Global epidemiology: proceedings of the third TEPHINET conference -- Beijing, China, November 8-12, 2004

Investigation of Avian Influenza (H5N1) Outbreak in Humans--Thailand, 2004 / Darin Areechokchai, C. Jiraphongsa, Y. Laosiritaworn, W. Hanshaoworakul, M. O'Reilly -- Occupational Injuries Among Workers in the Cleansing Section of the City Council's Health Services Department--Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, 2001-2002 / Elizabeth Gonese, R. Matchaba-Hove, G. Chirimumba, Z. Hwalima, J. Chirenda, M. Tshimanga -- Progress Toward Tuberculosis Control and Determinants of Treatment Outcomes--Kazakhstan, 2000-2002 / Ekaterina Bumburidi, S. Ajeilat, A. Dadu, I. Aitmagambetova, J. Ershova, R. Fagan, M.O. Favorov -- Estimation of Measles Vaccination Coverage Using the Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) Method--Tamilnadu, India, 2002-2003 / Saravanan Sivasankaran, P. Manickam, R. Ramakrishnan, Y. Hutin, M.D. Gupte -- Bacterial Meningitis Among Cochlear Implant Recipients--Canada, 2002 / Samantha D. Wilson-Clark, S. Squires, S. Deeks -- Risk Factors for Neonatal Tetanus--Busoga Region, Uganda, 2002-2003 / Sheba N. Gitta, F. Wabwire-Mangen, D. Kitimbo, G. Pariyo -- Risk Factors for Brucellosis--Leylek and Kadamjay Districts, Batken Oblast, Kyrgyzstan, January-November, 2003 / Turatbek B. Kozukeev, S. Ajeilat, E. Maes, M. Favorov -- Salmonellosis Outbreak Among Factory Workers--Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China, July 2004 / Lunguang Liu, H.F. He, C.F. Dai, L.H. Liang, T.Li, L.H. Li, H.M. Luo, R. Fontaine -- Varicella Outbreak Among Primary School Students--Beijing, China, 2004 / Huilai Ma, R. Fontaine"... in 1999, the Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET) was formed. TEPHINET is dedicated to strengthening international public health capacity by enhancing competencies in applied epidemiology and public health practice.... This supplement to the MMWR highlights the work of epidemiologists who have graduated from TEPHINET member programs. The articles were developed from abstracts presented in Beijing, China, at the Third Global Scientific Conference of TEPHINET during November 8-12, 2004." - p.1Includes bibliographical references

Tick-borne diseases in Massachusetts: a physician's reference manual

Tick ID -- Summer fever algorithm -- Lyme disease -- Babesiosis -- Human granulocytic anaplasmosis -- Tularemia -- Rocky Mountain spotted fever -- Additional resourcesThe second edition of this manual was supported by funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and prepared by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH). The first edition was produced by collaboration between MDPH, Nancy Shadick, MD, MPH, and Nancy Maher, MPH of the RBB Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases Clinical Research Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dennis Hoak, MD, of Martha's Vineyard Hospital.Includes bibliographical references

Statistical summary of notifiable diseases in the United States

"This publication contains summary tables of the official statistics for the occurrence of nationally notifiable diseases in the United States for calendar year 1993. This information is collected and compiled from reports to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS). Part 1 contains information on morbidity for each of the 49 currently notifiable conditions. In all tables, leprosy is listed as Hansen disease, typhus fever (flea-borne) as murine typhus fever, and typhus fever (tick-borne) as Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF). The tables show the number of cases of notifiable diseases reported to CDC for 1993, as well as the distribution of cases by month and geographic location, and by patient's age, race, and ethnicity. Part 2 contains graphs and maps depicting summary data for many of the notifiable conditions described in tabular form in Part I. Part 3 includes tables showing the number of cases of notifiable diseases reported to CDC and to the National Office of Vital Statistics since 1944. It also includes a table on deaths associated with specified notifiable diseases reported to the National Center for Health Statistics, CDC, for the period 1982-1991." - p. iiForeward -- Background -- Data sources -- Interpreting data -- 1993 Highlights for selected diseases -- Selected bibliography -- Summaries of notifiable diseases in the United States, 1993 -- Graphs and maps for selected notifiable diseases in the United States -- Historical summary tables covering the period 1944-199 -- Notifiable Diseases"The following CDC staff members prepared this report: Denise T. Koo, Andrew G. Dean, Ruth W. Slade, Carol M. Knowles, Deborah A. Adams, Wanda K. Fortune, Patsy A. Hall, Robert F. Fagan, Barbara Panter-Connah, Harry R. Holden, Gerald F. Jones, Clarence Lee Maddox, Division of Surveillance and Epidemiology, Epidemiology Program Office; Consultant: Willie J. Anderson, Office of the Vice President for Health Affairs, Emory University.""The statistical summary of notifiable diseases in the United States is published to accompany each volume of the Morbidity and mortality weekly report."--T.p. verso.Bibliography: p. xi-xvii.924736

Notifiable diseases, United States, 1994

"This publication contains summary tables of the official statistics for the reported occurrence of nationally notifiable diseases in the United States for the year 1994. This information is collected and compiled from reports to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS). Because the dates of onset and dates of diagnosis for notifiable diseases are often unknown, these surveillance data are presented by the week that they were reported to public health officials. These data are then finalized and published in the MMWR Summary of Notifiable Diseases, United States, for use by state and local health departments; schools of medicine and public health; communications media; local, state, and federal agencies; and other agencies or persons interested in following the trends of reportable conditions in the United States. Publication of the annual summary also ensures documentation of diseases that are considered national priorities for notification and of the annual number of cases of such diseases. Part 1 contains information on morbidity for each of the conditions considered nationally notifiable during 1994. In all tables, leprosy is listed as Hansen disease and typhus fever (tick-borne) as Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF). The tables show the number of cases of notifiable diseases reported to CDC for 1994, as well as the distribution of cases by month and geographic location, and by patient's age, race, and ethnicity. The data are final totals as of July 7, 1995, unless otherwise noted. Part 2 contains graphs and maps depicting summary data for many of the notifiable conditions described in tabular form in Part I. Part 3 includes tables showing the number of cases of notifiable diseases reported to CDC and to the National Office of Vital Statistics since 1945. It also includes a table on deaths associated with specified notifiable diseases reported to the National Center for Health Statistics, CDC, for the period 1983-1992." - p. iiForeward -- Background -- Data sources -- Interpreting data -- 1994 Highlights for selected diseases -- Bibliography -- Summaries of notifiable diseases in the United States, 1994 -- Graphs and maps for selected notifiable diseases in the United States -- Historical summary tables covering the period 1945-1994 -- Notifiable DiseasesThe following CDC staff members contributed to this report: Denise T. Koo, Andrew G. Dean, Ruth W. Slade, Carol M. Knowles, Deborah A. Adams, Wanda K. Fortune, Patsy A. Hall, Robert F. Fagan, Barbara Panter-Connah, Harry R. Holden, Gerald F. Jones, Clarence Lee Maddox, Division of Surveillance and Epidemiology, Epidemiology Program Office; Dana J. Milk, Scientific Information and Communications Program, Public Health Publications Branch, Epidemiology Program Office; Consultant: , Willie J. Anderson, , Office of the Vice President for Health Affairs, Emory University.Bibliography: p. x-xvi.756553

The health benefits of a targeted cash transfer: The UK Winter Fuel Payment.

Each year, the UK records 25,000 or more excess winter deaths, primarily among the elderly. A key policy response is the "Winter Fuel Payment" (WFP), a labelled but unconditional cash transfer to households with a member above the female state pension age. The WFP has been shown to raise fuel spending among eligible households. We examine the causal effect of the WFP on health outcomes, including self-reports of chest infection, measured hypertension, and biomarkers of infection and inflammation. We find a robust, 6 percentage point reduction in the incidence of high levels of serum fibrinogen. Reductions in other disease markers point to health benefits, but the estimated effects are less robust

Framework for evaluating public health surveillance systems for early detection of outbreaks: recommendations from the CDC Working Group

"The threat of terrorism and high-profile disease outbreaks has drawn attention to public health surveillance systems for early detection of outbreaks. State and local health departments are enhancing existing surveillance systems and developing new systems to better detect outbreaks through public health surveillance. However, information is limited about the usefulness of surveillance systems for outbreak detection or the best ways to support this function. This report supplements previous guidelines for evaluating public health surveillance systems. Use of this framework is intended to improve decision-making regarding the implementation of surveillance for outbreak detection. Use of a standardized evaluation methodology, including description of system design and operation, also will enhance the exchange of information regarding methods to improve early detection of outbreaks. The framework directs particular attention to the measurement of timeliness and validity for outbreak detection. The evaluation framework is designed to support assessment and description of all surveillance approaches to early detection, whether through traditional disease reporting, specialized analytic routines for aberration detection, or surveillance using early indicators of disease outbreaks, such as syndromic surveillance." - p. 1prepared by James W. Buehler, Richard S. Hopkins, J. Marc Overhage, Daniel M. Sosin, Van Tong.Cover title."May 7, 2004.""The material in this report originated in the Epidemiology Program Office, Stephen B. Thacker, M.D., Director, and the Division of Public Health Surveillance and Informatics, Daniel M. Sosin, M.D., Director."Includes bibliographical references (p. 10-11)

Is brief advice in primary care a cost-effective way to promote physical activity?

This article is made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund. This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 3.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial.Aim: This study models the cost-effectiveness of brief advice (BA) in primary care for physical activity (PA) addressing the limitations in the current limited economic literature through the use of a time-based modelling approach. Methods: A Markov model was used to compare the lifetime costs and outcomes of a cohort of 100 000 people exposed to BA versus usual care. Health outcomes were expressed in terms of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Costs were assessed from a health provider perspective (£2010/11 prices). Data to populate the model were derived from systematic literature reviews and the literature searches of economic evaluations that were conducted for national guidelines. Deterministic and probability sensitivity analyses explored the uncertainty in parameter estimates including short-term mental health gains associated with PA. Results: Compared with usual care, BA is more expensive, incurring additional costs of £806 809 but it is more effective leading to 466 QALYs gained in the total cohort, a QALY gain of 0.0047/person. The incremental cost per QALY of BA is £1730 (including mental health gains) and thus can be considered cost-effective at a threshold of £20 000/QALY. Most changes in assumptions resulted in the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) falling at or below £12 000/QALY gained. However, when short-term mental health gains were excluded the ICER was £27 000/QALY gained. The probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed that, at a threshold of £20 000/QALY, there was a 99.9% chance that BA would be cost-effective. Conclusions: BA is a cost-effective way to improve PA among adults, provided short-term mental health gains are considered. Further research is required to provide more accurate evidence on factors contributing to the cost-effectiveness of BA.NICE Centre for Public Health Excellenc

Surveillance for certain health behaviors among states and selected local areas: United States, 2008

[Elizabeth Hughes ... et al.].Cover title."December 10, 2010.""Corresponding author: Lina Balluz ... Division of Behavioral Surveillance, Public Health Surveillance Program Office (PHSPO), Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services (OSELS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention"--P. 1.Continues: Surveillance of certain health behaviors and conditions among states and selected local areas : Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United States, 2007."The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is an ongoing, state-based, random-digit-dialed telephone survey of noninstitutionalized adults residing in the United States. BRFSS collects data on health risk behaviors, preventive health services and practices, and access to health care related to the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. This report presents results for 2008 for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, 177 metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas (MMSAs), and 266 counties"--P. 1.Also available via the World Wide Web.Includes bibliographical references (p. 11-12)

Effectiveness of psychological interventions for smoking cessation in adults with mental health problems: A systematic review

Purpose: People with long-term mental health problems are heavier smokers than the general population, and suffer greater smoking-related morbidity and mortality. Little is known about the effectiveness of psychological smoking cessation interventions for this group. This review evaluates evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effectiveness of psychological interventions, used alone or with pharmacotherapy, in reducing smoking in adults with mental health problems. Methods: We searched relevant articles between January 1999 and March 2019 and identified 6,200 papers. Two reviewers screened 81 full-text articles. Outcome measures included number of cigarettes smoked per day, 7-day point prevalence abstinence, and continuous abstinence from smoking. Results: Thirteen RCTs, involving 1,497 participants, met the inclusion criteria. Psychological interventions included cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing (MI), counselling, and telephone smoking cessation support. Three trials resulted in significant reductions in smoking for patients receiving psychological interventions compared with controls. Two trials showed higher 7-day point prevalence in intervention plus nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) versus standard care groups. Four trials showed that participants who combined pharmacotherapy (bupropion or varenicline) with CBT were more likely to reduce their smoking by 50% than those receiving CBT only. Four out of five trials that compared different psychological interventions (with or without NRT) had positive outcomes regardless of intervention type. Conclusions: This study contributes to our understanding in a number of ways: The available evidence is consistent with a range of psychological interventions being independently effective in reducing smoking by people with mental health problems; however, too few well-designed studies have been conducted for us to be confident about, for example, which interventions work best for whom, and how they should be implemented. Evidence is clearer for a range of psychological interventions – including CBT, MI, and behavioural or supportive counselling – being effective when used with NRT or pharmacotherapy. Telephone-based and relatively brief interventions appear to be as effective as more intense and longer-term ones. There is also good evidence for a strong dose-response relationship – increased attendance predicts improved outcomes – and for interventions having more positive than negative effects on psychiatric symptoms

Strategies for recruiting Hispanic women into a prospective cohort study of modifiable risk factors for gestational diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this article was to describe effective strategies for recruitment of Hispanic women into a prospective cohort study of modifiable risk factors for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Although Hispanic women have two to four times the risk of developing GDM compared with non-Hispanic white women, few GDM prevention studies have included Hispanic women. METHODS: The study was conducted in the ambulatory obstetrical practices of Baystate Medical Center located in a socioeconomically and ethnically diverse city in Massachusetts. The study employed a range of strategies to recruit Hispanic women based on a review of the literature as well as prior experience with the study population. RESULTS: Over a period of 32 months, a total of 851 Hispanic prenatal care patients were recruited. Among eligible women, 52.4% agreed to participate. Participants were young (70% <25 years), with low levels of education, and on public health insurance (81.5%); 88% were unmarried. Study design features such as use of bilingual recruiters, a flexible recruitment process, training recruiters to be culturally sensitive, use of culturally tailored materials, prescreening participants, participant compensation, seeking the cooperation of clinic staff, and continuous monitoring of recruitment goals emerged as important issues influencing recruitment. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that investigators can successfully recruit pregnant women from ethnic minority groups of low socioeconomic status into observational studies. The study provides culturally appropriate recruitment strategies useful for practice-based settings recruiting Hispanic research participation