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With the face-to-face meeting on May 6 and 7, the regular PHEP Partners call that would have been held on May 9 is cancelled.
As part of the PHEP cooperative agreement application process, state awardees must seek concurrence with local health departments on the relative funding distribution amounts, approaches, and priorities. In previous years, BEPESoC submitted local health officer signatures pages from the workplan to document concurrence. This year, we are approaching this differently, and in what we believe is more towards the true intent of the requirement. In March 2024, BEPESoC worked with MDHHS Division of Local Health Services to meet with the executive director of MALPH and chair of the MALPH Board of Directors to identify the best approach to seek concurrence among all local health departments. As a result of that meeting, BEPESoC developed a two-page documentwhich was presented to the MALPH Executive Committee to determine whether the request should be taken to the full membership for a vote at the April Meeting. On April 9th, the BEPESoC director will provide a brief presentation on Michigan’s PHEP approaches, priorities, and relative funding distribution to the LHD health officers. Upon vote, MALPH will sign a letter of concurrence on behalf of local health departments to submit with the PHEP Application.
On March 18, CDC issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) health advisory to inform clinicians and public health officials of an increase in global and U.S. measles cases. This HAN also provides guidance on measles prevention for all international travelers ages six months and older and all children ages 12 months and older who do not plan to travel internationally.
From January 1 to March 14, CDC has been notified of 58 confirmed U.S. cases of measles across 17 jurisdictions, including seven outbreaks in seven jurisdictions compared with 58 total cases and four outbreaks reported the entire year in 2023. Among the 58 cases reported in 2024, 54 (93%) were linked to international travel. Most cases reported in 2024 have been among children ages 12 months and older who had not received MMR vaccine. Many countries, including travel destinations such as Austria, the Philippines, Romania, and the United Kingdom, are experiencing measles outbreaks.
To prevent measles infection and reduce the risk of community transmission from importation, all U.S. residents traveling internationally, regardless of destination, should be current on their MMR vaccinations. Health care providers should ensure children are current on routine immunizations, including MMR. Given currently high population immunity against measles in most U.S. communities, the risk of widescale spread is low. However, pockets of low coverage leave some communities at higher risk for outbreaks.
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