Highly Infectious Specimens

Highly infectious patients can pose a public health threat as one patient can lead to the onset of a public health incident. Being prepared to respond and exercising the response is critical in protecting our nation’s public health.

To ensure that the local healthcare system and public health system are prepared for a public health emergency response, the Southern Nevada Health District and the Valley Hospital Medical Center show how to put plans into practice in response to a patient under investigation for a highly infectious disease.

The following presentation will concentrate on how one local public health agency assists one of their local hospitals in responding to persons under investigation for Ebola Virus disease (EVD), an emerging infectious disease.

Training: Collection and Handling of Specimens from Highly Infectious Patients

Zika Virus

Zika Virus (ZIKV) infection manifests symptoms in only 4 of 5 patients. Pregnant women are most at risk for giving birth to babies with birth defects including microcephaly when exposed to ZIKV. It is important to know when to assess for ZIKV exposure and to order the appropriate laboratory testing to inform future treatment.

To ensure that local healthcare providers are aware of the risks of travel to areas where ZIKV is being transmitted and the importance of ordering the appropriate tests at the right time, the Southern Nevada Health District has developed a ZIKV presentation for 1 CME credit.

The following presentation will provide historical and etiologic information about ZIKV as well as symptomatic presentation, testing recommendations, birth defects association, infant management, and ZIKV in Clark County and the U.S. It will also discuss how to report disease in Clark County and how to enroll in the Health Alert Network.

Training: Zika Virus CME