230995 Multifaceted Faces of A Local Mumps Outbreak

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Elquemedo Oscar Alleyne, MPH , Epidemiology, Rockland County Department of Health, Pomona, NY
Anil Vaidian, MD, MPH , Rockland County Department of Health, Pomona, NY
Tatiana Dolinsky , Rockland County Department of Health, Pomona, NY
Maria Souto , Rockland County Department of Health, Pomona, NY
Joan Facelle, MD, MPH , Commissioner of Health, Rockland County Department of Health, Pomona, NY
We report an outbreak of mumps among religiously observant and other susceptible communities in Rockland County as part of a multi-jurisdictional outbreak in New York, New Jersey, Israel and Quebec, Canada.

In September of 2009, there were 2 reported cases of mumps in school aged campers were reported to the Rockland County Health Department (RCDOH). These cases were due to an exposure a month earlier to an imported case of mumps, however the illness spread from the unvaccinated campers to local religiously observant communities. The RCDOH developed and distributed several provider and education based notifications. By December, there were over 200 confirmed cases identified.

Initial case findings indicated lower vaccination coverage in the case population. The majority of the cases were in adolescent males, which matched the distribution in the other jurisdictions affected nationally and internationally. The RCDOH initiated school exclusion orders and conducted school based audits of vaccination records with the assistance of the New York State Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control. While the results of school audits indicated better vaccination coverage than initially identified, the case numbers increased to over 370 cases by February 2010, with newer epi-linked cases identified in a susceptible immigrant population

This presentation highlights the multi faceted approaches to investigating and controlling a sustained outbreak of mumps from the perspective of a local health department. Of additional importance is the role that epidemiology, clinical diagnosis, educational, community networks, perception and communication play in the success or failure to maintain controls that curb outbreak conditions.

Learning Areas:
Diversity and culture
Epidemiology
Protection of the public in relation to communicable diseases including prevention or control

Learning Objectives:
1.Outline the local response to a large-scale 8 month outbreak of vaccine preventable communicable disease 2.Demonstrate the decision-making criteria developed for outbreak control and prevention in nontraditional settings 3.Identify barriers and successful approaches for community engagement

Keywords: Epidemiology, Outbreaks

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Director of Epidemiology & Public Health Planning Rockland County Dept of Health
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.