First Case of Monkeypox Reported in Jefferson County, Missouri

Jefferson County Health Department (JCHD) is reporting the county’s first confirmed case of Monkeypox. The department received confirmation from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services earlier this week. To protect patient confidentiality, no additional details will be released.

The health department communicable disease team is investigating this case to determine possible exposure risks to other individuals. The team will notify anyone that was at risk of exposure to provide education for how to self-monitor for symptoms.  

“Across the state we have seen several cases of Monkeypox, so we were prepared for the potential that Jefferson County would see a case as well,” states Public Health Preparedness Supervisor, Jeana Vidacak. “Our clinicians have been trained on proper screening and testing procedures and our communicable disease team has been preparing for case investigations and community education.”

Individuals interested in vaccination should visit the Jefferson County Health Department website and complete the vaccination screening form: Monkeypox Screening Form (PEP)++ (arcgis.com). For additional information, please visit the CDC website or the JCHD website.

Any further cases will be reported on our monthly Communicable Disease (CD) report as is customary. The monthly CD report can be found on our website here.

Missouri’s Maternal Mortality Report Published

JEFFERSON CITY, MO -- The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has published A Multi Year Look at Maternal Mortality in Missouri: 2017-2019 Annual Report on behalf of the state’s Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review (PAMR) board. The report is an aggregate of three years’ worth of work of the PAMR and is based upon the most recent data available.

PAMR is a multidisciplinary board of experts from across the state tasked with examining the causes and contributing factors associated with maternal mortality and ultimately forming recommendations that could prevent these deaths from occurring in the future.

The 2017-2019 annual report contains data including the timing and leading causes of pregnancy-related deaths, and factors that contributed to these deaths, such as mental health conditions and substance use disorder (SUD). The report also reflects the disparities that exist in our state and among our most vulnerable populations, including our Black and publicly insured communities.

Report highlights include:

• Mental health conditions were the leading underlying cause of pregnancy-related deaths, followed by cardiovascular disease.

• All pregnancy-related deaths due to mental health conditions were determined to be preventable.

• Black women living in Missouri are three times more likely to die within one year of pregnancy than white women.

• Women on Medicaid in the state of Missouri are eight times more likely to die within one year of pregnancy than those with private insurance.

The PAMR board found that the pregnancy-related mortality ratio (PRMR) in Missouri was 25.2 deaths per 100,000 live births from 2017-2019 and that 75 percent of these deaths were determined to be preventable.

The PAMR board continues to review cases and is nearly finished reviewing 2020 deaths and will begin reviewing 2021 deaths soon after. These reports will be made available once all cases have been reviewed. The 2017-2019 annual report can be viewed at Health.Mo.Gov/data/pamr.

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About the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services: The department seeks to be the leader in protecting health and keeping people safe. More information about DHSS can be found at Health.Mo.Gov or find us on Facebook and Twitter at @HealthyLivingMo.

Back to School Vaccines Are Available Now at JCHD

It’s ‘Back-to-School’ time and there’s a lot to coordinate! Let JCHD help take something off your list: Back to School Vaccines. Routine childhood vaccinations are an important way to help ensure that your child is protected against serious diseases, like measles and whooping cough.

We offer vaccinations at our office locations Monday-Thursday 8am-5:30pm. Appointments are highly encouraged, and a parent or guardian must be present for patients under the age of 18. To schedule an appointment, call 636-797-3737.

JCHD is a proud Vaccines for Children (VFC) program provider which provides vaccines at no cost to all eligible children. Children ages 18 and younger who meet one of the following criteria are eligible:

• American Indian or Alaska Native

• Medicaid-eligible

• Uninsured

• Underinsured

Missouri statutes require that students in certain grade levels receive specific immunizations before attending public schools. You can find that list of required vaccines for the 2022-2023 school year here.  CDC also provides a list of recommended vaccinations by age which can be found here (birth-6 years old) and here (7-18 years old).