Ground-level particle pollution concentrations are expected to reach the 'Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups' (USG) level in the Eastern Interior and Mid-Coast Regions for today and tomorrow according to Air Quality Meteorologists at the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
Please take a moment to review this information from U.S. CDC on mpox prevention in travelers to countries with clade I mpox outbreaks.
Arboviral activity is high in Maine and across the northeast U.S. region. Maine has detected Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV), and West Nile virus (WNV) in mosquitoes, wild birds, domestic animals, and/or humans in 13 of our 16 counties. The purpose of this health advisory is to remind clinicians to test for mosquito-borne arboviruses in appropriate patients.
Please review this information about an increased risk of Oropouche virus (OROV) infection in the U.S. associated with an increase in global Oropouche activity and key actions clinicians can take to recognize Oropouche, order appropriate testing, ensure timely reporting to public health authorities, and promote prevention measures.
The arboviral season in Maine is ramping up. The purpose of this health advisory is to remind clinicians to consider testing for mosquito-borne arboviruses in patients presenting with unexplained flu-like symptoms, encephalitis, meningitis, or high fever (100.4F or 38C) during the summer and fall.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) is issuing this Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory to notify healthcare providers, public health authorities, and the public about current increases in human parvovirus B19 activity in the United States. Parvovirus B19 is a seasonal respiratory virus that is transmitted through respiratory droplets by people with symptomatic or asymptomatic infection. In the first quarter of 2024, public health authorities in 14 European countries observed unusually high numbers of cases of parvovirus B19.
Please take a moment to review this information from U.S. CDC on mpox transmission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and neighboring countries that involves monkeypox virus Clade I. No cases of clade I mpox have been reported outside central and eastern Africa at this time.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) is issuing this Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory to inform healthcare providers, laboratory professionals, healthcare facility administrators, and state, tribal, local, and territorial health departments of a critical shortage of Becton Dickinson (BD) BACTECTM blood culture media bottles. This shortage has the potential to disrupt patient care by leading to delays in diagnosis, misdiagnosis, or other challenges in the clinical management of patients with certain infectious diseases.
Maine CDC recently confirmed that a mosquito pool (a batch of 1-50 mosquitoes) collected from Orono in Penobscot County tested positive for Jamestown Canyon virus. This is the first local mosquito pool to test positive for any arbovirus this year.
The purpose of this health advisory is to alert clinicians to the potential for human arboviral disease activity in Maine and to consider testing for mosquito-borne arboviruses in patients presenting with unexplained encephalitis, meningitis, or fever (100.4F or 38C) during the summer and fall, particularly among returning travelers.
Hepatitis C infections have risen nationally in recent years, with Maine reporting the highest rate of acute infections in the country in 2020, 2021, and 2022. The rise in hepatitis C infections across the country has been linked to injection drug use and significant gaps in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
