Publications by authors named "John C Neatherlin"
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Global Rapid Response Team (GRRT) was created in 2015 to efficiently deploy multidisciplinary CDC experts outside the United States for public health emergencies. The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically increased the need for domestic public health responders. This study aimed to follow up on previously published data to describe the GRRT surge staffing model during the height of the COVID-19 response.
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- In November 2020, Missouri introduced a modified quarantine policy for K-12 students with low-risk exposures to COVID-19, allowing them to continue in-person learning while assessing the impacts of quarantine on students and families.
- A survey sent to parents of 586 students revealed that only 11% engaged in modified quarantine, with 46% of them avoiding non-school activities compared to 72% of those in standard home quarantine.
- Students in modified quarantine experienced less stress and fewer negative impacts on family life than those in standard quarantine, suggesting that the modified approach could effectively balance educational needs and COVID-19 prevention.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to identify barriers to implementing self-administered antigen testing for COVID-19 at colleges and universities.
- Researchers conducted a seven-week trial with 1,347 students and staff using the QuickVue At-Home COVID-19 Test and assessed test results through surveys.
- Findings showed that while many participants used the tests, the sensitivity was low (only 20% detected actual infections), highlighting the need for addressing testing fatigue in future strategies.
Modifications to student quarantine policies in K-12 schools implementing multiple COVID-19 prevention strategies restores in-person education without increasing SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk, January-March 2021.
PLoS One
October 2022
Objective: To determine whether modified K-12 student quarantine policies that allow some students to continue in-person education during their quarantine period increase schoolwide SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk following the increase in cases in winter 2020-2021.
Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study of COVID-19 cases and close contacts among students and staff (n = 65,621) in 103 Missouri public schools. Participants were offered free, saliva-based RT-PCR testing.
Article Synopsis
- This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Test to Stay (TTS) program in reducing COVID-19 transmissions in schools and its impact on in-person learning across four school districts in the U.S. from September to November 2021.
- Over 370 COVID-19 cases and more than 2,500 close contacts were reported, with TTS participation rates varying significantly between districts, resulting in a range of secondary and tertiary attack risks.
- The implementation of TTS is linked to saving a substantial number of in-person learning days, but factors such as testing access, communication, and school resources played a crucial role in its success.
Article Synopsis
- Classroom layout is crucial for maintaining physical distance in schools to prevent COVID-19 transmission during in-person learning.
- A study measured and analyzed 90 classrooms in Missouri, assessing distances between students, teachers, and potentially infectious individuals.
- Results showed that limited physical distancing (less than 6 feet) did not lead to increased COVID-19 transmission among students before the Delta variant surge, suggesting a way to optimize classroom capacity while safely supporting in-person education.
Article Synopsis
- A study explored the preference for saliva-based COVID-19 testing over nasal swabs among K-12 students, parents, teachers, and staff in Missouri schools during a surveillance investigation.
- Out of 719 participants surveyed, over one-third who accepted the saliva test would have declined a nasal swab, with 51% of elementary school students (or their guardians) indicating a preference for saliva.
- The findings suggest that implementing saliva testing could enhance participation in COVID-19 screening in schools, potentially aiding in controlling the spread of the virus.
Article Synopsis
- * TTS allowed participants to remain in school if they were asymptomatic, masked, practiced physical distancing, and underwent regular COVID-19 testing after exposure, with 90 schools implementing the strategy during a specified period in late 2021.
- * During TTS implementation, the secondary attack risk for COVID-19 transmission was low (1.5%), with most cases limited to students and no evidence of further transmission in schools, saving up to
Performance Characteristics of the Abbott BinaxNOW SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Test in Comparison to Real-Time Reverse Transcriptase PCR and Viral Culture in Community Testing Sites during November 2020.
J Clin Microbiol
January 2022
Article Synopsis
- * A study conducted in Pima County, Arizona, found that the sensitivity of the BinaxNOW test varied based on symptom status and timing, with the highest sensitivity (75%) occurring 8 to 10 days post-exposure.
- * BinaxNOW provides quicker results (2.5 hours) compared to rRT-PCR (26 hours), making it valuable for rapid identification of infections, despite its lower sensitivity which needs to be considered in testing strategies.
Article Synopsis
- * A pilot study in Springfield and St. Louis County, Missouri, during December 2020 examined the impact of these strategies on SARS-CoV-2 transmission in participating schools.
- * Findings indicated that schools using COVID-19 mitigation strategies had lower virus transmission compared to the community, suggesting the importance of continuing these measures until more data is available.
Evaluation of Abbott BinaxNOW Rapid Antigen Test for SARS-CoV-2 Infection at Two Community-Based Testing Sites - Pima County, Arizona, November 3-17, 2020.
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep
January 2021
Article Synopsis
- * In a study involving 3,419 individuals in Arizona, the BinaxNOW test showed a sensitivity of 64.2% for symptomatic and only 35.8% for asymptomatic individuals, with high specificity across both groups.
- * Negative results from rapid antigen tests should be confirmed with NAATs in cases of high suspicion for COVID-19, as the rapid tests, while useful for screening, have lower sensitivity in detecting infections.
The International Health Regulations (2005) dictate the need for states parties to establish capacity to respond promptly and effectively to public health risks. Public health rapid response teams (RRTs) can fulfill this need as a component of a larger public health emergency response infrastructure. However, lack of a standardized approach to establishing and managing RRTs can lead to substantial delays in effective response measures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Worldwide, the number of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases is increasing, highlighting the importance of global disease pathogen surveillance. Traditional population-based methods may fail to capture important events, particularly in settings with limited access to health care, such as urban informal settlements. In such environments, a mixture of surface water runoff and human feces containing pathogenic microorganisms could be used as a surveillance surrogate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPersons who died of Ebola virus disease at home in rural communities in Liberia and Guinea resulted in more secondary infections than persons admitted to Ebola treatment units. Intensified monitoring of contacts of persons who died of this disease in the community is an evidence-based approach to reduce virus transmission in rural communities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe measured the reproduction number before and after interventions were implemented to reduce Ebola transmission in 9 outbreaks in Liberia during 2014. We evaluated risk factors for secondary cases and the association between patient admission to an Ebola treatment unit (ETU) and survival. The reproduction number declined 94% from 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDengue appears to be endemic in Africa with a number of reported outbreaks. In February 2013, several individuals with dengue-like illnesses and negative malaria blood smears were identified in Mombasa, Kenya. Dengue was laboratory confirmed and an investigation was conducted to estimate the magnitude of local transmission including a serologic survey to determine incident dengue virus (DENV) infections.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Reducing acute respiratory infection burden in children in Africa remains a major priority and challenge. We analyzed data from population-based infectious disease surveillance for severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) among children <5 years of age in Kibera, a densely populated urban slum in Nairobi, Kenya.
Methods: Surveillance was conducted among a monthly mean of 5,874 (range = 5,778-6,411) children <5 years old in two contiguous villages in Kibera.
Article Synopsis
- In September 2014, Gbarpolu County, Liberia, reported no Ebola cases, but by late October, an outbreak was confirmed in the remote village of Geleyansiesu after a man returned from the village where his family had died from Ebola-like illnesses.
- The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW) engaged the CDC, WHO, and other partners to investigate the outbreak, leading to the identification of 22 cases, 18 of which were laboratory confirmed, with a high fatality rate of 73%.
- Public health interventions included community education on Ebola, establishing communication mechanisms for alerts, contact tracing, hygienic burial practices, and providing care for patients who did not seek treatment at Ebola treatment
Introduction: Contact investigations conducted in the United States of persons with tuberculosis (TB) who traveled by air while infectious have increased. However, data about transmission risks of Mycobacterium tuberculosis on aircraft are limited.
Methods: We analyzed data on index TB cases and passenger contacts from contact investigations initiated by the U.