Topic: Alabama Health Dept. refuses to take case report
hshbmom
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9478
posted
...or issue a case report form.
I just received a call from from my doctor's nurse.
I was officially diagnosed with Lyme disease June 11, 2009 when I had a bulls-eye rash. The rash developed where I removed a tick a few days previously.
Today the nurse asked me to call a gentleman at the health department. He told the nurse the only diseases they're accepting reports for are the H1N1 flu.
Do you wonder why officials believe there's no Lyme in Alabama?
I've been calling the doctor's office to be sure my case was reported and keep getting put off. The nurse said she couldn't find a case report form in June.
Today I informed the nurse the CDC case report form is available on the Internet, and Lyme disease is to be reported within seven days of diagnosis.
Any advice????????????
Posts: 1672 | From AL/WV/OH | Registered: Jun 2006
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Bugg
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Member # 8095
posted
I would call your state representative's office. Also, I would, as I'm sure you're already doing, contact the CDC and tell them you're trying to report your case to the Alabama Health Dept who won't take it....
Thanks so much for trying to report this...it's so vitally important....
Posts: 1155 | From Southeast | Registered: Oct 2005
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Alabama law describes a list of diseases/conditions that require reporting of cases to the county or state departments. These conditions are divided in two groups based on the time allowed for reporting: Group A and Group B. Group A diseases/conditions must be reported within 24 hours of diagnosis, while Group B diseases/conditions must be reported within 7 days of diagnosis. Diseases/Conditions may be reported to the county or state health department by telephone, fax, electronically, or in person.
420-4-1-.04 Reporting (1) Responsibility for Reporting. Each physician, dentist, nurse, medical examiner, hospital administrator, nursing home administrator, laboratory director, school principal, and day care center director shall be responsible to report cases or suspected cases of notifiable diseases and health conditions. Said report shall contain such data as may be required by the rules of the State Board of Health. Said report shall be in the manner designated in Rule 420-4-1-.04(3)(4)(5).
(4) Report of Group B Diseases. Group B diseases notifiable within seven (7) days. Diseases and health conditions designated as Group B diseases shall require notification in writing to either the County Health Officer or the State Health Officer within seven (7) days. Said report shall include at a minimum the name of the disease or health condition, the name and the address of the person having said disease or health condition, the date of onset and/or date of diagnosis of said disease or health condition.
..........
I would suggest contacting your County Health Dept and sending this information demanding that someone do something. Also, CC in all of your communications to your treating physician and your State representatives, both Senate and Congressional.
You have been more than patient with this Nancy... it is time to demand that the laws are upheld.
Posts: 7052 | From Colorado | Registered: Mar 2003
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-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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hshbmom
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9478
posted
The outrageous thing is this:
The health department didn't add my FIRST case of Lyme disease to the case count in 2006 although they said it would be counted.
The official case count is the sum of the state's confirmed and probable cases. Suspect cases are not included in the official case count.
The health department waited to contact me several months after my CDC postitive test. By then it was too late to amend the case count for 2006...at least that's the excuse they used. Whether it's true is a mystery.
That's one way to keep the case count down!
Posts: 1672 | From AL/WV/OH | Registered: Jun 2006
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hshbmom
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Member # 9478
posted
Great ideas Bugg & Miss Melanie. I'll print the ADPH info and take it to the doctor's office and the county health department tomorrow.
Six, I'm NOT surprised the CDC didn't care if your case wasn't counted.
Posts: 1672 | From AL/WV/OH | Registered: Jun 2006
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Carol in PA
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Member # 5338
posted
hshbmomm It sounds like they are stalling and trying to put you off.
Please be careful. Carol
Posts: 6956 | From Lancaster, PA | Registered: Feb 2004
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sutherngrl
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 16270
posted
The fact is they just don't care. The CDC reported that Mississippi had 1 case of LD last year. Well thats insane. My own family has 3 cases, cousin, aunt and me. Then I know about 10 ppl just in my county with LD.
Its just so absurd!
Posts: 4035 | From Mississippi | Registered: Jul 2008
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I've found that over 75% of the people with gov't jobs, people who work for *us*, really don't want to do anything. They were looking for a cushy position where they don't have to do anything and get to lord a gov't job over regular people.
I say this and I work on quite a bit of their equipment. You can tell almost as soon as you walk in the office.
-------------------- Ticks suck. Posts: 140 | From Alabama | Registered: Aug 2009
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
hshbmom,
talk about HOG WASH!! when you write your letter, etc. please add this info ... might make an impression!! HE'S FROM IOWA; he's met alex, 16, paralyzed/ventilator last year from her co-infections, etc..
thanks for continuing to try. ****************************
Sen. Tom Harkin CHAIR OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR, PENSIONS: HELP COMMITTEE 731 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-3254 Phone (202) 224-9369 Fax (202) 224-4633 TDD
How about adding also:
Sen. Chris Dodd Co-chair of HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR, & PENSION COMMITTEE
since chris WROTE OUR LYME BILL FOR SENATE, who knows??
tom just sent me an email yesterday saying he was now OFFICIALLY CHAIR with SEN. CHRIS DODD as co-chair acting on behalf of Teddy Kennedy's role...
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hshbmom
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9478
posted
UPDATE I got in touch with a representative of the county health department this morning. This person is the environmental disease supervisor or something like that.
He said in the 20 years he's been in this department he's never taken a report of a case of Lyme disease. I told him that's why my family has suffered the past three years.
He said he takes reports of West Nile Virus because it's transmitted by a vector, but not Lyme disease. I asked why he didn't take Lyme reports, since ticks are a vectors. He adamantly told me a tick is not a vector, but later calmed down and acknowledged ticks are vectors and Lyme disease is present in our county. His explained his friend had the bite & rash here, and received early treatment.
He said everyone knows Lyme disease is here, then I explained the trouble we've had with local physicians vehemently denying the presence of Lyme disease and deer ticks in this area.
He finally told me I'm talking to the wrong part of the health department. I explained I was doing as I'd been told by my doctor's nurse.
This was a lively exchange, but productive. He said he'll investigate this further and get back with me.
Posts: 1672 | From AL/WV/OH | Registered: Jun 2006
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
well, glad you pursued this and had your enlightening conversation. perhaps you opened his eyes more when he admitted his friend had lyme! good luck mom.
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Hoosiers51
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 15759
posted
hsh,
Your mailbox is full. I have a friend looking for an LLMD in AL, so I thought I'd ask you for any names/numbers you have.
I was gonna post in Seeking a Doctor next, but I wanted to see who you guys are seeing.
Please PM me if you can!
Thanks!!!
Posts: 4590 | From Midwest | Registered: Jun 2008
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Pinelady
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 18524
posted
And we wonder why they won't come up with a good test. Why do we need one, we don't have it?
-------------------- Suspected Lyme 07 Test neg One band migrating in IgG region unable to identify.Igenex Jan.09IFA titer 1:40 IND IgM neg pos 31 +++ 34 IND 39 IND 41 IND 83-93 + DX:Neuroborreliosis Posts: 5850 | From Kentucky | Registered: Dec 2008
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hshbmom
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9478
posted
I spoke with Phyllis Gilchrist with the Epidemiology Dept. of the Alabama Dept. of Public Health.
She stated no cases of Lyme disease in Alabama are classified as "confirmed" because Alabama is not an endemic state. She needs to support that "fact" with some real evidence!
I talked with her about the CDC's Lyme case definition, which states a county is endemic if two or more cases have been previously acquired in the county.
Ms. Gilchrist argued the state doesn't go by the state's official county by county Lyme case counts, but by the state status. She just talked in cirles!
There were more than two Lyme case counts in 2006 for our county, therefore our county meets the CDC's definition of an endemic county. Ms. Gildchrist continued to argue that no one can have a confirmed case in this state without the state being endemic; she said Alabama isn't endemic, so there's no way ANY case would be confirmed.
She refused to comment on the Lyme case counts, which are the state's statistics reported on a county by county basis.
She says the only way to have a confirmed cse is to have an EM, and have laboratory evidence, and be in an endemic state.
What's the CDC's definition of an endemic state? Isn't an endemic state one with one or more endemic county? Over 32% of Alabama counties are endemic for Lyme according to the state's statistics! Wouldn't that make this state endemic?
Does someone have the reference to this definition?
My head is spinning from all the circular arguing. "We don't go by the Lyme case counts. We aren't an endemic state. You can't have a confirmed case in Alabama since we're not endemic."
I gave the phone number to my doctor's office. Let's see if they get anywhere with them.
Posts: 1672 | From AL/WV/OH | Registered: Jun 2006
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posted
Sounds like Ms Gilchrist got "educated"n NC.
Nc even had stricter guidelines than the CDC. They made up their own version, Like AL.
Everything done the good ol boy way.
True confessions, I wish they would get Lyme with all the co-infections, and not figure it out till it was chronic.
Sorry,Im just sick of these people calling themselves humans. You must be so frustrated, BUT I admire your persistence, and determination. That is what causes change.xoxo
Posts: 261 | From Piedmont | Registered: May 2008
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hshbmom
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9478
posted
My goodness, I had a recent tick bite, a bulls-eye rash, and I live in an endemic county. ...and my EM was diagnosed by a physician.
How can they be this dense?
Posts: 1672 | From AL/WV/OH | Registered: Jun 2006
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
YOUR PM BOX IS FULL; please delete house...
kathy622 is trying to contact you; urgent; fyi
click on directory at top type her name in top left line click search send her a pm from there .... thanks mom hugs/kisses to my dear friend
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Bugg
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8095
posted
Hshbmom-
You are awesome!! Please don't give up!! All of us who live in the South and are sick with lyme know your plight!!! We are all fighting to get the disease recognized here...
If you haven't seen it already, I just pasted an article below which discusses that NC's Dept of Epidemiology is working to educate doctors about the existence of lyme in NC...
The State works for the people of Alabama...If you don't get traction with these people in the Ala Dept of Epidemiology, I would not stop there...I would contact your state rep..someone in the Governor's office....Keep fighting, please!!!
Here's the article you might want to share with the Ala Dept of Epid.....
State affirms Lyme disease danger By Sarah Avery - Staff Writer, The News & Observer, Raleigh, North Carolina
After years of cautioning that people were unlikely to get Lyme disease in North Carolina, state health leaders are now advising that the tick-borne illness can, in fact, be acquired here.
In at least four cases this year, Lyme was confirmed among patients who never left their home counties, ruling out the prospect that they picked up the bacterial infection while traveling.
Based on the new evidence, Dr. Megan Davies, state epidemiologist, said the state is now working to get the word to doctors, who for years were reluctant to even test patients for Lyme because it wasn't considered much of a possibility.
Posts: 1155 | From Southeast | Registered: Oct 2005
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hshbmom
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9478
posted
My doctor's report states:
Chief Complaint: rash, tick bite
History of present illness: Patient ...presents with the above chief complaint. She states that she is here regarding new health issues and this includes the following: she states she was bitten by a tick on Tuesday, and now she has a rash around the area of the bite on her abdomen.
Review of Systems: Integument --admits rash
Physical Examination: Constitutional: Appearance: well nourished, well develped, alert, in no acute distress, she has a 7 X 5 cm target lestion on her lower abdomen with a tick bite wound in the center of the bull's eye
Assessment: Lyme Disease 088.81
Medications: Doxycycline hyclate oral tablet 100 mg SIG: take 2 tablets (200 mg) by oral route 2 times a day; avoid dairy products 2 hours before and after dose and avoid UV exposure. DISP: (168) tablets with 0 refills
Electronically Signed by: MD's name, date, time
No one from the health department has called. My case must not have been reported.
If this case was reported, there has been no follow-up because THERE IS NO LYME DISEASE IN ALABAMA! Yes, I'm yelling.
Posts: 1672 | From AL/WV/OH | Registered: Jun 2006
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METALLlC BLUE
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6628
posted
Keep pushing! Call your state rep or congressmen and talk with someone there.
-------------------- I am not a physician, so do your own research to confirm any ideas given and then speak with a health care provider you trust.
sutherngrl
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 16270
posted
Sounds like the health dept is trying to down play the actual numbers of cases of LD. No wonder all our doctors think we don't have LD in "this or that" state.
It is so important to get this information out there.....keep pushing them!
Posts: 4035 | From Mississippi | Registered: Jul 2008
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posted
Same thing is going on in Florida. Seems two people on the west coast (Sanibel/Captiva) tried to report their Lyme and the county wouldn't hear of it. That's where I think I was bitten but that's not possible because, I forgot, there is no Lyme in Florida...or maybe there are just no ticks at all in Florida??!!!
Posts: 246 | From south florida | Registered: Mar 2010
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