Oklahoma
The State of Oklahoma received $350,000 through cooperative agreement EH21-2102 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in FY 2022. The funds address childhood lead poisoning prevention and surveillance programmatic activities being conducted from September 30, 2022 to September 29, 2023.
The strategies focus on
- Ensuring blood lead testing and reporting
- Enhancing blood lead surveillance
- Improving linkages to recommended services
To learn more about these efforts in Oklahoma, contact the program below.
Oklahoma State Department of Health
Oklahoma Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
123 Robert S. Kerr Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
Phone: 405-426-8311
Increasing Capillary Confirmatory Testing for Kids in Oklahoma
Each year, approximately 900 Oklahoma children 6 months through 6 years of age have an elevated blood lead level (BLL). If initial capillary BLL test results are 5 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) or greater, the child should receive a confirmatory test within 12 weeks. A confirmatory test is necessary because capillary blood lead tests can produce false positives due to contamination. Before Fall 2017, the only acceptable confirmatory test for Oklahoma children was a venous blood draw (venipuncture) from the child’s arm, which can be a traumatic experience for both children and parents.
Effective October 2017, the Oklahoma Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (OCLPPP) amended its rules to allow a second capillary confirmation for children with an initial capillary BLL of 5–9 µg/dL. OCLPPP developed a handbook detailing the new rules for confirmatory testing and mailed the handbook to 2,100 pediatric healthcare providers in September 2018.
Following the rule change and dissemination of the handbook, 130 children have received a second capillary confirmation instead of a venipuncture. Additionally, confirmatory testing for initial BLLs of 5–9 µg/dL increased by 6.4% from 2017 through 2018.
Funding for this work was made possible in part by NUE2EH001391 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The views expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.