October 29, 2018
As part of a voluntary water testing program, school officials recently detected elevated lead levels (>15 parts per billion (ppb)) in some drinking water samples at Fairmont Junior High. As Boise School District continues to test other schools, there may be additional public announcements about elevated water lead levels in fountains or faucets. Parents may have questions about the risk to their children’s health, or about the need for blood lead testing. As CDC case studies have demonstrated, exposure to a water source with elevated lead levels does not necessitate blood lead testing (CDC, 2004; 2010; 2012; 2016). Lead levels in Boise’s drinking water are not elevated so lead is typically from the fixture or plumbing components.
June 12, 2018
Plague was confirmed this week in an Elmore County child. The child was in Idaho and Oregon during the incubation period. A source has not been identified and the investigation is ongoing. No ground squirrel die-offs have been detected this year in Ada or Elmore County or in Oregon.
April 13, 2018
Central District Health (CDH) has identified six Shiga-Toxin Producing E. coli (STEC O157:H7) cases who are associated with a nation-wide cluster. Onset dates for CDH patients range from March 25 to March 30. Please continue to watch for new cases.
November 20, 2017
During the last three months, 12 pertussis cases have been reported among Ada County residents. This is twice the number compared to the same time period last year. Many of the cases are in teenagers and young adults (i.e. 13-20 years old), however 25% of the cases are older than 40.
March 20, 2017
Idaho Bureau of Laboratories (IBL) provides testing for emerging diseases when diagnostic testing is limited or nonexistent in the commercial sector. Zika virus testing was a recent example of this. Since commercial testing for Zika is now widely available in clinical reference laboratories, IBL is no longer accepting specimens for routine Zika testing. Specimens should be sent to the health care facility’s commercial laboratory.
November 7, 2016
In 2014, the United States saw an unexpected increase in the number of reports of children experiencing neurologic illness with presentations similar to acute flaccid paralysis (AFP). The syndrome was named acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) to better distinguish it from other forms of AFP.
August 23, 2016
Please consider Zika virus infection when evaluating symptomatic patients or pregnant women with recent travel to affected areas.
August 2, 2016
Gonorrhea and syphilis rates remain high across the Treasure Valley. CDH urges providers to continue to assess risk, discuss risk reduction strategies, and test patients for STDs including gonorrhea and syphilis.
May 27, 2016
Plague (Yersinia pestis) Likely to Confirm in Ground Squirrels Outside of Boise; Central District Health Asks Providers to be Alert for Cases through June.
February 16, 2016
Syphilis continues to be a concern in our communities. In 2015 and 2016, 70 primary and secondary cases related to this latest outbreak were reported to CDH and Southwest District Health.