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US - Medical doctor reports there is an H5N1 avian flu case in Houston, reportedly traveled from Hong Kong - February 9, 2023 - Houston Health Department denies at this time

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  • sharon sanders
    replied

    Tiffany Najberg DO, FACEP
    @Tifftastic75

    She has retracted her news because it did not verify with official sources.

    Thank you to Dr. Tiffany for the effort. It is greatly appreciated.

    Thank you to the state and local officials who responded to our inquiries - especially on the weekend.

    We continue to monitor avian flu developments in Texas, the US, and all over the world.

    If there are any more updates to this situation we will update this thread.

    Leave a comment:


  • Emily
    replied
    Dr. Najberg thought it best to take down her social media posts on this case for the time being. She plans to wait until the end of the day, Monday, to see if there is official confirmation. If not, she said she will retract the story. She thought the story was credible and still trusts her contact, but the contact is not involved in the case. She said that it is possible that she was misled, but also hopes there is no H5N1 bird flu case.

    Leave a comment:


  • sharon sanders
    replied
    Originally posted by sharon sanders View Post
    I received an email today from the Texas Department of Health that basically says they have not received any report or found any information that suggests the H5N1 human case rumour is true.

    I have asked permission to publicly post the email. I have a long standing policy to never publicly post a response email without permission from the other party.
    I received permission. I decided to redact his phone number.


    -----Original Message-----
    From: Van Deusen,Chris (DSHS) <Chris.VanDeusen@dshs.texas.gov>
    Sent: Feb 11, 2023 12:18 AM
    To: flutrackers@earthlink.net <flutrackers@earthlink.net>
    Subject: H5N1 Report


    Sharon,

    I tried to register but was unable to, so hopefully this will get to you. I saw your post on the Houston rumor and that you had reached out to our Houston office. We have not gotten any reports of a suspected human H5N1 case in Texas and haven't found any information suggesting the rumor is true. We would expect any hospital with a suspected case to report it to public health.

    Chris Van Deusen

    ++++++++++++++++++++++
    Chris Van Deusen
    Director of Media Relations
    Texas Dept. of State Health Services
    (redacted phone number)

    Leave a comment:


  • sharon sanders
    replied
    I received an email today from the Texas Department of Health that basically says they have not received any report or found any information that suggests the H5N1 human case rumour is true.

    I have asked permission to publicly post the email. I have a long standing policy to never publicly post a response email without permission from the other party.

    Leave a comment:


  • sharon sanders
    replied
    Texas has laws about notifiable conditions and novel influenza is one of them.


    Notifiable Conditions


    IDPS Home Investigation Laboratory Reporting Rare Notifiable Conditions

    Notifiable Conditions List:














    Black & White (PDF) Color (PDF)

    When printing, either select "Fit" to print letter-size or, in properties, select legal paper.

    Several Texas laws (Health & Safety Code, Chapters 81, 84, and 87) require specific information regarding notifiable conditions be provided to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Health care providers, hospitals, laboratories, schools, and others are required to report patients who are suspected of having a notifiable condition (Chapter 97, Title 25, Texas Administrative Code).

    General Instructions


    WHAT: Notifiable conditions in Texas. In addition to these conditions, any outbreaks, exotic diseases, and unusual group expressions of disease must be reported. All diseases shall be reported by name, age, sex, race/ethnicity, DOB, address, telephone number, disease, date of onset, method of diagnosis, and name, address, and telephone number of physician.

    WHEN: The List indicates when to report each condition. Cases or suspected cases of illness considered to be public health emergencies, outbreaks, exotic diseases, and unusual group expressions of disease must be reported to the local health department or DSHS immediately. Other diseases for which there must be a quick public health response must be reported within one working day. All other conditions must be reported to the local health department or DSHS within one week.

    HOW: Most notifiable conditions, or other illnesses that may be of public health significance, should be reported directly to the local or health service regions. See exceptions marked by * on the Texas Notifiable Conditions List above. Paper reporting forms can be obtained by calling your local or health service region or by download in PDF format (Epi-2 for more detailed single case medical care provider reports or Epi-1 for less detailed multiple reports). As a last resort or in case of emergency, reports can be made by telephone to the state office at 888-963-7111. After hours this number will reach the physician/epidemiologist-on-call.

    Special Instructions


    See reporting requirements for HIV/AIDS and other notifiable sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) at hivstd/healthcare/reporting.shtm.

    Invasive streptococcal disease, invasive meningococcal infection, or invasive Haemophilius influenzae type b infections refers to isolates from normally sterile sites and includes meningitis, septicemia, cellulitis, epiglottitis, osteomyelitis, pericarditis, septic arthritis, and necrotizing fasciitis.

    Immediately report isolates of vancomycin intermediate and resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VISA) and (VRSA) by calling (800) 252-8239 or faxing (512) 776-7616. Isolates of VISA and VRSA shall be submitted to the Texas Department of State Health Services, Laboratory Services Section, 1100 West 49th Street, Austin, Texas 78756-3199. All reports of VISA and VRSA shall include patient name; date of birth or age; sex; city of submitter; anatomic site of culture; date of culture; and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) if available.

    Laboratories shall submit pure cultures of all Bacillus anthracis, Clostridium botulinum, Brucella species, E. coli 0157:H7, isolates or specimens from cases where Shiga-toxin activity is demonstrated, Listeria monocytogenes, Neisseria meningitidis from normally sterile sites, Yersinia pestis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, Francisella tularensis, Staphylococcus aureus with a vancomycin MIC greater than 2 µg/mL (VISA and VRSA), and Vibrio species accompanied by a current department Specimen Submission Form to the Texas Department of State Health Services, Laboratory Services Section, 1100 West 49th Street, Austin, TX 78756-3199.

    See reporting requirements for HIV/AIDS and other notifiable sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) Click here.



    ------------------------------------


    Texas Notifiable Conditions Footnotes - 2023

    1 Please refer to specific rules and regulations for HIV/STD reporting and who to report to at: http://www.dshs.texas.gov/hivstd/hea...reporting.shtm.
    2 Reporting forms are available at http://www.dshs.texas.gov/idcu/investigation/forms/ and investigation forms at http://www.dshs.texas.gov/idcu/investigation/. Call as indicated for immediately reportable conditions.
    3 Lab samples of the following must be sent to the Department of State Health Services, Laboratory Services Section, 1100 West 49th Street, Austin, Texas 78756-3199 or other public health laboratory as designated by the Department of State Health Services: Bacillus anthracis isolates (also requestedBacillus cereus isolates that may contain anthrax toxin genes from patients with severe disease or death), Clostridium botulinum isolates, Brucella species isolates, Candida auris isolates, Corynebacterium diphtheriae isolates, Haemophilus influenzae isolates from normally sterile sites in children under five years old, Listeria monocytogenes isolates, Neisseria meningitidis isolates from normally sterile sites or purpuric lesions, Yersinia pestis isolates, Salmonella species isolates (also requested - specimens positive for Salmonella by culture-independent diagnostic testing (CIDT) methods), Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (all E.coli O157:H7 isolates and any E.coli isolates or specimens in which Shiga toxin activity has been demonstrated), isolates of all members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, Staphylococcus aureus with a vancomycin MIC greater than 2 µg/mL (VISA and VRSA), Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from normally sterile sites in children under five years old, Francisella tularensis isolates, and Vibrio species isolates (also requested - specimens positive for Vibrio by culture-independent diagnostic testing (CIDT) methods). Pure cultures (or specimens) should be submitted as they become available accompanied by a current department Specimen Submission Form. See the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Chapter 97: §97.3(a)(4), §97.4(a)(6), and §97.5(a)(2)(C). Call 512-776-7598 for specimen submission information.
    4 Arboviral infections including, but not limited to, those caused by California serogroup viruses, chikungunya virus, dengue virus, Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus, St. Louis encephalitis (SLE) virus, Western equine encephalitis (WEE) virus, West Nile (WN) virus, and Zika virus.
    5 All blood collection centers should report all donors with reactive tests for West Nile virus, Zika virus, Babesia species, and Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas disease) to the DSHS Zoonosis Control Branch. If your center uses a screening assay under an IND protocol, please include results of follow-up testing as well. To report, send a secure email to WNV@dshs.texas.gov or fax the report to 512-776-7454. Providing the following: Collection Agency; Unique BUI #; Test Name, Collection Date; Last Name, First Name, Donor Phone Number, Donor Address, Date of Birth, Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Ethnicity (Y/N). If your location has a city or county health department, DSHS recommends that you also share this same information with them.
    6 For asbestos reporting information see http://www.dshs.texas.gov/epitox/Asb...-Surveillance/.
    7 Report suspected botulism immediately by phone to 888-963-7111.
    8 For pesticide reporting information see https://www.dshs.texas.gov/sites/def...pestrptfrm.pdf
    9 For more information on cancer reporting rules and requirements go to http://www.dshs.texas.gov/tcr/reporting.shtm.
    10 See additional Candida auris reporting information at https://www.dshs.texas.gov/IDCU/heal...uris-Home.aspx.
    11 See additional CRE reporting information at http://www.dshs.texas.gov/IDCU/healt...orting-CRE.doc.
    12 For purposes of surveillance and notification, Prion disease such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) also includes Kuru, Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker (GSS) disease, fatal familial insomnia (FFI), sporadic fatal insomnia (sFI), Variably Protease-Sensitive Prionopathy (VPSPr), familial CJD (fCJD) or genetic CJD (gCJD), variant CJD (vCJD), iatrogenic CJD (iCJD) and any novel prion disease affecting humans.
    13 Call your local health department for a copy of the Varicella Reporting Form with their fax number. The Varicella (Chickenpox) Reporting Form should be used instead of an Epi-1 or Epi-2 morbidity report.
    14 Applicable for governmental entities. Not applicable to private facilities. (TAC §96.201) Initial reporting forms for Contaminated Sharps at http://www.dshs.texas.gov/idcu/healt...ens/reporting/.
    15 To report a Controlled Substance Overdose, go to https://odreport.dshs.texas.gov/.
    16 Novel coronavirus causing severe acute respiratory disease includes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Call immediately for SARS, MERS, or any other novel coronavirus cases.
    17 For silicosis reporting information see http://www.dshs.texas.gov/epitox/Asb...-Surveillance/.
    18 Please refer to specific rules and regulations for injury reporting and who to report to at http://www.dshs.texas.gov/injury/rules.shtm.
    19 Laboratories should report syphilis test results within 3 work days of the testing outcome.
    20 Reporting forms are available at https://www.dshs.texas.gov/idcu/dise...ens/forms.shtm.
    21 Reportable tuberculosis disease includes the following: suspected tuberculosis disease pending final laboratory results; positive nucleic acid amplification tests; clinically or laboratory-confirmed tuberculosis disease; and all Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) complex including M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, M. africanum, M. canettii, M. microti, M. caprae, and M. pinnipedii. See rules and reporting information at http://www.dshs.texas.gov/idcu/disease/tb/reporting/.
    22 TB infection is determined by a positive result from an FDA-approved Interferon-Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) test such as T-Spot TB or QuantiFERON - TB GOLD In-Tube Test or a tuberculin skin test, and a normal chest radiograph with no presenting symptoms of TB disease. See rules and reporting information at http://www.dshs.texas.gov/idcu/disease/tb/reporting/. Please report skin test results in millimeters.
    23 Any person suspected of having HIV should be reported, including HIV exposed infants.
    24 For lead reporting information see http://www.dshs.texas.gov/lead/Repor...tive-Code.aspx.
    25 Please secure select agent isolates and specimens in accordance with the guidance in the Select Agent Regulation, and immediately initiate a consultation with public health regarding need for further testing or sequencing. Notify any transfer facilities of any test results of high consequence/interest.

    Leave a comment:


  • yielddude
    replied
    An update from the dr. ...https://twitter.com/i/status/1624222903540621313

    Leave a comment:


  • sharon sanders
    commented on 's reply
    Her videos match her photo on her clinic's site. https://urgentems.com/

    I was verifying her medical license. It is quite something when a person who holds one of the most prestigious licenses in the US takes a strong stand on a medical event. It shows the level of professional risk that she is willing to take to say the things that she is. Very unusual. Doctors usually only take this kind of professional risk when it relates to scientific opinions not a statement of news.

  • Emily
    replied
    UPDATE: I found some photos of the doctor you found and compared them to the TikTok video and they certainly seem to be the same woman. No need to verify, IMO.
    ____________________________________________


    The Twitter account is unverified, so to be fair to the licensed doctor whose information you found that seems to match the Twitter account, you could call the doctor directly and make sure the two people are the same.

    Here's what the verified Houston Public Health department is saying currently:
    https://twitter.com/HoustonHealth/st...28524675080193

    @HoustonHealth


    The @HoustonHealth Department as of right now doesn’t have any reports of an avian flu case. Our staff checked with all local hospitals and none report an avian flu case.




    1:29 PM · Feb 10, 2023·96.8K
    Views


    Leave a comment:


  • sharon sanders
    replied
    I have not heard back from either the US CDC or the Texas State Department of Health as of this time. And now it is the weekend.

    We have done this type of investigation many times in the last 17 years. FluTrackers contacts the various entities via phone and email to ascertain the truth.

    We do not bash. We are respectful as we analyze the results of our search. We just want the information.

    Leave a comment:


  • sharon sanders
    replied
    Originally posted by sharon sanders View Post
    The Texas State Department of Health office located in Houston is not answering their phone. It rings and then hangs up with no opportunity to leave a message.
    713-767-3000
    Amazingly without leaving a message a person called me. I asked them to confirm or deny the existence of an H5N1 avian flu human patient in the Houston area and they are going get their supervisor involved and call me back.

    Leave a comment:


  • Mary Wilson
    commented on 's reply
    I'm sure they get hundreds of phone calls a day, especially when a health-related hoax is created against their city/state.

  • sharon sanders
    replied
    The Texas State Department of Health office located in Houston is not answering their phone. It rings and then hangs up with no opportunity to leave a message.
    713-767-3000

    Leave a comment:


  • Mary Wilson
    replied

    Houston Health Dept
    @HoustonHealth

    The Houston Health Department is accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board and serves the diverse communities of Houston.
    Houston, TXhoustonhealth.orgJoined May 2009
    3,436 Following
    40.6K FollowersTweets
    Tweets & replies

    Houston Health Dept’s Tweets

    Houston Health Dept
    @HoustonHealth
    ·
    42m
    The@HoustonHealth Department as of right now doesn’t have any reports of an avian flu case. Our staff checked with all local hospitals and none report an avian flu case.

    https://twitter.com/HoustonHealth?re...Ctwgr%5Eauthor

    Leave a comment:


  • sharon sanders
    replied
    Dr. Tiffany responded via email and has offered a phone call. I never post responding emails without permission and speaking to me is 100% confidential.

    Thank you to Dr. Tiffany for responding. I think at this point we have a general idea of what you are saying and now we need some official confirmation.

    Leave a comment:


  • sharon sanders
    replied
    I called the CDC media department at (404) 639-3286 and someone is supposed to be sending me an email with a response to my inquiry.

    Leave a comment:

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