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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is hosting the 61st Annual Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Conference. The conference is designed to present findings of EIS officer’s investigations and discuss current topics in the field of epidemiology. The EIS program is a two-year postgraduate training program of service and training for health professionals interested in epidemiology.
CDC’s Disease Detectives will present research findings from investigations conducted over the past year. Below is an overview of a couple investigations that will be presented. Additional, highlights of selected presentation can be found at. http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2012/eis_conference_highlights.pdf.
Norovirus Outbreak at a Rehearsal Dinner — Connecticut, 2011 Timothy Styles
In the United States, norovirus causes more than 50% of foodborne disease outbreaks with a known etiology and is the most common cause of epidemic and sporadic acute gastroenteritis. During August 2011, a gastroenteritis outbreak occurred among attendees of a rehearsal dinner at a Connecticut restaurant. We investigated to determine outbreak extent, source, and risk factors.
“What surprised us most about this investigation was the cause of the outbreak. A buffet style dinner where several attendees get ill typically points to a food item source, either contaminated before arrival at the restaurant or contaminated by a food handler during meal preparation, not to person to person spread. This investigation highlights the importance of good hygiene practices for consumers of food, as well as preparers of food.”
Decline in Gastroenteritis and Rotavirus-Coded Hospitalizations Among U.S. Children After Implementation of Rotavirus Vaccine Rishi Desai
Prior to rotavirus vaccine introduction in 2006, rotavirus gastroenteritis annually resulted in 55,000–70,000 hospitalizations and medical costs of $300 million in U.S. children less than 5 years of age. Trends in gastroenteritis-coded and rotavirus-coded hospitalizations were monitored, as well as associated hospital costs among U.S. children pre- and post-vaccine introduction.
“What was remarkable about this investigation was how fast the vaccine worked. Within 2-3 years of introducing the vaccine the leading cause of diarrhea (rotavirus) among children is almost gone. It was amazing to see firsthand how the rotavirus vaccine is doing a lot of good by preventing hospitalizations and saving almost 80 million dollars a year.”
8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.; Monday – Friday, April 16-20, 2012
Crowne Plaza Atlanta Perimeter Ravina
4355 Ashford Dunwoody Road
Atlanta, Georgia 30346
Media interested in attending the conference should call the CDC press office at 404-639-3286 to register. For a complete agenda and more information about the conference, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/EIS/Conference.html.
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
