MMWR News Synopsis for March 10, 2016

Health Care, Family, and Community Factors Associated with Mental, Behavioral, and Developmental Disorders in Early Childhood — United States, 2011–2012

CDC Media Relations
404-639-3286

Researchers found that 1 out of 7 U.S. children aged 2 to 8 years were reported to have a diagnosed mental, behavioral or developmental disorder (MBDD). Many health care, family, and community factors were related to the children having MBDDs, and these factors can help inform prevention efforts. CDC published a new study looking at health care, family, and community factors related to mental, behavioral and developmental disorders (MBDDs) among children aged 2 to 8 years in the United States. CDC researchers used parent-reported information from the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children’s Health. Researchers found that 1 out of 7 children aged 2 to 8 years were reported to have a diagnosed MBDD. Study findings highlight specific health care, family, and community factors that could be addressed through collaborative policy and programmatic efforts at national, state, and local levels. Efforts to prevent the onset of MBDDs and improve outcomes for affected children may benefit from including activities that target these factors.

Evaluation of a National Call Center and a Local Alerts System for Detection of New Cases of Ebola Virus Disease — Guinea, 2014–2015

CDC Media Relations
404-639-3286

Local health departments played a key role in the detection of Ebola cases in the Guinean epidemic. Local public health capacity should be reinforced to respond to future disease outbreaks. Sensitive surveillance mechanisms are critical for detecting outbreaks early and reducing transmission in an epidemic setting. In Guinea, two passive surveillance strategies were employed for Ebola case detection; previously existing local health departments received alerts about suspected cases of Ebola and community deaths, and a national call center was established. Despite a high call volume to the national call center, only 3.9 percent of cases in the epidemic were detected by this strategy. The national call center likely served a greater role providing public health information than for Ebola surveillance.  Alerts to local health departments detected 51.1 percent of Ebola cases. These findings underscore the importance of local public health infrastructure for Ebola surveillance.

Update: Providing Quality Family Planning Services — Recommendations from CDC and the U.S. Office of Population Affairs, 2015

Tara J. Broido, MPH, Deputy Director of Communications
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health 
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
202-205-1842
tara.broido@hhs.gov

CDC and Office of Population Affairs recommendations for providing quality family planning services (QFP) have been updated to reflect revised clinical guidelines that were published through 2015.   Most QFP recommendations remain the same; however, there are slight modifications in how to screen for high blood pressure and diabetes and to provide sexually transmitted disease services. In April 2014, CDC and OPA published recommendations entitled Providing Quality Family Planning Services: Recommendations of CDC and the US Office of Population Affairs (QFP).  QFP cited clinical guidelines from several federal and professional medical associations. Clinical recommendations are constantly evolving as new scientific findings are published; being knowledgeable about the most current clinical recommendations is an important step toward providing the highest quality care to patients. To help health care providers stay as current as possible, this report lists the clinical guidelines that were cited by QFP in 2014, but were updated through 2015. 

Notes from the Field:

• Lymphocytic Choriomeningoencephalitis from a Household Rodent Infestation — Minnesota, 2015

QuickStats:

• Percentage of Adults Aged 18–64 Years Who Delayed or Did Not Receive Medical Care During the Past 12 Months Because of Cost, by Year — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2005–2014

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES