard it around the office, “it’s that time of year!” Noroviruses
are a group of viruses that cause gastroenteritis and although transmitted
year-round, norovirus activity is more common during the winter months. Norovirus
is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the “stomach flu”, but it is not
related to the flu (influenza), which is a respiratory virus. Norovirus illness
usually begins 12–48 hours after exposure and lasts 1-3 days. Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting,
diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. A low-grade
fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and fatigue may also be present.
Noroviruses spread easily from person-to-person and is the leading cause of
gastroenteritis and foodborne illness in the United States. Read More>>
Multi-Agency
Mass Casualty Full-scale Exercise Conducted in Region 2 North (R2N)
Rick Drummer, Region 2 North Regional Healthcare Coalition Coordinator
In October 2015 Region
2 North (R2N) healthcare coalition conducted a multi-agency mass casualty
full-scale exercise at the General Motors (GM) Technical Center in Warren, MI. After reviewing multiple locations, this
facility was selected at test the response to a large complex with many
buildings and roads. The scenario was
realistic to the site location, which allowed GM to exercise their agency’s
response to an incident prior to the arrival of outside support. Months
of planning were needed to develop the exercise scenario and logistics to test
the ability of pre-hospital and hospital agencies to respond to an explosion with
multiple burn victims. This
collaborative effort was made possible through the efforts of many community
partners including: The Macomb County Medical Control Authority and the Mass
Casualty Incident (MCI) planning team, the City of Warren Police, Fire, and
Public Television, GM, the Macomb County Emergency Management and Public Health
Departments, and the R2N Regional Medical Coordination Center, and R2N hospitals
and pre-hospital partners.
Read More>>
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Interim Guidelines for the Evaluation and Testing of Infants with Possible Congenital Zika Virus Infection — United States, 2016
CDC has developed interim guidelines for health care providers in the United States who are caring for infants born to mothers who traveled to or resided in an area with Zika virus transmission during pregnancy. These guidelines include recommendations for the testing and management of these infants. Read More>>
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