 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Sonja Hutchins, MD, MPH, DrPH1, Mona Marin, MD1, Jane Seward, MBBS, MPH1, Inger Damon, MD, PhD2, and CDC Rash Illness Team3. (1) National Immunization Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333, 404-639-8760, ssh1@cdc.gov, (2) National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600, Atlanta, GA 30333, (3) National Immunization Program and the National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333
After anthrax attacks in 2001, health departments received requests to evaluate patients suspected of smallpox. Limited knowledge about the diagnosis of smallpox by healthcare providers led to inappropriate requests for smallpox testing. In collaboration with partners, CDC developed a rash-illness protocol for systematically evaluating patients for smallpox in the pre-event setting. We examine CDC pre-event surveillance using the protocol. In 2001, CDC established a consultation line 24 hours per day and 7 days a week to assist state and local health departments in responding to calls of rash illnesses suspected of smallpox. Since January 2002, the protocol was used to examine and classifiy patients with a generalized vesicular or pustular rash as low, moderate, or high risk for smallpox. Testing for smallpox was only recommended for rashes classified as high risk. From January 1, 2002 - May 23, 2003, CDC received 36 calls of suspected cases for smallpox. Thirty-two patients were classified as low risk, while 4 patients were classified as moderate risk. Varicella infection, the most frequent illness, was diagnosed for 3(75%) of the moderate risk patients and 16 (50%) of the low risk patients. During pre-event surveillance of smallpox, the CDC protocol for evaluating patients provides a systematic approach to assessment of suspected cases and minimizes unnecessary testing for smallpox and the risk of false-positive results. Training of health care providers is needed for rapid classification of suspected cases and for prevention of major disruptions in the medical and public health systems because of false alarms.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Surveillance, Bioterrorism
Related Web page: www.cdc.gov/smallpox
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.