911Deaf

Hospitals across the U.S., especially in Missouri and Illinois, are seeing more children with severe respiratory illness caused by enterovirus D68 (EV-D68). Several states are also investigating similar clusters of severe respiratory illness. There are no vaccines for preventing EV-D68 infections. Clinicians should consider EV-D68 as a potential cause of clusters of severe respiratory illness, particularly in children. During this COCA call, clinicians will learn about the current EV-D68 situation in the U.S., laboratory testing, reporting suspected clusters, and approaches to prevention and treatment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working closely with hospitals and local and state health departments to investigate recent increases in hospitalizations of patients with severe respiratory illness. Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) has been detected in specimens from children with severe illness in Missouri and Illinois. Investigations into suspected clusters in other jurisdictions are ongoing. The purpose of this HAN Advisory is to provide awareness of EV-D68 as a possible cause of acute unexplained respiratory illness, and to provide guidance to state health departments and health care providers. Please disseminate this information to infectious disease specialists, intensive care physicians, pediatricians, internists, infection preventionists, and primary care providers, as well as to emergency departments and microbiology laboratories.

At CDC, we work to make sure people of all abilities – including those with disabilities – are prepared for an emergency. Many people with disabilities and their caregivers do not plan for disasters or are not included in disaster planning by government organizations, communities, or private sector companies. To make sure the needs of people with disabilities are met in disasters, find out what all of us - caregivers, emergency responders, health professionals, and individuals with disabilities – should focus on in our new blog post.

Have a battery-powered or hand-cranked radio available to receive official instructions and updates from local authorities if the power goes out.

Children have a number of unique characteristics that make them different from adults, and these differences may not be well understood by public health or emergency management professionals, or even clinicians. Dr. Steven Krug, Chairperson of the American Academy of Pediatrics Disaster Preparedness Advisory Council, discusses why children are not "little adults" in our second Preparedness Month blog post.

Make plans in advance to secure your home. Protect your windows by installing hurricane shutters or board up windows with plywood.

Keeping children safe in emergency situations starts at home. Whatever the emergency, protect your family with these 3 simple steps. Know what you need, what to do, and how to communicate in an emergency.

Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) Email Updates for August 25, 2014

On the ground in Nigeria, CDC staffer Lisa talks about the hurdles of setting up an emergency operations center for the Ebola outbreak in a city nervous and scared about the spread of the disease.

Emergency Preparedness and Response main page is now available in Spanish. This centralized resource offers highlights, tips, and links to Spanish content.