Cost effectiveness and decision analysis for national airport screening options to reduce risk of COVID-19 introduction in Uganda, 2020.

Introduction: Early during the COVID-19 outbreak, various approaches were utilized to prevent COVID-19 introductions from incoming airport travellers. However, the costs and effectiveness of airport-specific interventions have not been evaluated.

Methods: We evaluated policy options for COVID-19-specific interventions at Entebbe International Airport for costs and impact on COVID-19 case counts, we took the government payer perspective.

Patient flow time data of COVID-19 vaccination clinics in 23 sites, United States, April and May 2021.

Introduction: Public health department (PHD) led COVID-19 vaccination clinics can be a critical component of pandemic response as they facilitate high volume of vaccination. However, few patient-time analyses examining patient throughput at mass vaccination clinics with unique COVID-19 vaccination challenges have been published.

Methods: During April and May of 2021, 521 patients in 23 COVID-19 vaccination sites counties of 6 states were followed to measure the time spent from entry to vaccination.

Assessment of the Costs of Implementing COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics in 34 Sites, United States, March 2021.

Objectives: To estimate the costs to implement public health department (PHD)-run COVID-19 vaccination clinics.

Design: Retrospectively reported data on COVID-19 vaccination clinic characteristics and resources used during a high-demand day in March 2021. These resources were combined with national average wages, supply costs, and facility costs to estimate the operational cost and start-up cost of clinics.

Estimated COVID-19 Cases and Hospitalizations Averted by Case Investigation and Contact Tracing in the US.

Importance: Evidence of the impact of COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing (CICT) programs is lacking, but policy makers need this evidence to assess the value of such programs.

Objective: To estimate COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations averted nationwide by US states' CICT programs.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This decision analytical model study used combined data from US CICT programs (eg, proportion of cases interviewed, contacts notified or monitored, and days to case and contact notification) with incidence data to model outcomes of CICT over a 60-day period (November 25, 2020, to January 23, 2021).

The cost of influenza-associated hospitalizations and outpatient visits in Kenya.

Background: We estimated the cost-per-episode and the annual economic burden associated with influenza in Kenya.

Methods: From July 2013-August 2014, we recruited patients with severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) or influenza-like illness (ILI) associated with laboratory-confirmed influenza from 5 health facilities. A structured questionnaire was used to collect direct costs (medications, laboratory investigations, hospital bed fees, hospital management costs, transportation) and indirect costs (productivity losses) associated with an episode of influenza.

Stunting: an overlooked problem in Myanmar - an economic evaluation.

Objectives: Stunting increases a child's susceptibility to diseases, increases mortality, and is associated over long term with reduced cognitive abilities, educational achievement, and productivity. We aimed to assess the most effective public health nutritional intervention to reduce stunting in Myanmar.

Methods: We searched the literature and developed a conceptual framework for interventions known to reduce stunting.

Estimating Weekly Call Volume to a National Nurse Telephone Triage Line in an Influenza Pandemic.

Telephone nurse triage lines, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Flu on Call, a national nurse triage line, may help reduce the surge in demand for health care during an influenza pandemic by triaging callers, providing advice about clinical care and information about the pandemic, and providing access to prescription antiviral medication. We developed a Call Volume Projection Tool to estimate national call volume to Flu on Call during an influenza pandemic. The tool incorporates 2 influenza clinical attack rates (20% and 30%), 4 different levels of pandemic severity, and different initial "seed numbers" of cases (10 or 100), and it allows variation in which week the nurse triage line opens.

Modeling in Real Time During the Ebola Response.

To aid decision-making during CDC's response to the 2014-2016 Ebola virus disease (Ebola) epidemic in West Africa, CDC activated a Modeling Task Force to generate estimates on various topics related to the response in West Africa and the risk for importation of cases into the United States. Analysis of eight Ebola response modeling projects conducted during August 2014-July 2015 provided insight into the types of questions addressed by modeling, the impact of the estimates generated, and the difficulties encountered during the modeling. This time frame was selected to cover the three phases of the West African epidemic curve.

Modeling the effect of school closures in a pandemic scenario: exploring two different contact matrices.

Background: School closures may delay the epidemic peak of the next influenza pandemic, but whether school closure can delay the peak until pandemic vaccine is ready to be deployed is uncertain.

Methods: To study the effect of school closures on the timing of epidemic peaks, we built a deterministic susceptible-infected-recovered model of influenza transmission. We stratified the U.

Effectiveness of Ebola treatment units and community care centers - Liberia, September 23-October 31, 2014.

Previous reports have shown that an Ebola outbreak can be slowed, and eventually stopped, by placing Ebola patients into settings where there is reduced risk for onward Ebola transmission, such as Ebola treatment units (ETUs) and community care centers (CCCs) or equivalent community settings that encourage changes in human behaviors to reduce transmission risk, such as making burials safe and reducing contact with Ebola patients. Using cumulative case count data from Liberia up to August 28, 2014, the EbolaResponse model previously estimated that without any additional interventions or further changes in human behavior, there would have been approximately 23,000 reported Ebola cases by October 31, 2014. In actuality, there were 6,525 reported cases by that date.

Estimating the future number of cases in the Ebola epidemic--Liberia and Sierra Leone, 2014-2015.

The first cases of the current West African epidemic of Ebola virus disease (hereafter referred to as Ebola) were reported on March 22, 2014, with a report of 49 cases in Guinea. By August 31, 2014, a total of 3,685 probable, confirmed, and suspected cases in West Africa had been reported. To aid in planning for additional disease-control efforts, CDC constructed a modeling tool called EbolaResponse to provide estimates of the potential number of future cases.

A tool for the economic analysis of mass prophylaxis operations with an application to H1N1 influenza vaccination clinics.

This article uses the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccination program experience to introduce a cost analysis approach that may be relevant for planning mass prophylaxis operations, such as vaccination clinics at public health centers, work sites, schools, or pharmacy-based clinics. These costs are important for planning mass influenza vaccination activities and are relevant for all public health emergency preparedness scenarios requiring countermeasure dispensing. We demonstrate how costs vary depending on accounting perspective, staffing composition, and other factors.

Evaluating the capability and cost of a mass influenza and pneumococcal vaccination clinic via computer simulation.

Objective: To determine if a mass influenza/pneumococcal vaccination clinic could vaccinate 15,000 clients in 17 h; optimize personnel configuration to maximize number of clients vaccinated; and estimate costs (opportunity and clinic) and revenue.

Method: The author used a discrete event simulation model to estimate the throughput of the vaccination clinic as the number of clients (arrival intensity) increased and as staff members were reassigned to different workflows. We represented workflows for 3 client types: "Medicare,'' "Special,'' and "Cash,'' where "Special'' designates Medicare clients who needed assistance moving through the clinic.

Temporary vaccine recommendations and provider compliance: a survey of pediatric practices during the 2003-2004 pneumococcal conjugate vaccine shortage.

Objective: Heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine was in short supply from December 2003 to August 2004. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians made recommendations to providers to withhold third and fourth doses of heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to ensure availability for those at highest risk. Previous studies of vaccine shortages have demonstrated that provider compliance with temporary recommendations is low.

Underimmunization of American Indian and Alaska Native children.

Objective: The goal was to determine whether disparities in childhood immunization coverage exist between American Indian/Alaska Native children and non-Hispanic white children.

Methods: We compared immunization coverage with the 4 diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, 3 poliovirus, 1 measles-mumps-rubella, 3 Haemophilus influenza type b, and 3 hepatitis B(4:3:1:3:3) series and its individual vaccine components (> or = 4 doses of diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine; > or = 3 doses of oral or inactivated polio vaccine; > or = 1 dose of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine; > or = 3 doses of Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine; and > or = 3 doses of hepatitis B vaccine) between American Indian/Alaska Native children and non-Hispanic white children from 2000 to 2005, using data from the National Immunization Survey.

Results: Although immunization coverage increased for both populations from 2001 to 2004, American Indian/Alaska Native children had significantly lower immunization coverage, compared with non-Hispanic white children, over that time period.

Cost savings associated with using immunization information systems for Vaccines for Children administrative tasks.

Our objective was to investigate the potential cost savings of immunization information systems (IIS) in performing some administrative tasks associated with the federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) program at the state and practice levels. VFC is an entitlement program providing free vaccine to eligible children. We timed the staff of the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) and 72 private VFC practices for administrative VFC-related tasks from September 2003 through March 2004.

Influenza vaccination of health care workers: policies and practices of hospitals in a community setting.

Background: The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has long recommended that health care workers receive annual influenza vaccinations to prevent transmission of disease to vulnerable patients, but HCW vaccination rates remain low, and there is little information about hospital policies promoting employee vaccination.

Methods: Our objective was to collect information about and compare hospital influenza vaccination policies and practices regarding health care workers in the metropolitan Atlanta community and identify relationships between policies and practices and employee coverage rates. Senior staff of infection control and of employee health programs at 12 hospitals in the metropolitan Atlanta community completed an in-person interview using a structured guide.

Do patterns of knowledge and attitudes exist among unvaccinated seniors?

Objective: To examine patterns of knowledge and attitudes among adults aged > 65 years unvaccinated for influenza.

Methods: Surveyed Medicare beneficiaries in 5 areas; clustered unvaccinated seniors by their immunization related knowledge and attitudes.

Results: Identified 4 clusters: Potentials (45%) would receive influenza vaccine to prevent disease; Fearful Uninformeds (9%) were unsure if influenza vaccine causes illness; Doubters (27%) were unsure if vaccine is efficacious; Misinformeds (19%) believed influenza vaccine causes illness.

Interdisciplinary epidemiologic and economic research needed to support a universal childhood influenza vaccination policy.

Recent research indicates that influenza vaccination of children may decrease the influenza disease burden in adults to a greater extent than targeting vaccination to populations at high risk of serious disease. Possible new policies reflecting these results would add groups most likely to transmit disease to existing vaccination recommendations. Interdisciplinary research combining epidemiology with economics is needed to answer critical questions about the desirability and feasibility of potential new policies, such as what additional resources medical providers might need to expand vaccination to larger groups or what opportunity costs parents might incur in vaccinating their children annually.

Maxi-Vac: planning mass smallpox vaccination clinics.

To help emergency response planners prepare for conducting mass smallpox vaccination clinics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers developed the Maxi-Vac software (available free from http://www.bt.cdc.

A personnel time-motion study of intranasal influenza vaccination in healthy children.

Vaccinating millions of Americans depends, in part, on short vaccination times. During two intranasal influenza vaccine trials, times for six vaccination steps were recorded for 497 children. The total of mean times for the steps was 115 s, almost half spent explaining the vaccine and intranasal delivery.

Parental knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with not receiving hepatitis A vaccine in a demonstration project in Butte County, California.

Objective: To determine hepatitis A vaccination coverage and factors associated with not receiving hepatitis A vaccine among children.

Methods: A random cluster sample survey was conducted of parents of children who attended kindergarten in Butte County, California, in 2000. Because of a history of recurrent epidemics, an aggressive hepatitis A vaccination program was ongoing during the time this study was conducted.

Time spent by primary care practices on pediatric influenza vaccination visits: implications for universal influenza vaccination.

Objective: To measure the time currently spent by primary care practice personnel, and the examination room occupancy time for childhood influenza vaccination visits, to assess the practicality of annual influenza vaccination of all preschool children.

Setting: Seven primary care practices serving one fourth of the children living in Rochester, NY.

Patients: Ninety-two children seen for influenza vaccination visits in the 2000-2001 vaccination season.