Population-based denominators matter: Bias in U.S. Virgin Islands COVID-19 vaccination coverage under changing population counts.

Purpose: The U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) receives an updated population count once every 10 years and used 2010 decennial census population counts to estimate COVID-19 vaccination coverage during the COVID-19 emergency response.

Epidemiologic Trends of Dengue in U.S. Territories, 2010-2020.

Problem/condition: Dengue is one of the most common vectorborne flaviviral infections globally, with frequent outbreaks in tropical regions. In 2019 and 2020, the Pan American Health Organization reported approximately 5.5 million dengue cases from the Americas, the highest number on record.

2021 U.S. Virgin Islands Zika health brigade: Providing recommended pediatric health screenings for children born to mothers with laboratory evidence of possible Zika virus infection during pregnancy.

Background: The United States Virgin Islands (USVI) Department of Health (DOH) conducted a second Zika health brigade (ZHB) in 2021 to provide recommended Zika-related pediatric health screenings, including vision, hearing, neurologic, and developmental screenings, for children in the USVI. This was replicated after the success of the first ZHB in 2018, which provided recommended Zika-related pediatric health screenings to 88 infants and children exposed to Zika virus (ZIKV) during pregnancy.

Methods: Ten specialty pediatric care providers were recruited and traveled to the USVI to conduct the screenings.

Acceptability of a Chikungunya Virus Vaccine, United States Virgin Islands.

Chikungunya virus, a mosquito-borne alphavirus, causes acute febrile illness with polyarthralgia. Groups at risk for severe disease include neonates, people with underlying medical conditions, and those aged ≥ 65 years. Several chikungunya vaccines are in late clinical development with licensure expected in the United States during 2023.

Microbial Characterization, Factors Contributing to Contamination, and Household Use of Cistern Water, U.S. Virgin Islands.

Households in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) heavily rely on roof-harvested rainwater stored in cisterns for their daily activities. However, there are insufficient data on cistern water microbiological and physicochemical characteristics to inform appropriate cistern water management. Cistern and kitchen tap water samples were collected from 399 geographically representative households across St.

Spatial, Sociodemographic, and Weather Analysis of the Zika Virus Outbreak: U.S. Virgin Islands, January 2016-January 2018.

The first Zika virus outbreak in U.S. Virgin Islands identified 1031 confirmed noncongenital Zika disease ( = 967) and infection ( = 64) cases during January 2016-January 2018; most cases (89%) occurred during July-December 2016.

Seroprevalence, distribution, and risk factors for human leptospirosis in the United States Virgin Islands.

Background: The first documented human leptospirosis cases in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) occurred following 2017 Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Public health branch incident management and support as part of the Federal Government response during the emergency phase of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

On September 6 and 20, 2017, Hurricanes Irma and Maria made landfall as major hurricanes in the US Caribbean Territories of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico with devastating effects. As part of the initial response, a public health team (PHT) was initially deployed as part of the US Department of Health and Human Services Incident Response Coordination Team. As a result of increased demands for additional expertise and resources, a public health branch (PHB) was established for coordinating a broad spectrum of public health response activities in support of the affected territories.

Pregnancy and infant outcomes by trimester of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy-SET-NET, 22 jurisdictions, January 25, 2020-December 31, 2020.

Objectives: We describe clinical characteristics, pregnancy, and infant outcomes in pregnant people with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection by trimester of infection.

Study Design: We analyzed data from the Surveillance for Emerging Threats to Mothers and Babies Network and included people with infection in 2020, with known timing of infection and pregnancy outcome. Outcomes are described by trimester of infection.

A Cross-Sectional Household Survey in the US Virgin Islands (2019) Reveals Cisterns as Challenging Peridomestic Aedes aegypti Habitats.

Most residences in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) rely on household rainwater-catchment systems and subterranean cisterns for long-term water storage that may provide suitable habitats for mosquitoes of public health relevance. We conducted a household cistern survey (n = 164) on the islands of St. Croix, St.

Identifying possible inaccuracy in reported birth head circumference measurements among infants in the US Zika Pregnancy and Infant Registry.

Background: The US Zika Pregnancy and Infant Registry (USZPIR) monitors infants born to mothers with confirmed or possible Zika virus infection during pregnancy. The surveillance case definition for Zika-associated birth defects includes microcephaly based on head circumference (HC).

Methods: We assessed birth and follow-up data from infants with birth HC measurements <3rd percentile and birthweight ≥10th percentile to determine possible misclassification of microcephaly.

Assessing rodents as carriers of pathogenic Leptospira species in the U.S. Virgin Islands and their risk to animal and public health.

Leptospirosis is a global zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic bacteria of the genus Leptospira. We sought to determine if rodents in U.S.

Mongooses (Urva auropunctata) as reservoir hosts of Leptospira species in the United States Virgin Islands, 2019-2020.

During 2019-2020, the Virgin Islands Department of Health investigated potential animal reservoirs of Leptospira spp., the bacteria that cause leptospirosis. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated Leptospira spp.

Tracing the Origin, Spread, and Molecular Evolution of Zika Virus in Puerto Rico, 2016-2017.

We reconstructed the 2016-2017 Zika virus epidemic in Puerto Rico by using complete genomes to uncover the epidemic's origin, spread, and evolutionary dynamics. Our study revealed that the epidemic was propelled by multiple introductions that spread across the island, intricate evolutionary patterns, and ≈10 months of cryptic transmission.

Determination of freedom-from-rabies for small Indian mongoose populations in the United States Virgin Islands, 2019-2020.

Mongooses, a nonnative species, are a known reservoir of rabies virus in the Caribbean region. A cross-sectional study of mongooses at 41 field sites on the US Virgin Islands of St. Croix, St.

Exposure and Carriage of Pathogenic in Livestock in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.

From 2019-2020, the Virgin Islands Department of Health (VIDOH) investigated potential animal reservoirs of spp., the pathogenic bacteria that cause leptospirosis. We examined exposure and carriage in livestock on the island of St.

Ocular Findings and Visual Function in Children Examined during the Zika Health Brigade in the US Virgin Islands, March 2018.

Among children born with laboratory-confirmed Zika virus (ZIKV) infection, visual impairment (VI) can occur despite normal ocular structure. The objective of this report is to describe ocular findings and visual function among children examined during the Department of Health Zika Health Brigade (ZHB) in the United States Virgin Islands in March 2018. This analysis is based on a retrospective chart review of children eligible to participate in the ZHB (i.

A Preparedness Model for Mother-Baby Linked Longitudinal Surveillance for Emerging Threats.

Introduction: Public health responses often lack the infrastructure to capture the impact of public health emergencies on pregnant women and infants, with limited mechanisms for linking pregnant women with their infants nationally to monitor long-term effects. In 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in close collaboration with state, local, and territorial health departments, began a 5-year initiative to establish population-based mother-baby linked longitudinal surveillance, the Surveillance for Emerging Threats to Mothers and Babies Network (SET-NET).

Objectives: The objective of this report is to describe an expanded surveillance approach that leverages and modernizes existing surveillance systems to address the impact of emerging health threats during pregnancy on pregnant women and their infants.

2018 Zika Health Brigade: Delivering Critical Health Screening in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In 2017, Hurricanes Irma and Maria caused significant damage to the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), heightening the challenges many residents faced in accessing adequate healthcare and receiving recommended Zika virus screening services. To address this challenge, the USVI Department of Health (DOH) requested technical assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to organize a health brigade to bring needed medical care to an underserved population. It also established the development of important partnerships between federal and private partners as well as between clinical providers and public health entities such as the Epidemiology & Disease Reporting, Maternal Child Health (MCH), and Infant and Toddlers Programs within the DOH, and local clinicians.