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Framingham public health nurse reports rise in Lyme, hepatitis and continuing STI trends; urges measles and varicella vaccination
Summary
Public health nurse Linda Phelan told the Board of Health the department has seen increases in Lyme disease and certain hepatitis reports, continued rises in syphilis, and described the city’s efforts to reduce measles and varicella noncompliance through school clinics and outreach.
Linda Phelan, the city’s public health nurse, updated the Framingham Board of Health on infectious-disease trends and the department’s vaccination work during the board’s virtual meeting.
Phelan said she has recorded an uptick in Lyme disease and an increase in hepatitis cases and that clinicians’ expanded testing may be contributing to detection. She also reported that syphilis cases are continuing to rise locally. "STI syphilis is still increasing," she said.
Phelan provided numbers for school vaccination compliance and outreach: she said measles-specific noncompliance stands at 3.66 percent, equal to about 350 children, and that 59 of those children have religious exemptions. She said varicella noncompliance remains the largest local gap, at 506 children, about 5 percent. "Since last February, we have vaccinated in our clinic 472 kids, and that's almost 1,300 vaccines," Phelan told the board, describing recent clinic activity.
On measles guidance for health-care workers, Phelan said public-health authorities now recommend workers — paid, unpaid or volunteer — review their immunity and get updated measles or MMR vaccination when advised. "Health care workers, whether they're paid, unpaid, or volunteers, really should get a measles, vaccine updated," she said, adding that vaccination within 72 hours can be effective after exposure.
Phelan also discussed avian influenza and said local public risk remains low while quoting national figures she had cited in her report: "our public risk is continuing to be low. There have been 70 cases in The US with 1 death," she said.
The board praised outreach and in-school vaccine efforts. Phelan and the school nurse supervisor said they have increased in-school MMR and MMRV vaccinations to reach noncompliant students.
The department continues education and targeted clinics to reduce noncompliance and track changes in testing and case detection.
