{"id":10261,"date":"2025-03-01T14:03:20","date_gmt":"2025-03-01T19:03:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/dhan291\/"},"modified":"2025-05-02T03:42:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T08:42:11","slug":"dhan291","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/php\/alerts\/dhan291\/","title":{"rendered":"php\/alerts\/dhan291 ~  Division of Public Health &#8212; Health Alert  &#8211; Delaware Health and Social Services &#8211; State of Delaware"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-swiftype-index=\"true\">\r\n  <br>\r\n  <div class=\"container\" id=\"main_header\">\r\n    <!-- BEGIN readspeaker div -->\r\n    <div class=\"rs_skip rsbtn rs_preserve\" id=\"readspeaker_button1\">\r\n      <a accesskey=\"L\" class=\"rsbtn_play\" href=\"https:\/\/app-na.readspeaker.com\/cgi-bin\/rsent?customerid=7262&#038;lang=en_us&#038;readid=main_content&#038;url=https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/php\/alerts\/dhan291.html\" title=\"Listen to this page using ReadSpeaker\">\r\n      <span class=\"rsbtn_left rsimg rspart\"><span class=\"rsbtn_text\"><span>Listen<\/span><\/span><\/span>\r\n      <span class=\"rsbtn_right rsimg rsplay rspart\"><\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <!-- END readspeaker div -->\r\n    <header class=\"pull-left\">\r\n      <h1>\r\n        Delaware Health Alert Network #<!--[type=EDIT name=\"DHAN Number\"]-->291 <!--[END]--> \r\n      <\/h1>\r\n      <h2>\r\n        <!--[type=EDIT name=\"DHAN Date\"]-->January 11, 2103 2:49 pm <!--[END]--> \r\n      <\/h2>\r\n    <\/header>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <br>\r\n  <div class=\"container\">\r\n    <div class=\"row\">\r\n      <div class=\"col-md-3\" id=\"leftCol\">\r\n        <div class=\"panel-group\" id=\"accordion\">\r\n          <div class=\"panel sectionmenu_panel\">\r\n            <div class=\"panel-heading\">\r\n              <p class=\"panel-title\"><a class=\"agency_nav\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapseOne\"><strong><i class=\"fa fa-align-justify fa-fw\"><\/i> Public Health Menu<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n            <div class=\"panel-collapse collapse in\" id=\"collapseOne\">\r\n              <div class=\"panel-body\" id=\"clf_nav\">\r\n                <ul class=\"nav nav-stacked nav-pills-clf\" id=\"agency_sidebar\">\r\n                  <li>\r\n                    <a href=\"\/dph\/\">\r\n                      <h2>Home <i class=\"fa fa-home fa-fw\"><\/i><\/h2>\r\n                    <\/a>\r\n                  <\/li>\r\n                  <li class=\"toplevel\">\r\n                    <a data-parent=\"#agency_sidebar\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#HomeMenu\">\r\n                      <h2>About <i class=\"fa fa-caret-right fa-fw\"><\/i><\/h2>\r\n                    <\/a>\r\n                    <ul class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"HomeMenu\">\r\n                      <li><a href=\"\/dph\/about.html\">About DPH<\/a><\/li>\r\n                      <li><a href=\"\/dph\/sections.html\">Sections &#038; 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Residents of long-term care facilities can experience severe and even fatal illness during influenza outbreaks.\r\n        <\/p>\r\n        <p>\r\n          DPH is providing the following information to assist personnel in long-term care facilities with the prevention and control of influenza\r\n          outbreaks.\r\n        <\/p>\r\n        <h3>\r\n          Prevention\r\n        <\/h3>\r\n        <p>\r\n          Preventing transmission of influenza within long-term care facilities requires a multi-faceted approach that includes vaccination,\r\n          testing, infection control, antiviral treatment, and antiviral chemoprophylaxis.\r\n        <\/p>\r\n        <p>\r\n          <strong><em>Vaccination<\/em><\/strong> &#8211; It is not too late to get vaccinated. Aim to achieve 100% vaccination rates among residents and\r\n          staff.  Vaccinations can be obtained from private physicians, many pharmacies and grocery stores, and public health clinics. \r\n          For further information on immunizations or where to get vaccinated visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.flu.delaware.gov\">www.flu.delaware.gov<\/a>\r\n          or call 800-282-8672.\r\n        <\/p>\r\n        <p>\r\n          <strong><em>Testing<\/em><\/strong> \u2013During a suspected influenza outbreak, it is important to confirm the diagnosis to define the\r\n          outbreak. Nasopharyngeal swabs should be collected from 5-6 of the most recently ill persons. The Division of Public Health Laboratory\r\n          (DPHL) will perform Real-Time Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (rRT-PCR) for long-term care facility outbreaks.\r\n           Consult with the DPHL prior to sending a sample and also on if additional testing is necessary after a flu outbreak is confirmed in\r\n          a facility, at 302-223-1520. Additionally, DPHL provides the following information regarding specimen collection and shipment: <a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/dph\/pdf\/fluvirusspeccoll.pdf\">http:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/lab\/files\/fluvirusspeccoll.pdf<\/a>.\r\n        <\/p>\r\n        <p>\r\n          <strong>Infection Control<\/strong> \u2013\r\n        <\/p>\r\n        <ul>\r\n          <li>Aggressive standard precautions facility-wide with careful attention to respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene.\r\n          <\/li>\r\n          <li>Aggressive droplet precautions for all residents with suspected or confirmed influenza.\r\n          <\/li>\r\n          <li>Consider enforcing the use of facemasks among all unvaccinated healthcare workers for the duration of the influenza season.\r\n          <\/li>\r\n          <li>Place ill residents in private rooms or in the same room or wing as other ill patients.\r\n          <\/li>\r\n          <li>In the event of an outbreak, restrict residents to units and encourage them to remain in their rooms as much as possible.\r\n          <\/li>\r\n          <li>In the event of an outbreak, cancel all group activities, outside appointments and communal dining.\r\n          <\/li>\r\n          <li>Ill staff should be excluded from work until they have recovered (and for at least 24 hours after their fevers resolve). To the\r\n            extent possible, limit staff from \u2018floating\u2019 between units.\r\n          <\/li>\r\n          <li>In the event of an outbreak, consider limiting or stopping visitation to the facility.\r\n          <\/li>\r\n          <li>Terminal cleaning throughout the facility followed by routine daily cleaning and frequent common touch surface disinfection.\r\n          <\/li>\r\n        <\/ul>\r\n        <h4>\r\n          Antiviral Treatment and Antiviral Chemoprophylaxis\r\n        <\/h4>\r\n        <p>\r\n          Administer antiviral treatment and chemoprophylaxis to residents and healthcare personnel according to current recommendations which are\r\n          located at:\r\n        <\/p>\r\n        <ul>\r\n          <li>\r\n            <a class=\"anchors_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/flu\/professionals\/antivirals\/summary-clinicians.htm#dosage\">http:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/flu\/professionals\/antivirals\/summary-clinicians.htm#dosage<\/a>\r\n          <\/li>\r\n          <li>\r\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.idsociety.org\/uploadedFiles\/IDSA\/Guidelines-Patient_Care\/PDF_Library\/Infuenza.pdf\">http:\/\/www.idsociety.org\/uploadedFiles\/IDSA\/Guidelines-Patient_Care\/PDF_Library\/Infuenza.pdf<\/a>\r\n          <\/li>\r\n        <\/ul>\r\n        <h4>\r\n          Reporting\r\n        <\/h4>\r\n        <p>\r\n          Outbreaks are immediately reportable to DPH. Please contact the DPH Immunization Program at 302-744-1060 to report outbreaks of\r\n          influenza.\r\n        <\/p>\r\n        <p>\r\n          An epidemiologist will work with you throughout the duration of the outbreak.\r\n        <\/p>\r\n        <h4>\r\n          When to Send Residents to the Emergency Room\r\n        <\/h4>\r\n        <p>\r\n          Reserve emergency room transfer for those residents whose signs and symptoms suggest a need for acute level of care. \r\n        <\/p>\r\n        <p>\r\n          The following signs\/symptoms may suggest a need for hospital transfer:\r\n        <\/p>\r\n        <ul>\r\n          <li>Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath\r\n          <\/li>\r\n          <li>Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen\r\n          <\/li>\r\n          <li>Sudden dizziness\r\n          <\/li>\r\n          <li>Altered mental status or new confusion\r\n          <\/li>\r\n          <li>Severe or persistent vomiting\r\n          <\/li>\r\n          <li>Abnormal vital signs including persistent tachypnea or tachycardia\r\n          <\/li>\r\n        <\/ul>\r\n        <h4>\r\n          Additional Information\r\n        <\/h4>\r\n        <ul>\r\n          <li>CDC Interim Guidance for Influenza Outbreak Management in Long-Term Care Facilities: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/flu\/professionals\/infectioncontrol\/ltc-facility-guidance.htm\">http:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/flu\/professionals\/infectioncontrol\/ltc-facility-guidance.htm<\/a>\r\n          <\/li>\r\n          <li>CDC Infection Control in Healthcare Facilities: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/flu\/professionals\/infectioncontrol\/index.htm\">http:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/flu\/professionals\/infectioncontrol\/index.htm<\/a>\r\n          <\/li>\r\n          <li>CDC Communications to Healthcare Providers: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/flu\/professionals\/communications_hcp.htm\">http:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/flu\/professionals\/communications_hcp.htm<\/a>\r\n          <\/li>\r\n        <\/ul>\r\n        <p>\r\n          ******************\r\n        <\/p>\r\n        <p>\r\n          You are receiving this message because you are a registered member of the Delaware Health Alert Network. If you are not a member and\r\n          would like to subscribe, please register at <a href=\"https:\/\/healthalertde.org\">https:\/\/healthalertde.org<\/a>\r\n        <\/p>\r\n        <br>\r\n        <br>\r\n        <p class=\"smalltext\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.adobe.com\/products\/acrobat\/readstep2.html\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Download Adobe Acrobat Reader\" height=\"21\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/dhss\/img\/getacro60.gif\" width=\"60\"><\/a> Please note: Some of the files available on this page are in Adobe PDF format which requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.  A free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader can be downloaded directly from <a href=\"http:\/\/www.adobe.com\/products\/acrobat\/readstep2.html\">Adobe <\/a>. If you are using an assistive technology unable to read Adobe PDF, please either view the corresponding text only version (if available) or visit Adobe&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/access.adobe.com\">Accessibility Tools page<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n        <!--[END]-->\r\n        <div class=\"panel panel-danger\">\r\n          <div class=\"panel-heading\">\r\n            <h2>Categories of Health Alert messages:<\/h2>\r\n          <\/div>\r\n          <div class=\"panel-body\">\r\n            <ul>\r\n              <li><strong>Health Alert:<\/strong> Conveys the highest level of importance; warrants immediate action or attention.<\/li>\r\n              <li><strong>Health Advisory:<\/strong> Provides important information for a specific incident or situation; may not require immediate action.<\/li>\r\n              <li><strong>Health Update:<\/strong> Provides updated information regarding an incident or situation; unlikely to require immediate action.<\/li>\r\n            <\/ul>\r\n            <div><strong>NOTE: This page is for informational purposes only and dated material (e.g. temporary websites) may not be available.<\/strong><\/div>\r\n          <\/div>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n        <br>  \r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <!-- \/container -->\r\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Listen Delaware Health Alert Network #291 January 11, 2103 2:49 pm Public Health Menu Home About About DPH Sections &#038; Programs Office Locations Contact Info Calendar Services A-Z Services Air &#038; Water Quality Birth, Death, &#038; Marriage Records Clinics Health Data &#038; Statistics Emergency Preparedness Health &#038; Wellness Healthy Homes Healthy Workplaces Laboratory Restaurant Inspections [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"parent":9294,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-10261","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10261"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10261\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12077,"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10261\/revisions\/12077"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dhss.delaware.gov\/dph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}