Publications by authors named "M P Quinlisk"
Postdisaster health communication and information sources: the Iowa flood scenario.
Disaster Med Public Health Prep
June 2010
Background: During June 2008, heavy precipitation and 500-year flood events resulted in the displacement of thousands of families throughout eastern Iowa. The objectives of this study were to assess the effectiveness and preferred sources of health messages communicated to the public following the disaster.
Methods: Three hundred twenty-seven households were surveyed in 4 counties hit hardest by the flooding.
To determine how long people shed virus after the onset of mumps, we used logistic regression modeling to analyze data from the 2006 outbreak of mumps in Iowa. Our model establishes that the probability of mumps virus shedding decreases rapidly after the onset of symptoms. However, we estimate that 8%-15% of patients will still be shedding the virus 5 days after the onset of symptoms and, thus, may still be contagious during this period.
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- The introduction of a second dose of the mumps vaccine in the U.S. in 1990 led to historically low mumps cases, but a significant outbreak occurred in 2006, marking the largest incidence in 20 years.
- A total of 6,584 mumps cases were reported in 2006, primarily affecting 18 to 24-year-olds, with 63% of patients having received two doses of the vaccine.
- The findings suggest that despite high vaccination coverage, vaccine failure was evident among college-age adults, indicating a need for a more effective vaccine or revised vaccination policies to prevent future outbreaks.
Background: In February 2004, students from a college in Iowa, with a high proportion of nonmedical exemptions to vaccination, traveled to India; one fourth of the students contracted measles while there. One exposed, susceptible student returned home during his infectious period, necessitating 2 months of containment efforts in Iowa.
Objective: The objective of this study was to measure the direct costs of measles containment from a public health system perspective.