1. Home
  2. disease outbreaks

disease outbreaks

Foodborne illness source attribution estimates for 2018 for Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157, Listeria monocytogenes, and Campylobacter using multi-year outbreak surveillance data, United States

Each year in the United States an estimated 9 million people get sick, 56,000 are hospitalized, and 1,300 die of foodborne disease caused by known pathogens. These estimates help us understand the scope of this public health problem. However, to develop effective prevention measures, we need to understand the types of foods contributing to the problem. The Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration (IFSAC) is a tri-agency group created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS). IFSAC developed a method to estimate the percentages of foodborne illness attributed to certain sources using outbreak data from 1998 through the most recent year for four priority pathogens: Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157, Listeria monocytogenes, and Campylobacter. IFSAC described this method and the estimates for 2012 in a report, peer-reviewed journal article, and at a public meeting. IFSAC derived the estimates for 2018 using the same method used for the 2012 estimates, with some modifications. The data came from 1,459 foodborne disease outbreaks that occurred from 1998 through 2018 and for which each confirmed or suspected implicated food was assigned to a single food category. The method relies most heavily on the most recent five years of outbreak data (2014 – 2018). Foods are categorized using a scheme IFSAC created that classifies foods into 17 categories that closely align with the U.S. food regulatory agencies’ classification needs

Keywords 
Foodborne Diseases Food Safety Salmonella Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC public health

Prevention of Hepatitis A Virus Infection in the United States: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, 2020

Author/s: 
Nelson, N.P., Weng, M.K., Hofmeister, M.G., Moore, K.L., Doshani, M., Kamili, S., Koneru, A., Haber, P., Hagan, L., Romero, J.R., Harris, A.M.

HEPATITIS A IS A VACCINE-PREVENTABLE, COMMUNICABLE DISEASE OF THE LIVER CAUSED BY THE HEPATITIS A VIRUS (HAV). THE INFECTION IS TRANSMITTED VIA THE FECAL-ORAL ROUTE, USUALLY FROM DIRECT PERSON-TO-PERSON CONTACT OR CONSUMPTION OF CONTAMINATED FOOD OR WATER. HEPATITIS A IS AN ACUTE, SELF-LIMITED DISEASE THAT DOES NOT RESULT IN CHRONIC INFECTION. HAV ANTIBODIES (IMMUNOGLOBULIN G [IGG] ANTI-HAV) PRODUCED IN RESPONSE TO HAV INFECTION PERSIST FOR LIFE AND PROTECT AGAINST REINFECTION; IGG ANTI-HAV PRODUCED AFTER VACCINATION CONFER LONG-TERM IMMUNITY. THIS REPORT SUPPLANTS AND SUMMARIZES PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON IMMUNIZATION PRACTICES (ACIP) REGARDING THE PREVENTION OF HAV INFECTION IN THE UNITED STATES. ACIP RECOMMENDS ROUTINE VACCINATION OF CHILDREN AGED 12-23 MONTHS AND CATCH-UP VACCINATION FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS AGED 2-18 YEARS WHO HAVE NOT PREVIOUSLY RECEIVED HEPATITIS A (HEPA) VACCINE AT ANY AGE. ACIP RECOMMENDS HEPA VACCINATION FOR ADULTS AT RISK FOR HAV INFECTION OR SEVERE DISEASE FROM HAV INFECTION AND FOR ADULTS REQUESTING PROTECTION AGAINST HAV WITHOUT ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF A RISK FACTOR. THESE RECOMMENDATIONS ALSO PROVIDE GUIDANCE FOR VACCINATION BEFORE TRAVEL, FOR POSTEXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS, IN SETTINGS PROVIDING SERVICES TO ADULTS, AND DURING OUTBREAKS.

School closure and management practices during coronavirus outbreaks including COVID-19: a rapid systematic review

Author/s: 
Viner, RM, Russell, SJ, Croker, H, Packer, J, Ward, J, Stansfield, C, Mytton, O, Bonell, C, Booy, R

In response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, 107 countries had implemented national school closures by March 18, 2020. It is unknown whether school measures are effective in coronavirus outbreaks (eg, due to severe acute respiratory syndrome [SARS], Middle East respiratory syndrome, or COVID-19). We undertook a systematic review by searching three electronic databases to identify what is known about the effectiveness of school closures and other school social distancing practices during coronavirus outbreaks. We included 16 of 616 identified articles. School closures were deployed rapidly across mainland China and Hong Kong for COVID-19. However, there are no data on the relative contribution of school closures to transmission control. Data from the SARS outbreak in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Singapore suggest that school closures did not contribute to the control of the epidemic. Modelling studies of SARS produced conflicting results. Recent modelling studies of COVID-19 predict that school closures alone would prevent only 2-4% of deaths, much less than other social distancing interventions. Policy makers need to be aware of the equivocal evidence when considering school closures for COVID-19, and that combinations of social distancing measures should be considered. Other less disruptive social distancing interventions in schools require further consideration if restrictive social distancing policies are implemented for long periods.

Keywords 
COVID-19 school 2019 novel coronavirus 2019-nCOV school management

Vaccination of Adults in General Medical Practice

Author/s: 
Hunter, P., Fryhofer, S.A., Szilagyi, P.

In vaccinating adults, clinicians face 2 types of challenges: (1) staying current on recommendations for influenza, pneumococcal, hepatitis A and B, zoster, and other vaccines and (2) addressing systemic barriers to implementing practices that increase vaccination rates. Although adult immunization rates remain suboptimal, there has been much good news in adult vaccination recently. New high-dose and adjuvanted influenza vaccines help improve immune response and may reduce influenza complications in older adults. The new recombinant zoster vaccine offers significantly more efficacy against zoster outbreaks and postherpetic neuralgia than zoster vaccine live. Pertussis vaccine given during the third trimester of pregnancy may prevent between 50% and 90% of pertussis infections in infants. Shorter time for completion (1 vs 6 months) of new, adjuvanted hepatitis B vaccine may increase adherence. Clinicians can address systemic barriers to increasing vaccination rates in their clinics and health care systems by following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Standards for Adult Immunization Practice. Clinicians can help increase vaccination rates by writing standing orders and by advocating for nurses or medical assistants to receive training and protected time for assessing and documenting vaccination histories and administration. Strong recommendations that presume acceptance of vaccination are effective with most patients. Communication techniques similar to motivational interviewing can help with vaccine-hesitant patients. Clinicians, as experts on providing preventive services, can educate community leaders about the benefits of immunization and can inform vaccine experts about challenges of implementing vaccination recommendations in clinical practice and strategies that can work to raise vaccination rates. 

Keywords 
adult immunization

Acute Flaccid Myelitis Investigation

Author/s: 
Center for Disease Control and Prevention
  • CDC is concerned about AFM, a serious condition that causes weakness in the arms or legs.
  • From August 2014 through August 2018, CDC has received information on a total of 362 cases of AFM across the US; most of the cases continue to occur in children.
  • Even with an increase in cases since 2014, AFM remains a very rare condition. Less than one in a million people in the United States get AFM each year.
  • It’s always important to practice disease prevention steps, such as staying up-to-date on vaccines, washing your hands, and protecting yourself from mosquito bites.
Keywords 
AFM Acute Flaccid Myelitis myelitis CDC
Subscribe to disease outbreaks