Outbreak Investigation Developed through the APTR Initiative to Enhance Prevention and Population Health Education in collaboration with the Brody School of Medicine.

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Transcript Outbreak Investigation Developed through the APTR Initiative to Enhance Prevention and Population Health Education in collaboration with the Brody School of Medicine.

Outbreak Investigation
Developed through the APTR Initiative to Enhance Prevention and Population
Health Education in collaboration with the Brody School of Medicine at East
Carolina University with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
APTR wishes to acknowledge the following individuals that
developed this module:

Kristina Simeonsson, MD, MSPH
Department of Public Health
Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University

Julie Daugherty, MPH
Department of Public Health
Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University
This education module is made possible through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the
Association for Prevention Teaching and Research (APTR) Cooperative Agreement, No. 5U50CD300860. The module
represents the opinions of the author(s) and does not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention or the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research.
Define the terms outbreak, epidemic and pandemic
Discuss reasons that outbreaks occur
Understand the rationale for investigating
outbreaks
4. Describe the steps of an outbreak investigation
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EPIDEMIC
 Occurrence of more cases of disease than expected in a
given area or among a specific group of people over a
particular period of time
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OUTBREAK
 Epidemic limited to localized increase in the incidence of
disease
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CLUSTER
 Aggregation of cases in a given area over a particular
period without regard to whether the number of cases is
more than expected
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An epidemic occurring over a widespread area and
usually affecting a substantial proportion of the
population
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Influenza
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
Tuberculosis
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/osr/site/about/graph.htm
AGENT
•Increase in amount or
virulence
•Introduction into setting
where it has not been before
•Enhanced mode of
transmission
HOST
•Change in susceptibility
•Factors that increase exposure
ENVIRONMENT
•Conducive to interaction
between host and agent
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Prevention and control
Research
Public concern
Political interest
Program considerations
Training
http://www2a.cdc.gov/TCEOnline/
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Establish existence of an outbreak
Verify the diagnosis
Define a case
Identify additional cases
Perform descriptive epidemiology
Develop and test hypothesis
Reconsider hypothesis
Perform additional studies if needed
Implement control measures
Communicate findings
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Establish existence of an outbreak
Verify the diagnosis
Define a case
Identify additional cases
Perform descriptive epidemiology
Develop and test hypothesis
Reconsider hypothesis
Perform additional studies if needed
Implement control measures
Communicate findings
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Determine if observed numbers exceed the expected
level
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Be aware of artifactual causes of increases or
decreases of reported cases
 Change in reporting practices
 Change in case definition
 New diagnostic test available
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Establish existence of an outbreak
Verify the diagnosis
Define a case
Identify additional cases
Perform descriptive epidemiology
Develop and test hypothesis
Reconsider hypothesis
Perform additional studies if needed
Implement control measures
Communicate findings
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Confirm clinical diagnosis with laboratory techniques
 Not every reported case needs to be laboratory confirmed
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Establish existence of an outbreak
Verify the diagnosis
Define a case
Identify additional cases
Perform descriptive epidemiology
Develop and test hypothesis
Reconsider hypothesis
Perform additional studies if needed
Implement control measures
Communicate findings
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Consists of standard elements
 Clinical information
 Time
 Place
 Person
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Can have varying degrees of certainty
 Suspect
 Probable
 Confirmed
http://www.cdc.gov/osels/ph_surveillance/nndss/casedef/measles_2010.htm
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Can vary depending on the purpose
Characterize the extent of the outbreak
Determine risk factors or find a cause
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Establish existence of an outbreak
Verify the diagnosis
Define a case
Identify additional cases
Perform descriptive epidemiology
Develop and test hypothesis
Reconsider hypothesis
Perform additional studies if needed
Implement control measures
Communicate findings
http://www.cdc.gov/excite/classroom/outbreak/steps.htm
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Establish existence of an outbreak
Verify the diagnosis
Define a case
Identify additional cases
Perform descriptive epidemiology
Develop and test hypothesis
Reconsider hypothesis
Perform additional studies if needed
Implement control measures
Communicate findings
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Orient data in terms of time
Orient data in terms of place
Orient data in terms of person
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Characterize the cases by plotting a graph or
epidemic curve that shows
 the number of cases (y-axis)
 over the time of onset of illness (x-axis) using an
appropriate interval
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Size of the epidemic
Relationship to endemic
cases
Outliers
Time course
Pattern of spread
Where you are in the
course of the epidemic
http://www.cdc.gov/excite/classroom/legionnairesq.htm
http://www.eurosurveillance.org
http://www.wpro.who.int/NR/rdonlyres/7165D4BF-D820-4CB5-A1FD-267F905639D8/0/Slide1.jpg
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Geographic distribution of cases can provide clues to
source of the epidemic
 Water supplies
 Air flow patterns in buildings
 Ecologic habitat of vectors
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May help identify the vehicle or mode of
transmission
http://gamapserver.who.int/mapLibrary/Files/Maps/Global_H5N1inHumanCUMULATIVE_FIMS_20110316.png
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Examine characteristics of cases
 Personal characteristics
 Exposures
http://www.wpro.who.int/sites/csr/data/data_Graphs.htm
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Establish existence of an outbreak
Verify the diagnosis
Define a case
Identify additional cases
Perform descriptive epidemiology
Develop and test hypothesis
Reconsider hypothesis
Perform additional studies if needed
Implement control measures
Communicate findings
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Develop hypothesis using descriptive epidemiology
 Person, place and time
 Clinical and laboratory findings
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Test hypothesis using analytic epidemiology
 Identify exposures significantly associated with illness
 Analytic epidemiologic study designs
▪ retrospective cohort study
▪ case-control study
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Enrolled after the disease has occurred
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Enrolls everyone in a given population regardless of
disease status
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Technique of choice for acute outbreak in welldefined population
 Church picnic
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Directly measure risk of disease because the
population at risk is known
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Outcome measure is relative risk
 Risk in the exposed group divided by the risk in the
unexposed group (relative risk)
 Also known as the attack rate ratio
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Begins conceptually with disease and looks
backward at prior exposures
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Useful when the population at risk is unknown
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Group of people with disease (cases) and group of
people without disease (controls) are enrolled and
prior exposures are ascertained
 Differences in exposure between groups indicates an
association between exposure and disease
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True size of exposed and unexposed groups is
unknown
 No denominator to calculate attack rate or relative risk
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Outcome measure is odds ratio (OR)
 Odds of developing disease based on exposure
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Odds ratio can approximate relative risk
 When the cases are representative
 When the controls are representative
 When the disease being studied is rare
Cohort
Case-Control
Illness occurs within a welldefined population
Illness does not occur in a
well-defined population
Compares rates of illness among Compares exposures among
those with risk factor and those people with illness and those
without risk factor
without illness
Relative risk (RR)
Odds ratio (OR)
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Establish existence of an outbreak
Verify the diagnosis
Define a case
Identify additional cases
Perform descriptive epidemiology
Develop and test hypothesis
Reconsider hypothesis
Perform additional studies if needed
Implement control measures
Communicate findings
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“Square” the hypothesis to clinical, laboratory and
epidemiologic facts
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If exposure histories for ill versus well are not
significantly different, develop a new hypothesis
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Establish existence of an outbreak
Verify the diagnosis
Define a case
Identify additional cases
Perform descriptive epidemiology
Develop and test hypothesis
Reconsider hypothesis
Perform additional studies if needed
Implement control measures
Communicate findings
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Find more cases
Define better the extent of the epidemic
Evaluate new laboratory method
Evaluate case-finding technique
 Improve sensitivity and specificity of case definition
 Degrees of exposure / dose response
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Environmental investigation
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Establish existence of an outbreak
Verify the diagnosis
Define a case
Identify additional cases
Perform descriptive epidemiology
Develop and test hypothesis
Reconsider hypothesis
Perform additional studies if needed
Implement control measures
Communicate findings
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Prevent exposure
Prevent infection
Prevent disease
Prevent death
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Establish existence of an outbreak
Verify the diagnosis
Define a case
Identify additional cases
Perform descriptive epidemiology
Develop and test hypothesis
Reconsider hypothesis
Perform additional studies if needed
Implement control measures
Communicate findings
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Outbreak investigation staff
Public health personnel
Government officials
Healthcare providers
Media
Community
Developed from the need to find more effective
ways to communicate health risks
 Goal is to provide information about expected type
and magnitude of an outcome from a behavior or
exposure
 The purpose of the message is to empower
decision-making
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Mixed messages from multiple experts
Messages that are over-reassuring
Leaving myths, rumors, and doomsayers
unchallenged or uncorrected
 Public spokespersons who lack affect
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http://www.bt.cdc.gov/CERC/
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Stop trying to allay panic
Emphasize there is a process in place
Don’t over reassure
Acknowledge uncertainty
Acknowledge people’s fears
Express wishes
Give people things to do
Acknowledge the shared misery
Give anticipatory guidance
Address dreaded “what if” questions
Be a role model and ask more of people
Be regretful
Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, September 2002
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Data sources
Small numbers
Specimen collection
Publicity
Reluctance to participate
Gregg Field Epidemiology 3rd edition
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Steps of an outbreak investigation are a guide
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Not to be used as a “one size fits all” model
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Some steps may happen simultaneously
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Clear and consistent communication is key
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Center for Public Health Continuing Education
University at Albany School of Public Health
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Department of Community & Family Medicine
Duke University School of Medicine
Mike Barry, CAE
Lorrie Basnight, MD
Nancy Bennett, MD, MS
Ruth Gaare Bernheim, JD, MPH
Amber Berrian, MPH
James Cawley, MPH, PA-C
Jack Dillenberg, DDS, MPH
Kristine Gebbie, RN, DrPH
Asim Jani, MD, MPH, FACP
Denise Koo, MD, MPH
Suzanne Lazorick, MD, MPH
Rika Maeshiro, MD, MPH
Dan Mareck, MD
Steve McCurdy, MD, MPH
Susan M. Meyer, PhD
Sallie Rixey, MD, MEd
Nawraz Shawir, MBBS
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Sharon Hull, MD, MPH
President
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Allison L. Lewis
Executive Director
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O. Kent Nordvig, MEd
Project Representative