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The I-70 Scout & Eastern Colorado News

Tag: fever

  • State health department calls on people, especially those who think they might have the illness, to self-isolate

    State health department calls on people, especially those who think they might have the illness, to self-isolate

    Close contacts of sick people should self-quarantine  

    DENVER, March 19, 2020: The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is urging self-isolation or self-quarantine for Coloradans and visitors to Colorado.

    Self-isolation applies to people who: • Have a positive COVID-19 test.

    • Have symptoms of COVID-19 (coughing, shortness of breath and/or fever).
    • Are getting ill and think they might have COVID-19. Symptoms, especially early on, may be very mild and feel like a common cold. Symptoms could include a combination of cough, body aches, fatigue, and chest tightness. Some people may not develop fever or fever may not appear until several days into the illness. Self-quarantine applies to: •People who are close contacts of a person who either has a positive test or symptoms —  even early symptoms — of illness.

    “Right now not everyone who has been exposed to or becomes ill with COVID-19 will be able to or need to have a test to confirm whether or not they have the illness,” said Dr. Rachel Herlihy, state epidemiologist, CDPHE, “but isolation and quarantine, even without test results, is what people must do to slow the spread of this illness in our state. Even people who feel mild illness, and aren’t sure, should follow self-isolation orders, and their contacts should follow self-quarantine orders.”

    Self-isolation is for people who have symptoms of COVID-19 and means staying away from others until 7 days have passed since the symptoms began and until any fever has been gone for 72 hours and all other symptoms are improving.

    Self-quarantine is for people who don’t have symptoms but are close contacts of people who have symptoms. It means staying away from others for 14 days to see if one becomes ill. People who become ill with COVID-19 symptoms (even early symptoms) while self-quarantining then start the self-isolation period.

    CDPHE has put together how-tos for people who are self-isolating and self-quarantining. They are available at covid19.colorado.gov/isolation-and-quarantine.

    “We’re calling on all people in Colorado now to take personal responsibility and self-quarantine and self-isolate in order to protect people and our health care system,” said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director, CDPHE, “and we are counting on everyone, including the media to share this information quickly and responsibly.”

    Increasingly, cities and counties, including some in Colorado, are issuing stricter social distancing orders than those that currently are in place in Colorado. The stricter orders mean everyone must stay home, except for certain essential activities. The terms of such orders could vary by location. More restrictive orders are a more aggressive approach intended to enforce social distancing and keep people at home to limit disease spread.

    Continue to stay up to date by visiting covid19.colorado.gov.

     

    El Departamento de Salud y Medio Ambiente de Colorado pide a la población, especialmente a aquellos que podrían tener la enfermedad, a auto-aislarse.

    Los contactos cercanos de estas personas enfermas, deben de estar en auto-cuarentena.

    DENVER, marzo 19, 2020: El Departamento de Salud Pública y Medio Ambiente del Estado de Colorado (CDPHE) urge a auto-asilarse o ponerse en auto-cuarentena a todos los habitantes de Colorado y a sus visitantes.

    El auto-aislamiento incluye a las personas que:

    • Hayan dado resultado positivo a la prueba del COVID-19.

    • Presenten síntomas del COVID-19 (tos, dificultad de respirar y/o fiebre).

    • Se están enfermando y sospechen que pueden tener el COVID-19. Los síntomas, especialmente al inicio, pueden ser muy leves y pueden sentirse como un resfriado común. Los síntomas pueden incluir una combinación de tos, dolores de cuerpo, fatiga y rigidez en el pecho. Algunas personas pueden no presentar síntomas hasta varios días después de estar enfermos.

     La auto-cuarentena incluye a:

    • Personas que estén en contacto cercano con una persona que ha resultado positivo a la prueba, o con síntomas — aún síntomas leves — de la enfermedad.

     “Ahora mismo cualquier persona que haya sido expuesta o se haya enfermado con el COVID-19 podrá o necesitará llevar a cabo una prueba para confirmar si tiene o no la enfermedad,” dijo la Dra. Rachel Herlihy, epidemióloga del estado, “pero el aislamiento y la cuarentena, aún sin los resultados, es lo que las personas deben hacer para disminuir la propagación de la enfermedad en nuestro estado. Aún las personas que sientan una leve enfermedad, y no estén seguros de tenerla, deben seguir la instrucción de un auto-aislamiento y sus contactos deben seguir la instrucción de la auto-cuarentena”.

     El auto-aislamiento es para las personas que tengan síntomas del COVID-19 y significa estar lejos de los demás hasta que 7 días hayan pasado desde que los síntomas hayan comenzado y hasta que la fiebre haya desaparecido por 72 horas y todos los demás síntomas hayan mejorado.

     La auto-cuarentena es para las personas que no tienen síntomas pero que estuvieron en contacto con personas que tienen síntomas. Significa estar lejos de los demás por 14 días para ver si se presenta la enfermedad.  Personas que se enfermen con COVID-19 (aún primeros síntomas) mientras estén en auto-cuarentena, deben comenzar el periodo de auto-aislamiento.

     El CDPHE ha puesto una serie de procedimientos para personas que estén en auto-aislamiento y auto-cuarentena. Estos están disponibles en covid19.colorado.gov/isolation-and-quarantine.

     “Le estamos haciendo un llamado a toda la población de Colorado para que tomen la responsabilidad y se auto-aíslen y se pongan en auto-cuarentena para proteger a las personas y a nuestro sistema de salud,” dijo Jill Hunsaker Ryan, directora ejecutiva del CDPHE, “ y estamos contando con todos, incluyendo los medios de comunicación para que compartan esta información rápidamente y con responsabilidad”.

     Algunas ciudades y condados, incluyendo algunos en Colorado, han realizado órdenes de distancia social más estrictas que las actuales en Colorado. Órdenes más estrictas significa que todos deben quedarse en casa, excepto para algunas actividades esenciales. Los términos de estas órdenes pueden variar de lugar a lugar.  Órdenes más estrictas son medidas más agresivas destinadas a hacer obligatorio la distancia social y mantener a las personas en casa para limitar la propagación de la enfermedad.

     Actualizaciones en: covid19.colorado.gov.

     

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  • State health department pursues strategic approach to testing in face of widespread COVID-19 transmission in Colorado

    State health department pursues strategic approach to testing in face of widespread COVID-19 transmission in Colorado

    DENVER, March 18, 2020: The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is pursuing a strategic approach to testing in the state to steward our state and country’s scarce resources in the face of widespread community transmission of COVID-19 in Colorado. CDPHE is sending testing resources to specific communities that have not yet had testing that will yield vital information about how the disease is spreading. There is unprecedented collaboration between state government, local government, and the private sector to increase testing capacity over the next few weeks. However, CDPHE is strongly advising the public: If you have symptoms (fever, cough, and shortness of breath), don’t wait for a test to self-isolate.

    The State is expanding testing to include a temporary site in Pueblo on Thursday, March 19. The Colorado National Guard and Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment are supporting these efforts. CDPHE also plans to send testing resources to other locations later this week. CDPHE is prioritizing testing in areas that have not been highly tested to better understand where the disease is occurring and respond. These sites will serve high-risk patients who have been pre-selected by area health care providers. They will not accept walk-up or drive-up patients. 

    “We are prioritizing testing in certain areas in order to better understand where and how much transmission is occurring,” said Rachel Herlihy, State Epidemiologist. “It’s critical that we are gathering data in all areas of the state, especially areas where there hasn’t been a lot of testing.”

    The state health department is also strongly advising that if you have mild symptoms, stay home and avoid contact with others. Call your health care provider only if your illness becomes more severe, especially if you are experiencing shortness of breath. If you have a medical emergency, call 911 and tell the dispatcher your symptoms. People who are not at high risk of severe illness may not need to be evaluated in person or tested for COVID-19. Not everyone with symptoms will be tested right away. 

    If you have mild symptoms, suspect you were exposed, and are either unable to get tested or waiting on test results:

    • Please stay home and isolate yourself until:
      • You have had no fever for at least 72 hours (without the use of medicine) AND
      • Other symptoms (cough, shortness of breath) have improved AND
      • At least 7 days have passed since your symptoms first appeared.
    • Anyone in your household you have had close contact with (within six feet for approximately 10 minutes) should self-quarantine for 14 days, even if you haven’t been tested for COVID-19.

    Testing completed at the State Laboratory will be prioritized in order to:

    • Identify and monitor for community transmission of COVID-19.
    • Investigate potential outbreaks in health care and residential facilities.
    • Ensure a safe workforce in health care and other facilities serving high-risk populations.
    • Test critically ill patients for whom commercial testing will not provide timely enough results.

    As state epidemiologists keep a close eye on this rapidly changing situation, recommendations will change. At the beginning of any public health outbreak, it’s important to test and confirm individual cases. This information helps public health responders confirm when and where transmission is happening in a community. However, once community spread becomes more evident, public health moves away from diagnosing the illness in individuals and toward identifying community outbreaks. 

    Continue to stay up to date by visiting covid19.colorado.gov.

     

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  • JACEP Open: Vaping Emergencies May Initially Go Unrecognized

    JACEP Open: Vaping Emergencies May Initially Go Unrecognized

    Washington, DC—Diagnosing EVALI—the e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury illness that’s recently garnered national attention—can be challenging. Initial symptoms may resemble pneumonia or go unrecognized, according to case analysis in the Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians (JACEP) Open, a new open access journal.    

     “Electronic cigarettes and vaping products are sending thousands of smokers, especially teens, to emergency departments,” said Kaitlyn Works, MD, an emergency physician with Vanderbilt University Medical Center and lead study author. “We must be crystal clear with young people: E-cigarettes and vaping products are not a healthy alternative to smoking. They can be dangerous, cause injuries and illnesses, or even death.” 

     The analysis, “E-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury (EVALI): a case report of a pneumonia mimic with severe leukocytosis and weight loss,” details the case of a 20-year-old male with no significant medical history who was hospitalized for four days then left against medical advice, only to return to the emergency department for chest pain, fever and shortness of breath. For two weeks leading up to his emergency, he had a productive cough, fever, diarrhea, nausea and significant weight loss.

     “This flu season we are seeing an additional layer of complexity—EVALI symptoms may resemble pneumonia and become more dangerous or deadly when left untreated,” Dr. Works said. “A patient with EVALI may have symptoms that vary and overlap with many illnesses, making it more complicated to diagnose.”

     Accurate diagnoses typically include the ruling out of other infections, autoimmune disorders or other conditions. In this case, negative tests were returned for strep, HIV, hepatitis and other diseases. A camera was inserted through the patient’s airway to examine the lungs and a pulmonary consultation and CT scan confirmed EVALI. 

    The authors also note that nearly one-third of EVALI patients require intubation and mechanical breathing help. 

    As of January 2020, a total of 2,602 hospitalized EVALI cases have been reported in all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. Fifty-seven deaths have been confirmed.

     CDC has identified vitamin E acetate, a thickening agent in many e-cigarette or vaping products with THC as a “chemical of concern” among EVALI cases. CDC recommends that people do not use e-cigarette or vaping products with THC.

     “The simplest way to avoid EVALI is to avoid these products,” Dr. Works said.

     Read the analysis here. 

     The Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians (JACEP) Open is the official open access journal from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). JACEP Open delivers high-quality, peer-reviewed research in an open access format and joins Annals of Emergency Medicine as the leading sources of original research, case studies, clinical reports and perspectives dedicated specifically to emergency medicine and related topics. For more information, visit www.JACEPOpen.com.

    The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) is the national medical society representing emergency medicine. Through continuing education, research, public education and advocacy, ACEP advances emergency care on behalf of its 40,000 emergency physician members, and the more than 150 million Americans they treat on an annual basis. For more information, visit www.acep.org.

     For further information: Steve Arnoff | | Twitter:  @EmergencyDocs  

     

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