DPH Encourages Everyone to Know Your HIV Status – “It’s Empowering”
The Division of Public Health (DPH) is encouraging Delawareans aged 13 to 64 that have not already done so to get a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) test. Although more than 3,500 people are known to be living with HIV in Delaware, one in ten of those infected don’t know they have the disease. That means that 400 people in Delaware may be infected but are unaware, posing a risk not only to their own health, but also to the health of others as well.
Delaware Public Health and CDC Honor Michelle Power with Childhood Immunization Champion Award
Michelle P. Power, BS, MT (ASCP), from Christiana Care Health System, has been named Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Childhood Immunization Champion for her outstanding efforts to promote childhood immunizations in Delaware.
Delaware Announces Travel-Related Positive Zika Case;Preventing Mosquito Bites is the Best Protection
The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) announced today the state’s first Zika case in an adult female. The illness was travel-related and pregnancy is not an issue. Zika is primarily spread by mosquito bite and the individual is not considered infectious. The illness was mild, as expected, and was confirmed by a CDC blood test. To protect privacy, DPH will not be releasing additional details on this individual.
The most common symptoms of Zika virus are fever, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis (red eyes). Symptoms typically begin two to seven days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. It can also be transmitted from a pregnant mother to her baby during pregnancy or around the time of birth. It is not yet known how often Zika is transmitted from mother to baby during pregnancy or around the time of birth. In rare cases, it also may be transmitted sexually from male to female.
The most serious threat linked to Zika is serious birth defects. There have been reports of serious birth defects in infants whose mothers contracted the virus while pregnant.
Zika: Delaware Public Health Urges Caution for all Travelers
The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) endorsed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) travel guidelines today, including urging pregnant women to postpone travel to areas where Zika transmission is ongoing. The countries listed include but are not limited to: Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Barbados, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Panama. For the complete list of Caribbean, Central and South American, and African countries impacted, visit http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices.
AG Denn Offers Comments on Federal Opioid Prescribing Guidelines
Attorney General Matt Denn today offered support to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and its proposed guidelines for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain. In August of last year, Denn released his own plan to address substance use disorders in Delaware, which included a proposal to more tightly regulate the steps that health […]
