MMWR News Synopsis
Friday, December 21, 2018
- Health Care, Family, and Community Factors Associated with Mental, Behavioral, and Developmental Disorders and Poverty Among Children Aged 2–8 Years — United States, 2016
- Drug, Opioid-Involved, and Heroin-Involved Overdose Deaths in the American Indian/Alaska Native Populations — Washington, 1999–2015
- Rabies in a Dog Imported from Egypt — Connecticut, 2017
- Trends and Gaps in National Blood Transfusion Services — 14 Sub-Saharan African Countries, 2014–2016
- Notes from the Field
- QuickStats
Health Care, Family, and Community Factors Associated with Mental, Behavioral, and Developmental Disorders and Poverty Among Children Aged 2–8 Years — United States, 2016
CDC Media Relations
404-639-3286
Public assistance programs could offer a way for public health professionals and health care providers to connect young children living in poverty to screening and treatment for mental, behavioral, or developmental disorders. A new CDC study reported that more children ages 2–8 years in lower-income households had been diagnosed with a mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder than children in higher-income households. This is consistent with previous research. Additionally, fewer children in lower-income households saw a health care provider in the previous year, compared with children in higher-income households. Among the children in lower-income households who did not see a health care provider in the previous year, 7 in 10 of these children received at least one public assistance benefit, such as Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Public health professionals and health care providers could use public assistance programs to connect families with young children to screening or services for mental, behavioral, or developmental disorders.
Drug, Opioid-Involved, and Heroin-Involved Overdose Deaths in the American Indian/Alaska Native Populations — Washington, 1999–2015
Sujata Joshi
Epidemiologist
Office #: 503-416-3261
Cell #: 480-603-8619
Email: sjoshi@npaihb.org
Misclassification of American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/AN) in public health data can obscure the true burden of substance use disorders and other diseases in AI/AN communities, which in turn affects the ability of tribal, state, and federal programs to effectively respond to public health emergencies like the opioid epidemic. National data on the opioid epidemic may underestimate the true burden of overdose deaths in AI/AN communities. This study examined trends and disparities in drug and opioid-involved overdose deaths for AI/AN in Washington State, and also evaluated the effect of misclassification of AI/AN race on overdose mortality estimates. While AI/AN and whites in Washington had similar drug and opioid-involved overdose mortality rates during 1999–2001, AI/AN overdose rates have since increased at a faster rate, resulting in drug and opioid-involved overdose mortality rates that were 2.7 times higher than those of whites during 2013-2015. Washington death certificates that were not corrected for misclassification of AI/AN race underestimated AI/AN drug overdose mortality rates by approximately 40 percent.
Rabies in a Dog Imported from Egypt — Connecticut, 2017
CDC Media Relations
404-639-3286
The United States must remain vigilant at ports of entry, through its domestic surveillance infrastructure, and through dog vaccination coverage to avoid the reintroduction of canine rabies (dog rabies). Increasing education efforts among rescue organizations and their networks could strengthen efforts to keep dog rabies out of the United States. Rescuing animals abroad can be an act of love, but inappropriate animal rescue can expose you and your loved ones (including your animals) to a deadly threat. This report describes the sixth importation of a rabid dog into the United States in the past 15 years. Previous reports and publications have discussed the public health challenges and potential threats associated with the international movement of animals in commerce and the roles of federal, state, and local authorities. The United States has one of the most robust rabies surveillance and response networks in the world to promote the early detection of cases and to prevent rabies transmission.
Trends and Gaps in National Blood Transfusion Services — 14 Sub-Saharan African Countries, 2014–2016
CDC Media Relations
404-639-3286
An analysis of blood transfusion services in 14 sub-Saharan African countries reveals steady improvement in the access to safe and adequate blood supplies in seven countries from 2014 to 2016. To continue to improve blood safety programs, study authors recommend that countries consider sustained investments in continuous quality improvement programs, accreditation, linking donors to testing and treatment services, and establishing reliable data systems. Despite steady improvement in blood transfusion services in 7 of the 14 countries analyzed, these countries have more work to do to reduce transfusion-transmissible infections and to link donors who test positive for HIV to treatment. In 2015, only a quarter of blood donors who tested positive for HIV were notified of their HIV results. In 2016, the percentage of all transfusion-transmissible infections in donated blood units remained high in many countries.
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
CDC works 24/7 protecting America’s health, safety and security. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are curable or preventable, chronic or acute, or from human activity or deliberate attack, CDC responds to America’s most pressing health threats. CDC is headquartered in Atlanta and has experts located throughout the United States and the world.
