Dallas County Health and Human Services

June 8, 2022June 8, 2022

Monkeypox in Dallas, Texas

Communicable disease disasters are back on the frontburner as monkeypox in Dallas was announced yesterday afternoon in a combined press conference by Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and Dallas County Health officials.

DSHS is actively working with Dallas County Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate the current single case of the virus infection in a Dallas County resident who had traveled to Mexico recently.

The patient is isolated at home. The public health investigation has identified a few people who may have been exposed in Dallas and are monitoring themselves for symptoms of infection. The illness does not currently present a risk to the general public thought there are multiple cases happening in Europe indicating it may be community spread.

The CDC are tracking multiple cases of monkeypox that have been reported in several countries that don’t normally report monkeypox, including the United States. DSHS and the CDC urge health care providers in the United States to be alert for patients with rash illnesses consistent to monkeypox.

Monkeypox is transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal.

It can also be transmitted from person to person by inhaling large respiratory droplets or through close contact with body fluids and lesions, as well as bedding and other contaminated materials. Those infected may experience fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes, as well as more serious complications.

Monkeypox in Dallas – Again

Last July, a patient returning from international travel was diagnosed with monkeypox. That diagnosis and the presence of Candida Auris – an untreatable fungal infection – led to concerns about additional infections on top of the coronavirus pandemic.

December 22, 2021December 22, 2021

Dallas County HHS Announces COVID19 Test Center Locations

Dallas County Health and Human Services announce new COVID19 test center locations at local health centers, clinics, and some pharmacies at no cost to the patient.

Please always call ahead to check availability and make and appointment if required.

Recently, Southwest Airlines Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly was diagnosed with COVID19 after telling Congress mask mandates did not work. More recently, former President Donald Trump told a crowd in Dallas he had received the vaccine booster.

Dallas has attempted a number of programs to incentivize vaccines including Dallas Independent School District providing cash cards to students who receive the vaccine. That program was recently expanded to any student age five or up.

Previously, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson was diagnosed with COVID19 and several outbreaks have occured in local schools after mask mandates were ignored by principals.

COVID19 Test Center Locations

This is a partial list of testing locations.

Mountain View Campus – Monday-Saturday, 7:30 am.-6 p.m. (Ends Monday, Feb. 28). More info here: https://www.dallascollege.edu/coronav…/pages/vaccines.aspx

Richland Campus – Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. (Ends Monday, Feb. 28). More info here: https://www.dallascollege.edu/coronav…/pages/vaccines.aspx

Additional locations can be found here.

July 29, 2021July 29, 2021

COVID19 Numbers Highest Since February

COVID19 Numbers highest since February 2021 per Dallas County Health and Human Services with almost 1000 new cases report including several deaths. One of those deaths was a fifteen year old girl.

This time last year, Dallas was considered a medical hot zone for its COVID19 case load. Last week, UTSouthwestern pandemic modeling predicted six hundred new daily cases by August 9. Yesterday’s numbers top that by 60%.

Judge Jenkins released data about the new virus infections.

Locally, it is reported that Collin County and Tarrant both had hundreds of new infections reported also and that Denton County is down to ten ICU beds – the same issue driving restrictions earlier in the pandemic.

COVID19 Numbers Highest Since February – But Back To Normal?

Earlier in the week, Governor Abbott stated local governments and schools could not require a mask or vaccine mandate and it was a personal choice.

Dallas ISD has already said school will open under normal conditions with almost no option for virtual students.

July 22, 2021July 24, 2021

Candida Auris In Dallas

Candida Auris (C. auris) is in Dallas per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today. They have evidence that the untreatable fungus is spreading at two Dallas-area hospitals and a Washington, D.C, nursing home.

Several patients have been diagnozed with the invasive fungal infections. The infection is impervious to all three major classes of medications, according to the CDC.

“This is really the first time we’ve started seeing clustering of resistance” in which patients seemed to be getting the infections from each other, said the CDC’s Dr. Meghan Lyman.

The new infections come as Dallas is still responding to the COVID19 pandemic and the recent diagnosis of monkeypox in Dallas.

The fungus, Candida auris, is a harmful form of yeast. It is dangerous to hospital and nursing home patients with serious medical problems.

It is most deadly when it enters the bloodstream, heart, or brain.

Health officials have sounded alarms for years about superbugs like Candida auris. In particular, they have found commonly used drugs having little to no effect.

In those cases, there was no evidence the infections had spread from patient to patient – scientists concluded the resistance to the drugs formed during treatment.

The new cases did spread, the CDC concluded.

In Washington, D.C., a cluster of 101 C. auris cases at a nursing home dedicated to very sick patients included three that were resistant to all three kinds of antifungal medications. A cluster of 22 in two Dallas-area hospitals included two with that level of resistance. The facilities weren’t identified, but the cases occured between January and April.

Lyman said both are ongoing outbreaks and that additional infections have been identified since April. But those added numbers were not reported.

Investigators reviewed medical records and found no evidence of previous antifungal use among the patients in those clusters. Health officials say that means they spread from person to person.

Candida auris Background

Per the CDC, Candida auris is an emerging fungus that can cause outbreaks of severe infections in healthcare facilities.

In the United States, it has most commonly spread in long-term care facilities caring for people with severe medical conditions.

However, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, outbreaks of C. auris have been reported in COVID-19 units of acute care hospitals. These outbreaks may be related to changes in routine infection control practices during the COVID-19 pandemic, including limited availability of gloves and gowns, or reuse of these items, and changes in cleaning and disinfection practices.

New C. auris cases without links to known cases or healthcare abroad have been identified recently in multiple states, suggesting an increase in undetected transmission. Screening for C. auris colonization, an important part of containment efforts, has been more limited as resources of healthcare facilities and health departments have been diverted to respond to COVID-19.

July 17, 2021July 17, 2021

Dallas Monkeypox Case

A Dallas monkeypox case was reported by Dallas County Health and Human Services, but their spokesman says the confirmation of monkeypox infection in the city is “rare,” but “not a reason for alarm.”

DCHHS confirmed the infection in a person who traveled from Nigeria to Dallas and arrived at Love Field on July 9th. Health officials said Friday the person is currently isolated at a Dallas hospital, believed to be the Parkland Hospital Infectious Disease unit, to prevent the spread of the virus and is said to be in stable condition.

The case is the first known case of monkeypox in a Dallas resident. Dallas has been a Hot Zone for COVID19 and other infectious diseases because of its multiple international airports.

Dallas Monkeypox Background

The first human cases of monkeypox were recorded in 1970 in Africa, specifically the Democratic Republic of Congo.

At the time there was an intensified effort to eliminate smallpox.

Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research, hence the name ‘monkeypox.’

In humans, the symptoms of monkeypox are similar to but milder than the symptoms associated with smallpox.

Monkeypox begins with fever, headache, muscle aches, and exhaustion.

The primary difference between in symptoms between smallpox and monkeypox is monkeypox will cause lymph nodes to swell (lymphadenopathy). Smallpox does not have cause lymphadenopathy.

The incubation period (time from infection to symptoms) for monkeypox is usually 7−14 days but can range from 5−21 days. The illness begins with:

Fever
Headache
Muscle aches
Backache
Swollen lymph nodes
Chills
Exhaustion