Category: Health Alert Network

States are investigating cases of high blood lead levels (BLLs) in children who ate recalled cinnamon-containing applesauce products that were found to have high levels of lead.

At this time, there are no reported cases of measles in Idaho; however, there are ongoing measles outbreaks in Washington, New York and Texas. Health care providers should consider measles in patients presenting with a febrile rash illness and clinically compatible symptoms, especially if the patient recently travelled internationally or to areas in the United States experiencing a measles outbreak.

Health authorities in China continue to investigate an outbreak of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infections associated with a large seafood and animal market in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China which started in December 2019. There are now growing indications that limited person-to-person spread is happening, it is unclear how easily this virus is transmissible between humans.

A patient with confirmed measles has been reported in an unvaccinated adult resident of southwest Idaho who was exposed during recent international travel.

Concurrent with elevated rates in syphilis infections in parts of Idaho, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has listed Penicillin G benzathine injectable suspension products (Bicillin L-A®) on their drug shortage webpage, noting limited supply due to increase demand. Penicillin G procaine has been discontinued by the manufacturer.

Wildfires produce high volumes of smoke each year, leading to unhealthy air quality levels, sometimes hundreds of miles away from the fire. Wildfire smoke is a mix of gases and fine particles from burning trees, plants, buildings, and other material. Patients who are very near the fire source can have smoke inhalation injury, which is caused by thermal (superheated gases), chemical (e.g., particulate matter and other irritants), and toxic (e.g., carbon monoxide, cyanide) effects of the products of combustion.

Due to a new cluster of mpox cases in the Chicago area, clinicians across the country including Idaho are advised to continue mpox vaccination efforts, register their organization in the monkeypox vaccine locator, and consider mpox when determining the cause of a diffuse or localized rash

Rates of syphilis and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to rise across the Treasure Valley and beyond.

A multi-state outbreak involving infections with a carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa with Verona integron-mediated metallo-β-lactamase and Guiana extended-spectrum-β-lactamase (VIM-GES-CRPA) has identified artificial tears as a common exposure.