Latest news with #NMDOH
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
New Mexico health officials report measles exposures in San Juan, Lea county hospitals
(Conceptual image/Getty Photos) The New Mexico Department of Health on Tuesday reported multiple measles exposures at hospitals in opposite corners of the state last week, including the first case recorded in San Juan County. The state's largest outbreak in more than 50 years now includes 81 cases, with more than 80% in Lea County, just across the state line from Gaines County, Texas, where the outbreak began. Since mid-February, health officials have recorded measles infections in seven counties: Lea, Eddy, Chaves, Curry, Doña Ana, Sandoval and now, San Juan. NM measles cases rise to 78, with possible exposures at Santa Fe and Albuquerque Walmarts The San Juan County case was a child under 4 years old, who had one dose of the measles vaccine, and contracted the infection on a domestic flight. 'Travel can increase the risk of exposure,' said NMDOH Chief Medical Officer Dr. Miranda Durham in a written statement. 'Whether you're traveling within the U.S. or abroad, before you go make sure you're up to date on your vaccines.' The Farmington exposures occurred at the on the following days and times: 10:30 p.m.-4:15 a.m. Monday, May 26 and Tuesday May 27: emergency room of the San Juan Regional Medical Center at 801 West Maple Street. 2- 4 p.m.: Wednesday, May 28: emergency room of the San Juan Regional Medical Center at 801 West Maple Street. 8:15-10:30 a.m. on Friday, May 30: San Juan Regional Medical Center Health Partners Pediatrics Clinic, 407 South Schwartz, Suite 102 In the state's Southeast corner, an adult with an unknown vaccination status potentially exposed others in an Hobbs at the following location: 8:45 – 11:30 a.m on Tuesday, May 27: NorLea Hobbs Medical Clinic,1923 North Dal Paso Street. Measles symptoms are generally milder in people with a vaccine, according to the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and vaccination decrease the risk of spreading it to other people. Measles symptoms develop between one to three weeks after exposure. Symptoms usually start with fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, followed by the spotty red rash on the head that spreads across the body. People can pass measles to someone several days before and after the rash appears. NMDOH urges anyone with measles symptoms to stay home to prevent further spread and call the NMDOH Helpline at 1-833-796-8773 for further information in English or Spanish about symptoms, testing or vaccines. Health officials said the best prevention is two doses of the vaccines, which are offered at no cost at 19 public health clinic offices around the state. Clinic locations can be found on the state's measles webpage. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
New Mexico report reveals far higher homelessness numbers than federal count
May 29—Before calling the sidewalks of Albuquerque home, Trina Hunter was a manager at Wendy's while volunteering at St. Martin's Hospitality Center on the side and raising a teenager. Four years after escaping domestic abuse, Hunter said she has felt the effects of homelessness in various ways — mental illness, slipping hygiene and constant relocating. But the 40-year-old said she wakes up every day with hopes of something better on the horizon. "I survived, and I'll keep surviving," she said, sitting on the sidewalk surrounded by everything she owns — all stuffed into two suitcases. "We've got to swallow it, choke it down, and keep going. Some of us do so much to make our way back home, but for some of us, it's too late." It's no secret that thousands of New Mexicans experience homelessness every year. But a recently released state Department of Health report found that number could be at least as high as 30,000 people homeless from 2019 to 2023, a number 2-to-4 times higher than other counts. The NMDOH study relied on hospital visitation records with indicators of homelessness instead of traditional point-in-time methods. "We're able to capture a lot more in this system," said NMDOH epidemiologist and one of the study's researchers, Hayley Peterson. "And so I definitely think it's a good, reliable way that we've done it here, but I definitely don't want to discount the good work that (the New Mexico) Coalition to End Homelessness has done." Research by Peterson and NMDOH epidemiologist Dylan Pell reviewed data from the New Mexico Syndromic Surveillance Program (NM-SSP), which collects visitation records from most nonfederal hospitals across the state from 2019 to 2023. They found that 30,882 unique patients, an average of about 9,100 per year, had at least one hospital record indicating homelessness across the state. Their method relied on records from medical facilities with diagnosis codes for homelessness, inadequate housing, or housing instability — or if the patient's listed address contained the word "homeless" or some other indicator. They also looked through patient records, for terms such as "homeless," "unhoused," "unsheltered" and "transient." Bernalillo County had the highest number of people experiencing homelessness, according to the NMDOH research. The report stated that 18,611, or about 60% of the total, were in the state's most populous county. That was followed by Santa Fe County, at 2,052 (7%), Doña Ana County, at 1,792 (6%), and San Juan County, at 1,479 (5%). Many governments, including the city of Albuquerque, rely on the yearly point-in-time, or PIT, count to assess the number of people experiencing homelessness. The count occurs yearly on Jan. 29 and has dozens of volunteers counting the number of people staying on the streets and those in shelters. For Peterson and Pell, the goal of their research was to supplement the work of PIT Count volunteers, not replace it. "I would say it's also a reliable measure of homelessness as it exists in health care systems in New Mexico, primarily emergency rooms," Pell said. "But we're not counting people who don't go to the emergency room. We're not counting people who aren't patients in these health systems." That work falls on the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness, which states in its yearly reports that the PIT count likely undercounts the population of unhoused New Mexicans. "There are limitations to the PIT Count — inherent to the definitions and regulations that the U.S. Housing and Urban Development requires counts to adhere to — that inevitably result in an undercount of the true size of the population of people experiencing homelessness," the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness 2024 report stated. Mark Oldknow, the associate director of the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness, said it takes a small army to complete the yearly count. But that data serves a different purpose. "We all know that even using different methodologies and different sampling structures, we're never getting to anything other than a number that suggests that this is the floor, not the ceiling," Oldknow said. But there's no feeling of competition between the two methods, Oldknow said, since the mission to understand the true scope of the problem is shared. "I'd like people to understand that this is a daunting problem. It's a social problem that affects us all, whether or not we pay attention," Oldknow said. For Peterson, some of the more striking findings included higher-than-expected populations of people experiencing homelessness under 5 years old and over 65. Their research also concluded that people experiencing homelessness require more frequent medical care. On average, the report found that unhoused residents visited the hospital 5.9 times over the five-year study period. "A person with poor health might be unable to work or more likely to lose their job leading to financial instability and unstable housing, and a person without stable, clean, and safe housing will be more likely to experience negative health outcomes," the report read. The report also noted disparities in gender and racial data. Over two-thirds of the patients were male, about 39% were Hispanic, another 39% were white, 5% were American Indian or Alaska Native, 6% were Black, and less than 1% were Asian or Pacific Islander. None of what the study examined came as a surprise to Rachel Biggs, the chief strategy officer of Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless. For Biggs, whose work includes advocacy and oversight of the health care system mandated to serve those without housing, the report can have a significant impact. "We can point to some data points that show real numbers here in New Mexico, from hospital data to show the extent of the problem, to show the disparities across race and ethnicity, to show that the solutions need to be focused on housing," Biggs said.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
NMDOH: Measles cases rise to 76 in New Mexico; CDC helping monitor suspected cases
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The number of measles cases in New Mexico rose to 76, the New Mexico Department of Health announced in a press conference Thursday afternoon. Two of those new cases were reported in Sandoval County, bringing the total number of cases there to four, NMDOH Secretary Gina DeBlassie and NMDOH Chief Medical Officer Miranda Durham said. Possible measles exposure reported at Shakira concert in New Jersey A majority of the cases in New Mexico this year have been confirmed in Lea County; however, in addition to the Sandoval County cases, there have also been infections in Curry, Eddy, Doña Ana, and Chaves counties. NMDOH also confirmed that an adult who died in Lea County in March died due to pneumonia caused by measles. NMDOH said in March that the individual was unvaccinated did not seek medical care; however, at the time, it was too early to tell if the virus caused death. Right now NMDOH is conducting contact tracing to gather data about the infections and how they may have spread. The department has also conducted wastewater testing for the virus, and the most recent results came back negative in Roswell, Santa Fe, Rio Rancho, Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Deming, Rincon, Chaparral, south central Carlsbad, and Portales. The state health department is also working with the CDC to build investigations, conduct analyses, publish reports, and determine suspected measles cases. During the press conference, DeBlassie and Durham both expressed the importance of getting the MMR vaccine and encouraged people who have yet to be vaccinated to do so. Measles symptoms start with a runny nose, cough, and eye redness, and progress to rash and fever. Anyone with measles can infect others from four days before the rash appears and up to four days after the rash is gone, according to the NMDOH. Free health event for Albuquerque's older adults If you have symptoms and believe you were exposed to measles, call the NMDOH Helpline at 1-833-SWNURSE (1-833-796-8773) for guidance in English and Spanish from nurses. You are also asked to contact your doctor or the emergency department first. To view the NMDOH measles webpage, which includes information on where to get the vaccine and details about confirmed cases, click here. Watch the full press conference below: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New Mexico Department of Health reports four more measles cases in Sandoval County
Video: A press conference held on May 22 when New Mexico measles cases rose to 76. SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) — The New Mexico Department of Health has reported four additional cases of measles in Sandoval County on Friday. That brings the total in the county to six, and the statewide count to 78. Related Coverage: Measles cases rise to 76 in New Mexico, according to NMDOH According to NMDOH, the cases include an infant too young to be vaccinated, and three adults with at least one dose of the MMR vaccine each. The department provided this list of locations, days and times people could have been exposed to measles from these cases: Longhorn Steakhouse, 6600 Menaul Boulevard NE in Albuquerque on Friday, May 2 from 1 to 5 p.m. Walmart, 8000 Academy Road. NE in Albuquerque on Saturday, May 3 from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. Lindo Mexico Grill & Seafood, 5220 Eubank Boulevard NE in Albuquerque on Sunday, May 4 from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. University of New Mexico (UNM) Hospital Pediatric Emergency Department, 2211 Lomas Boulevard NE in Albuquerque on Sunday, May 4 from 9 –to11 p.m. UNM Hospital General Pediatric Unit on Wednesday, May 14 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Common areas of the UNM Hospital Pavillion between Wednesday, May 7 and Thursday, May 15 Walmart, 5701 Herrera Drive in Santa Fe on Saturday, May 17 from 7:30 to 10 a.m. Presbyterian Santa Fe Medical Center Emergency Department, 4801 Beckner Road in Santa Fe Saturday, May 17 from 6 to 9 a.m. Anyone who was at one of these locations during the listed time frames is encouraged to check your vaccination status and report any symptoms in the next 21 days to their health provider. If you develop symptoms, you are asked to stay home to prevent spread and to call either your healthcare provider or the NMDOH helpline at 1-833-796-8773. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
NM measles cases rise to 78, with possible exposures at Santa Fe and Albuquerque Walmarts
A nurse gives a measles shot on May 23, 2024. (Julia Goldberg / Source NM) New Mexico health officials on Friday reported four more measles cases in Sandoval County, bringing the statewide total to 78. The new cases also brought possible exposures in Santa Fe County, where cases have not yet been reported. The new cases include an infant too young for vaccination and three adults who had each had at least one dose of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to a news release. Six counties now have cases: • 65 in Lea County • six in Sandoval County • three in Eddy County • two in Doña Ana County • one each in Curry and Chaves counties NMDOH Chief Medical Officer Miranda Durham and DOH Secretary Gina DeBlassie held a news conference Thursday in Albuquerque to issue new recommendations for children in counties with measles cases to receive a first injection earlier than standard protocol and have three, rather than two, shots overall. Durham also noted during the news conference that travel presents 'a risk for measles spread and that the current outbreak is New Mexico's largest in many years. Both Durham and DeBlassie continue to reference vaccines as the only fully preventative method against measles. 'We want to make sure everybody stays safe,' DeBlassie said. The new cases may have involved exposures at the following times, days and locations: 1-5 p.m., Friday, May 2: Longhorn Steakhouse, 6600 Menaul Boulevard NE 6:30 to 9 pm, Saturday, May 3: Walmart, 8000 Academy Road, NE 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sunday, May 4: Lindo Mexico Grill & Seafood, 5220 Eubank Boulevard NE 9-11 p.m., Sunday, May 4: University of New Mexico (UNM) Hospital Pediatric Emergency Department, 2211 Lomas Boulevard NE 1 a.m. – 1 p.m. and 6 – 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 14: UNM Hospital General Pediatric Unit Between Wednesday, May 7 and Thursday, May 15:Common areas of the UNM Hospital Pavillion 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., Saturday, May 17: Walmart, 5701 Herrera Drive 6a.m. to 9 a.m., Saturday, May 17: Presbyterian Santa Fe Medical Center Emergency Department, 4801 Beckner Road Durham recommended Thursday that infants as young as six months could be eligible for a third measles vaccination dose if residing in or traveling to high measles spread areas. Adults born after 1957 are recommended to have at least one dose of the vaccine, but two doses offers 97% protection from the measles infection and prevents spread. Measles symptoms are generally milder in vaccinated people. NMDOH is offering free measles vaccines at offices around the state, which are listed on the department's measles webpage. New Mexico residents can check their records online at the state Vax View website or call the NMDOH hotline at 1-833-796-8773. The hotline is staffed by nurses, who can offer measles vaccine or further testing information in English and Spanish. NMDOH urges anyone experiencing symptoms such as a fever or rash, or concerned about a possible measles exposure, to call the hotline, or call a doctor's office before arrival, to allow health providers to prepare for a potential measles case.
