Last data update: May 06, 2024. (Total: 46732 publications since 2009)
Records 1-10 (of 10 Records) |
Query Trace: Fishbein DB[original query] |
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Knowledge, attitudes, and practices among border crossers during temporary enforcement of a formal entry requirement for Mexican-style soft cheeses, 2009
Nguyen AV , Cohen NJ , Gao H , Fishbein DB , Keir J , Ocana JM , Senini L , Flores A , Waterman SH . J Food Prot 2014 77 (9) 1571-8 Mexican-style soft cheese known as queso fresco (QF), which is often unpasteurized, has been implicated in outbreaks of foodborne illness in the United States. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) exercises discretion in enforcement of noncommercial importation of cheese. To test control measures aimed at decreasing unlawful QF importation, in 2009 the FDA temporarily enforced a requirement for formal commercial entry for all cheeses over 5 lb (2.3 kg) at the San Diego-Tijuana border. Enforcement was combined with educational outreach. Border crossers importing cheese and those not importing cheese were surveyed at the beginning and end of the temporary enforcement period. Data collected included participant demographic information, knowledge of QF-associated health risks, and attitudes and practices regarding QF consumption and importation. We surveyed 306 importers and 381 nonimporters. Compared with nonimporters, importers had a lower level of knowledge regarding QF-associated health risks (P < 0.0001). Border crossers carrying cheese were more likely to have less education, be U.S. or dual residents, consume QF more frequently, and cross the border less often. Importation and consumption of unpasteurized QF remained prevalent among border crossers during the temporary enforcement period, and the level of knowledge regarding QF-associated risks remained low among these crossers. More vigorous, sustained messaging targeted at high-risk groups is needed to change behaviors. Definition and consistent enforcement of limits will likely be needed to reduce QF importation and the risk of QF-associated diseases along the U.S.-Mexico border; however, public health benefits will need to be balanced against the cost of enforcement. |
Swine flu in college: early campus response to outbreak control measures
Mitchell T , Massoudi M , Swerdlow DL , Dee DL , Gould LH , Kutty PK , Prime MS , Silverman PR , Fishbein DB . Am J Health Behav 2014 38 (3) 448-464 OBJECTIVES: To describe student and faculty attitudes towards and adherence to nonpharmaceutical control measures during the first-known university outbreak of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1). METHODS: Preferred information sources, control measure adherence and likelihood of adherence during future outbreaks, and perceived illness risk, were explored through focus groups and patient interviews. RESULTS: We conducted 7 focus groups (N=48) and 9 patient interviews. Measures (eg, hand hygiene, self-isolation while ill) were initially heeded. Limited information regarding A(H1N1) pdm09, insufficient understanding of university decisions, and perceived university alert overuse led to reports that future outbreaks would be regarded less seriously. CONCLUSIONS: Reported concern and commitment to recommendations decreased rapidly. Initial university messaging and response was critical in shaping participants' later perceptions. |
Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 during air travel
Neatherlin J , Cramer EH , Dubray C , Marienau KJ , Russell M , Sun H , Whaley M , Hancock K , Duong KK , Kirking HL , Schembri C , Katz JM , Cohen NJ , Fishbein DB . Travel Med Infect Dis 2013 11 (2) 110-8 The global spread of the influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus (pH1N1) associated with travelers from North America during the onset of the 2009 pandemic demonstrates the central role of international air travel in virus migration. To characterize risk factors for pH1N1 transmission during air travel, we investigated travelers and airline employees from four North American flights carrying ill travelers with confirmed pH1N1 infection. Of 392 passengers and crew identified, information was available for 290 (74%) passengers were interviewed. Overall attack rates for acute respiratory infection and influenza-like illness 1-7 days after travel were 5.2% and 2.4% respectively. Of 43 individuals that provided sera, 4 (9.3%) tested positive for pH1N1 antibodies, including 3 with serologic evidence of asymptomatic infection. Investigation of novel influenza aboard aircraft may be instructive. However, beyond the initial outbreak phase, it may compete with community-based mitigation activities, and interpretation of findings will be difficult in the context of established community transmission. |
Mass screening for fever in children: a comparison of 3 infrared thermal detection systems
Selent MU , Molinari NM , Baxter A , Nguyen AV , Siegelson H , Brown CM , Plummer A , Higgins A , Podolsky S , Spandorfer P , Cohen NJ , Fishbein DB . Pediatr Emerg Care 2013 29 (3) 305-13 OBJECTIVES: Infrared thermal detection systems (ITDSs) have been used with limited success outside the United States to screen for fever during recent outbreaks of novel infectious diseases. Although ITDSs are fairly accurate in detecting fever in adults, there is little information about their utility in children. METHODS: In a pediatric emergency department, we compared temperatures of children (<18 years old) measured using 3 ITDSs (OptoTherm Thermoscreen, FLIR ThermoVision 360, and Thermofocus 0800H3) to standard, age-appropriate temperature measurements (confirmed fever defined as ≥38.0 degrees C [oral or rectal], ≥37.0 degrees C [axillary]). Measured temperatures were compared with parental reports of fever using descriptive, multivariate, and receiver operating characteristic analyses. RESULTS: Of 855 patients, 400 (46.8%) had parent-reported fever, and 306 (35.8%) had confirmed fever. At optimal fever thresholds, OptoTherm and FLIR had sensitivity (83.0% and 83.7%, respectively) approximately equal to parental report (83.9%) and greater than Thermofocus (76.8%), and specificity (86.3% and 85.7%) greater than parental report (70.8%) and Thermofocus (79.4%). Correlation coefficients between traditional thermometry and ITDSs were 0.78 (OptoTherm), 0.75 (FLIR), and 0.66 (Thermofocus). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with traditional thermometry, FLIR and OptoTherm were reasonably accurate in detecting fever in children and better predictors of fever than parental report. These findings suggest that ITDSs could be a useful noninvasive screening tool for fever in the pediatric age group. |
Effectiveness of a school district closure for pandemic influenza A (H1N1) on acute respiratory illnesses in the community: a natural experiment
Copeland DL , Basurto-Davila R , Chung W , Kurian A , Fishbein DB , Szymanowski P , Zipprich J , Lipman H , Cetron MS , Meltzer MI , Averhoff F . Clin Infect Dis 2012 56 (4) 509-16 BACKGROUND: Following detection of pandemic influenza A H1N1 (pH1N1) in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, a school district (intervention community, [IC]) closed all public schools for eight days to reduce transmission. Nearby school districts (control community [CC]) mostly remained open. METHODS: We collected household data to measure self-reported acute respiratory illness (ARI), before, during, and after school closures. We also collected influenza-related visits to emergency departments (ED(flu)). RESULTS: In both communities, self-reported ARIs and ED(flu) visits increased from before to during the school closure, but the increase in ARI rates was 45% lower in the IC,0.6% before to 1.2% during, than in the CC, 0.4% before to 1.5% during (RR(During/Before)=0.55, p=0.001; aOR(During/Before)=0.49, p<.03). For households with school age children only (no children 0-5 years), IC had even lower increases in adjusted ARI than in the CC (aOR(During/Before)=0.28, p<.001). The relative increase of total ED(flu) visits in the IC was 27% lower (2.8% before to 4.4% during) compared to the CC (2.9% before to 6.2% during). Among children 6-18 years old, the percentage of ED(flu) in IC remained constant (5.1% before vs. 5.2% during), while in the CC it more than doubled (5.2% before vs. 10.9% during). After schools re-opened, ARI rates and ED(flu) visits decreased in both communities. CONCLUSIONS: Our study documents a reduction in ARI and ED(flu) visits in the intervention community. Our findings can be used to assess the potential benefit of school closures during pandemics. |
Emergency health risk communication during the 2007 San Diego wildfires: comprehension, compliance, and recall
Sugerman DE , Keir JM , Dee DL , Lipman H , Waterman SH , Ginsberg M , Fishbein DB . J Health Commun 2012 17 (6) 698-712 In October 2007, wildfires burned nearly 300,000 acres in San Diego County, California. Emergency risk communication messages were broadcast to reduce community exposure to air pollution caused by the fires. The objective of this investigation was to determine residents' exposure to, understanding of, and compliance with these messages. From March to June 2008, the authors surveyed San Diego County residents using a 40-question instrument and random digit dialing. The 1,802 respondents sampled were predominantly 35-64 years old (65.9%), White (65.5%), and educated past high school (79.0%). Most (82.5%) lived more than 1 mile away from the fires, although many were exposed to smoky air for 5-7 days (60.7%) inside and outside their homes. Most persons surveyed reported hearing fire-related health messages (87.9%) and nearly all (97.9%) understood the messages they heard. Respondents complied with most to all of the nontechnical health messages, including staying inside the home (58.7%), avoiding outdoor exercise (88.4%), keeping windows and doors closed (75.8%), and wetting ash before cleanup (75.6%). In contrast, few (<5%) recalled hearing technical messages to place air conditioners on recirculate, use High-Efficiency Particulate Air filters, or use N-95 respirators during ash cleanup, and less than 10% of all respondents followed these specific recommendations. The authors found that nontechnical message recall, understanding, and compliance were high during the wildfires, and reported recall and compliance with technical messages were much lower. Future disaster health communication should further explore barriers to recall and compliance with technical recommendations. |
Non-pharmaceutical interventions during an outbreak of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus infection at a large public university, April-May 2009
Mitchell T , Dee DL , Phares CR , Lipman HB , Gould LH , Kutty P , Desai M , Guh A , Iuliano AD , Silverman P , Siebold J , Armstrong GL , Swerdlow DL , Massoudi MS , Fishbein DB . Clin Infect Dis 2011 52 S138-S145 Nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), such as home isolation, social distancing, and infection control measures, are recommended by public health agencies as strategies to mitigate transmission during influenza pandemics. However, NPI implementation has rarely been studied in large populations. During an outbreak of 2009 Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) virus infection at a large public university in April 2009, an online survey was conducted among students, faculty, and staff to assess knowledge of and adherence to university-recommended NPI. Although 3924 (65%) of 6049 student respondents and 1057 (74%) of 1401 faculty respondents reported increased use of self-protective NPI, such as hand washing, only 27 (6.4%) of 423 students and 5 (8.6%) of 58 faculty with acute respiratory infection (ARI) reported staying home while ill. Nearly one-half (46%) of student respondents, including 44.7% of those with ARI, attended social events. Results indicate a need for efforts to increase compliance with home isolation and social distancing measures. |
Comparison of 3 infrared thermal detection systems and self-report for mass fever screening
Nguyen AV , Cohen NJ , Lipman H , Brown CM , Molinari NA , Jackson WL , Kirking H , Szymanowski P , Wilson TW , Salhi BA , Roberts RR , Stryker DW , Fishbein DB . Emerg Infect Dis 2010 16 (11) 1710-7 Despite limited evidence regarding their utility, infrared thermal detection systems (ITDS) are increasingly being used for mass fever detection. We compared temperature measurements for 3 ITDS (FLIR ThermoVision A20M [FLIR Systems Inc., Boston, MA, USA], OptoTherm Thermoscreen [OptoTherm Thermal Imaging Systems and Infrared Cameras Inc., Sewickley, PA, USA], and Wahl Fever Alert Imager HSI2000S [Wahl Instruments Inc., Asheville, NC, USA]) with oral temperatures (≥ 100 degrees F = confirmed fever) and self-reported fever. Of 2,873 patients enrolled, 476 (16.6%) reported a fever, and 64 (2.2%) had a confirmed fever. Self-reported fever had a sensitivity of 75.0%, specificity 84.7%, and positive predictive value 10.1%. At optimal cutoff values for detecting fever, temperature measurements by OptoTherm and FLIR had greater sensitivity (91.0% and 90.0%, respectively) and specificity (86.0% and 80.0%, respectively) than did self-reports. Correlations between ITDS and oral temperatures were similar for OptoTherm (rho = 0.43) and FLIR (rho = 0.42) but significantly lower for Wahl (rho = 0.14; p < 0.001). When compared with oral temperatures, 2 systems (OptoTherm and FLIR) were reasonably accurate for detecting fever and predicted fever better than self-reports. |
Likely transmission of norovirus on an airplane, October 2008
Kirking HL , Cortes J , Burrer S , Hall AJ , Cohen NJ , Lipman H , Kim C , Daly ER , Fishbein DB . Clin Infect Dis 2010 50 (9) 1216-21 BACKGROUND: On 8 October 2008, members of a tour group experienced diarrhea and vomiting throughout an airplane flight from Boston, Massachusetts, to Los Angeles, California, resulting in an emergency diversion 3 h after takeoff. An investigation was conducted to determine the cause of the outbreak, assess whether transmission occurred on the airplane, and describe risk factors for transmission. METHODS: Passengers and crew were contacted to obtain information about demographics, symptoms, locations on the airplane, and possible risk factors for transmission. Case patients were defined as passengers with vomiting or diarrhea (3 loose stools in 24 h) and were asked to submit stool samples for norovirus testing by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Thirty-six (88%) of 41 tour group members were interviewed, and 15 (41%) met the case definition (peak date of illness onset, 8 October 2008). Of 106 passengers who were not tour group members, 85 (80%) were interviewed, and 7 (8%) met the case definition after the flight (peak date of illness onset, 10 October 2008). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that sitting in an aisle seat (adjusted relative risk, 11.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.4-84.9) and sitting near any tour group member (adjusted relative risk, 7.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.7-33.6) were associated with the development of illness. Norovirus genotype II was detected by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction in stool samples from case patients in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the short duration, transmission of norovirus likely occurred during the flight. |
Reporting patterns and characteristics of tuberculosis among international travelers, United States, June 2006 to May 2008
Modi S , Buff AM , Lawson CJ , Rodriguez D , Kirking HL , Lipman H , Fishbein DB . Clin Infect Dis 2009 49 (6) 885-91 BACKGROUND: As part of efforts to prevent the introduction of communicable diseases into the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducts surveillance for selected diseases in international travelers. One of these diseases, tuberculosis (TB), received substantial attention in May 2007 when the CDC issued travel restrictions and a federal isolation order for a person with drug-resistant TB who traveled internationally against public health recommendations. METHODS: Reports of TB in international travelers in the CDC's Quarantine Activity Reporting System (QARS) from 1 June 2006 through 31 May 2007 (year 1) were compared with reports from 1 June 2007 through 31 May 2008 (year 2). These reports were classified using the CDC and American Thoracic Society guidelines and analyzed for epidemiologic characteristics and trends. RESULTS: Among QARS reports, 4.6% were classified as active TB disease and 1.7% as no TB disease. Active TB disease reports increased from 2.5% of QARS reports in year 1 to 6.4% in year 2 ([Formula: see text]). The proportion of active TB disease reports leading to a federal travel restriction increased from 6.8% in year 1 to 15.4% in year 2 ([Formula: see text]). CONCLUSIONS: The significant increase in reports of international travelers with TB disease likely represents more attention to and a higher index of suspicion for TB. The increased use of federal travel restrictions was associated with the development of new procedures to limit travel for public health reasons. Continued efforts are needed to decrease the number of persons with TB who travel while potentially contagious. |
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