Tuberculosis transmission in a homeless shelter population--New York, 2000-2003

In 2003, the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) cases in the United States declined for the eleventh consecutive year to a record low of 5.1 cases per 100,000 population. In 2003, 6.3% of reported TB cases in the United States were among homeless persons. Compared with the general population, this group has a greater risk for latent TB infection (LTBI) and progression to active disease. This report summarizes a recent outbreak of TB and highlights the challenges of preventing TB among homeless persons, particularly when multiple chains of transmission are occurring and multiple jurisdictions are involved. The findings underscore the complementary role of rapid DNA genotyping in the detection of possible TB transmission in homeless populations. To ensure early detection of unsuspected TB transmission in homeless populations, health department TB-control programs are encouraged to use CDC's universal Mycobacterium tuberculosis rapid genotyping system.     

Tuberculosis transmission in multiple correctional facilities--Kansas, 2002-2003

Tuberculosis (TB) is a substantial health concern in correctional facilities; inmates and employees are at high risk, and TB outbreaks can lead to transmission in surrounding communities. The Advisory Council for the Elimination of Tuberculosis (ACET) recommends that all correctional facilities have a written TB infection-control plan (TBICP). In September 2002, after diagnosis of smear-positive pulmonary TB in a prison inmate, the Kansas TB Control Program, with assistance from CDC, initiated a 6-month contact investigation. This report summarizes the results of that investigation, which determined that, while symptomatic for TB, the inmate had resided in three different jails and a state prison, placing hundreds of employees and other inmates at risk for TB infection. The circumstances of this case underscore the need for effective TBICPs to be implemented by trained employees in jails and prisons and for establishment of mechanisms to facilitate information-sharing between correctional facilities and local and state health departments.     

Tuberculosis notifications in Australia, 2003.

The National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (NNDSS) received 982 tuberculosis (TB) notifications in 2003, of which 947 were new cases, 33 were relapses and two were cases with unknown history. The incidence of TB in Australia has remained at a stable rate since 1985 and was 4.9 cases per 100,000 population in 2003. The high-incidence groups remain people born overseas and Indigenous Australians at 19.9 and 8.7 cases per 100,000 population, respectively. By contrast the incidence in non-Indigenous Australians was 0.9 per 100,000. Comparison of the 2003 TB notification data against the performance indicators set by National Tuberculosis Advisory Committee highlights that enhanced TB control measures should be considered among these high-risk groups.     

Tuberculosis in Poland in 2003

In 2003 year decrease of tuberculosis notification rates in Poland has continued. In this year 10 125 tuberculosis cases (TB) were notified in Poland--incidence rate--26.5 per 100 000 population, with the large differences in notification rates between voivodeships (from 16.9 to 39.8/100 000). Between 1994-2003 notification rates decreased by 3.9% yearly overall. 87.8% of the TB cases notified were new cases. Pulmonary cases represented 90.9% of TB cases. Male to female sex ratio--2.1. Age specific rates were much lower in children--1.5/100 000 (100 cases)--1% of all TB cases and highest in person over 65 years--57.6/100 000 (27.9% all TB cases). Sixty percent of all pulmonary cases were confirmed by culture and 38% were sputum smear positive. Among all the pulmonary TB cases treated there were 292 cases with resistance to at least one drug. They represented 3.4% of bacteriologically positive pulmonary cases treated and from many years remains relatively low. There 892 death due tuberculosis reported in 2002 y.i.e. 2.3/100 000. Mortality among males--3.7 and 1.1/100 000 among females. Since many years the TB mortality is of the order 0.2% of total mortality and almost 40% mortality from infectious diseases. In 2003 year--93.5% new born babies were vaccinated BCG; 82% of all TB pulmonary cases were detect by symptoms and 4% by contact examination. Success rates (cured or completed) of treatment were reported in 83.3%; failed 1.0%; deaths during treatment were reported in 6.2% (2.4% from TB) treatment default in 7.8% treated cases.     

Tuberculosis in children and adolescents, Taiwan, 1996-2003

Analysis of data from Taiwan's National Tuberculosis (TB) Registry showed that incidence of TB in persons <20 years of age was 9.61/100,000 person-years, biphasic, and age-relevant, with a major peak in persons slightly >12 years. Aboriginal children were 8.1-17.4x more likely to have TB than non-Aboriginal children.     

Tuberculosis genotyping in six low-incidence States, 2000-2003

BACKGROUND: As tuberculosis incidence declines in the United States, a new tool for TB control efforts is Mycobacterium tuberculosis genotyping. Colorado, Iowa, Montana, New Hampshire, West Virginia, and Wisconsin began routine genotyping of all culture-confirmed TB cases in October 2000. METHODS: M. tuberculosis isolates from cases reported October 2000 through December 2003 were genotyped by spoligotyping, mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units, and IS6110-based restriction fragment length polymorphism methods. Genotyping results were linked to demographic variables from national surveillance records. Patients who were in genotype clusters were interviewed and their records reviewed to determine possible transmission links among clustered patients. Final analysis was completed during April 2004 through June 2005. RESULTS: Of 971 reported TB cases, 774 (80%) were culture-confirmed, of which 728 (94%) were genotyped. Most genotyped isolates (634 [87%]) were unique. Within 36 clusters linking 94 individuals, four clusters involved both U.S.- and foreign-born individuals. For eight clusters, genotyping results led to the discovery of previously unsuspected transmission. Transmission links between individuals were established in 21 (58%) of the 36 clusters. CONCLUSIONS: In these six low-incidence states, most isolates had unique genotypes, suggesting that most cases arose from activation of latent infection. Few TB clusters involved the foreign-born. For 58% of genotype clusters, epidemiologic investigation ascertained that clustering represented recent M. tuberculosis transmission.     

Tuberculosis transmission in nontraditional settings: a decision-tree approach

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) transmission in nontraditional settings and relationships (non-TSR) often eludes detection by conventional contact investigation and is increasingly common. The U.S.-based National Tuberculosis Genotyping and Surveillance Network collected epidemiologic data and genotyping results of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from 1996 to 2000. METHODS: In 2003-2004, we determined the number and characteristics of TB patients in non-TSR that were involved in recent transmission, generated a decision tree to profile those patients, and performed a case-control study to identify predictors of being in non-TSR. RESULTS: Of 10,844 culture-positive reported TB cases that were genotyped, 4724 (43.6%) M. tuberculosis isolates were clustered with at least one other isolate. Among these, 520 (11%) had epidemiologic linkages discovered during conventional contact investigation or cluster investigation and confirmed by genotyping results. The decision tree identified race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic white or black) as having the greatest predictive ability to determine patients in non-TSR, followed by being aged 15 to 24 years and having positive or unknown HIV infection status. From the 520, 85 (16.4%) had non-TSR, and 435 (83.6%) had traditional settings and relationships (TSR). In multivariate analyses, patients in non-TSR were significantly more likely than those in TSR to be non-Hispanic white (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=6.1; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.7-21.1]) or to have an M. tuberculosis isolate resistant to rifampin (aOR=5.2; 95% CI=1.5-17.7). CONCLUSIONS: Decision-tree analyses can be used to enhance both the efficiency and effectiveness of TB prevention and control activities in identifying patients in non-TSR.     

Multifocal autochthonous transmission of malaria--Florida, 2003

The majority of malaria cases diagnosed in the United States are imported, usually by persons traveling from areas where malaria is endemic. However, small outbreaks of locally acquired mosquito-borne malaria continue to occur. During July-September 2003, an outbreak of malaria (eight cases of Plasmodium vivax malaria) occurred in Palm Beach County, Florida. During the same period, two patients were evaluated for malaria in neighboring Okeechobee County, approximately 75 miles from the Palm Beach County transmission area. One patient was thought to have acquired infection with the same parasite species (P. vivax), and concerns were raised about a possible link. To determine whether infection was acquired in Okeechobee County and whether a possible link existed to the Palm Beach County outbreak, the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) initiated an investigation. This report describes that investigation, which determined that although initial laboratory results suggested local transmission, subsequent evaluation and testing confirmed the case as imported malaria. These findings underscore the importance of a rapid and thorough investigation of any malaria case suspected to be acquired through local mosquito-borne transmission.     

2003-2009年若尔盖县结核病防治效果分析

目的 通过对若尔盖县6年来结核病防治工作情况分析,评价短程督导化疗在边远贫困县结核病的防治效果,判断结核病防治工作落实情况、防治效果及其影响因素.方法 对1982例结核病门诊就诊患者和578例结核病患者人项患者治疗情况分析.结果 1 982人次,平均就诊率达到402.9/10万.578人次,患病率117.5/10万,逐年呈下降趋势.新发患者3月末转阴率95.3％,复治涂阳患者3月末转阴率85.7％.平均治愈率达到76.3％,新发涂阳患者完成治疗率6.9％、丢失率占7.3％.结论 若尔盖县结核病得到有效的控制,但仍需建立长效防病机制,加强患者的管理,控制传染源减少丢失率.     

2003-2009年阿坝州结核病控制项目效果分析

目的评价阿坝州2003-2009年结核病项目的实施效果。方法对2003-2009年阿坝州结核病控制项目季报表、年报表及网络直报系统资料进行分析和评价。结果 2003-2009年阿坝州共接诊可疑肺结核症状15 337例,发现活动性肺结核病患者5 578例,涂阳患者3 602例,涂阳患者登记率由2003年的33.00/10万提高到2009年的58.25/10万。初治涂阳患者治愈率由2004年的76.33%提高到2009年的93.83%,平均治愈率为87.54%。复治涂阳患者治疗成功率达91.27%。结论阿坝州在全球基金结核病项目的支持下,推行现代结核病控制策略,极大地促进并规范了阿坝州结核病防治工作的实施,为结核病防治工作可持续发展打下了良好的基础。     

Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission in a newborn nursery and maternity ward--New York City, 2003

Evaluating young children recently exposed to airborne Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a public health priority. If infected, children aged <2 years are at high risk for severe tuberculosis (TB) disease (e.g., TB meningitis). In December 2003, infectious pulmonary TB disease was diagnosed in a foreign-born nurse working in the newborn nursery and maternity ward of a New York City hospital (hospital A); the nurse had declined treatment for latent TB infection (LTBI) after testing positive 11 years earlier. An investigation including medical evaluation of contacts in the nursery and maternity ward was conducted by the Bureau of TB Control (BTBC) at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, hospital A, and CDC. This report summarizes the results of that investigation, which determined that approximately 1,500 patients had been exposed to the nurse but the majority could not be located for evaluation. Among those who were tested, four infants had positive tuberculin skin test (TST) results, likely attributable to recent transmission of M. tuberculosis. The findings emphasize the difficulty of conducting contact investigations in certain settings and the importance of effective LTBI testing and treatment programs for health-care workers (HCWs) to prevent TB disease and subsequent health-care--associated transmission.     

Palliative dialysis in end-stage renal disease

Dialysis patients are often denied hospice benefits unless they forego dialysis treatments. However, many of those patients might benefit from as-needed dialysis treatments to palliate symptoms of uremia, fluid overload, etc. The current Medicare payment system precludes this "palliative dialysis" except in those few cases where the terminal diagnosis is unrelated to renal failure. As approximately three quarters of all US patients on dialysis have Medicare as their primary insurance, a of review of Medicare policy is suggested, with a goal of creating a new "palliative dialysis" category that would allow patients to receive treatments on a less regular schedule without affecting the quality statistics of the dialysis center.( 1 ).     

Provision of home dialysis by freestanding renal dialysis facilities

This article explores home dialysis provision among freestanding renal facilities by examining whether they provide continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), continuous cycling peritoneal dialysis (CCPD), and home hemodialysis. These modalities require fewer visits to a dialysis center, which may be beneficial for patients living long distances from facilities. A negative association was found between the number of facilities per square mile and the probability of provision of the home modalities. Secondly, facilities with a higher percent of black patients were less likely to provide the home modalities. Thirdly, facilities with larger numbers of patients were more likely to provide the home modalities.     

Tuberculosis transmission in the triple border region: Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina

Tuberculosis is a public health problem in South America, but numerous control strategies have proven ineffective in settings with intense transmission. This study aimed to determine whether the triple border region between Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay is an area of high tuberculosis transmission. An ecological study was conducted with incidence data and population estimates for the three countries. Mean incidence rates were calculated for 2001 to 2007. Spatial analysis techniques identified high-incidence areas in the region using maps with Bayesian smoothing of rates and spatial averages. During the target period, Foz do Igua?u, Brazil, had the highest incidence, followed by Ciudad del Este in Paraguay, and Puerto Iguazú in Argentina. The analysis showed a spatial cluster of municipalities with high tuberculosis risk in the triple border region. Tuberculosis in the tri-border area shows increasing or stable incidence rates and municipalities with incidence rates above the State average. The area has high tuberculosis incidence and therefore heavy transmission of the disease.     

安徽省濉溪县2003—2010年结核病预防与控制效果评价

目的 分析安徽省濉溪县2003-2010年结核病预防与控制效果.方法按《全国结核病防治规划(2001-2010年)》和《中国结核病防治规划实施工作指南》及有关《项目实施计划》所规定的指标、标准和定义进行调查、核实及统计分析.结果安徽省濉溪县2003-2010年共登记涂阳患者3 922例,年均登记率为43.90/ 10万,其中新涂阳患者年均登记率为36.30/10万,登记率由2003年的14.14/10万上升到2010年的36.21/10万(x2=111.80,P＜0.01);新涂阳任务指标年均完成率为104.85％;涂阳患者年均治愈率为93.73％,治愈率由2003年的86.21％提高到2010年的97.07％ (x2=31.04,P＜ 0.01),其中新涂阳患者年均治愈率为94.76％,复治涂阳年均治愈率为88.81％,两者的治愈率均呈波状上升趋势;涂阴患者年均完成治疗率为95.54％.结论 濉溪县结核病防治工作效果显著,认真执行DOTS策略是结核病人高发现率、高治愈率和防止耐多药产生的有效措施.