Publications by authors named "Rebecca M Dahl"

Although invasive cervical cancer (ICC) rates have declined since the advent of screening, the annual age-adjusted ICC rate in the United States remains 7.5 per 100,000 women. Failure of recommended screening and management often precedes ICC diagnoses.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The 4 common types of human coronaviruses (HCoVs)-2 alpha (HCoV-NL63 and HCoV-229E) and 2 beta (HCoV-HKU1 and HCoV-OC43)-generally cause mild upper respiratory illness. Seasonal patterns and annual variation in predominant types of HCoVs are known, but parameters of expected seasonality have not been defined. We defined seasonality of HCoVs during July 2014-November 2021 in the United States by using a retrospective method applied to National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System data.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech) provide strong protection against severe COVID-19, including hospitalization, for at least several months after receipt of the second dose (1,2). However, studies examining immune responses and differences in protection against COVID-19-associated hospitalization in real-world settings, including by vaccine product, are limited. To understand how vaccine effectiveness (VE) might change with time, CDC and collaborators assessed the comparative effectiveness of Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines in preventing COVID-19-associated hospitalization at two periods (14-119 days and ≥120 days) after receipt of the second vaccine dose among 1,896 U.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

COVID-19 mRNA vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) have been shown to be highly protective against COVID-19-associated hospitalizations (1-3). Data are limited on the level of protection against hospitalization among disproportionately affected populations in the United States, particularly during periods in which the B.1.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: We quantified the risk of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) hospitalizations and severe outcomes among children with neurological disorders.

Methods: We estimated RSV-specific and RSV-associated hospitalization rates using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes from 2 insurance claims IBM MarketScan Research Databases (Commercial and Multi-State Medicaid) from July 2006 through June 2015. For comparison, a simple random sample of 10% of all eligible children was selected to represent the general population.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is primarily a respiratory illness, although increasing evidence indicates that infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can affect multiple organ systems (1). Data that examine all in-hospital complications of COVID-19 and that compare these complications with those associated with other viral respiratory pathogens, such as influenza, are lacking. To assess complications of COVID-19 and influenza, electronic health records (EHRs) from 3,948 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 (March 1-May 31, 2020) and 5,453 hospitalized patients with influenza (October 1, 2018-February 1, 2020) from the national Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the largest integrated health care system in the United States,* were analyzed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) burden, etiology, and severity in adults is not well characterized. We implemented a multisite AGE surveillance platform in 4 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (Atlanta, Georgia; Bronx, New York; Houston, Texas; and Los Angeles, California), collectively serving >320 000 patients annually.

Methods: From 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2018, we actively identified inpatient AGE case patients and non-AGE inpatient controls through prospective screening of admitted patients and passively identified outpatients with AGE through stool samples submitted for clinical diagnostics.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study estimates the annual burden of norovirus in the U.S., highlighting its significant role in causing acute gastroenteritis (AGE), with substantial healthcare implications.
  • An analysis of healthcare data from 2001 to 2015 revealed approximately 900 deaths, 109,000 hospitalizations, 465,000 emergency department visits, and 2.3 million clinic encounters related to norovirus each year.
  • The estimated healthcare costs associated with norovirus range from $430 million to $740 million annually, indicating that developing an effective vaccine could greatly benefit public health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This cohort study uses commercial insurance data to examine the association between rotavirus vaccination and type 1 diabetes incidence.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Human parainfluenza viruses (HPIVs) cause upper and lower respiratory tract illnesses, most frequently among infants and young children, but also in the elderly. While seasonal patterns of HPIV types 1-3 have been described, less is known about national patterns of HPIV-4 circulation.

Objectives: To describe patterns of HPIVs circulation in the United States (US).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Rotavirus vaccination can temporarily raise the risk of intussusception in children, which is a type of bowel obstruction.
  • An analysis of over 1.8 million US children found 544 cases of intussusception.
  • However, vaccinated children showed a nonsignificant decrease in cases when followed up to age 2, indicating potential safety in fully vaccinated kids.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) shedding and antibody responses are not fully understood, particularly in relation to underlying medical conditions, clinical manifestations, and mortality. We enrolled MERS-CoV-positive patients at a hospital in Saudi Arabia and periodically collected specimens from multiple sites for real-time reverse transcription PCR and serologic testing. We conducted interviews and chart abstractions to collect clinical, epidemiologic, and laboratory information.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The direct effectiveness of infant rotavirus vaccination implemented in 2006 in the United States has been evaluated extensively, however, understanding of population-level vaccine effectiveness (VE) is still incomplete.

Methods: We analyzed time series data on rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE) and all-cause acute gastroenteritis (AGE) hospitalization rates in the United States from the MarketScan® Research Databases for July 2001-June 2016. Individuals were grouped into ages 0-4, 5-9, 10-14, 15-24, 25-44, and 45-64 years.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: We describe changes in rates of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grades 2, 3 and adenocarcinoma in situ (CIN2+) during a period of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake and changing cervical cancer screening recommendations.

Methods: We conducted population-based laboratory surveillance for CIN2+ in catchment areas in 5 states, 2008-2015. We calculated age-specific CIN2+ rates per 100000 women by age groups.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of acute lower respiratory tract infection (ALRTI) in young children, but data on surveillance case definition performance in estimating burdens have been limited.

Methods: We enrolled children aged <5 years hospitalized for ALRTI (or neonatal sepsis in young infants) through active prospective surveillance at 5 sentinel hospitals in South Africa and collected nasopharyngeal aspirates from them for RSV molecular diagnostic testing between 2009 and 2014. Clinical data were used to characterize RSV disease and retrospectively evaluate the performance of respiratory illness case definitions (including the World Health Organization definition for severe acute respiratory infection [SARI]) in identifying hospitalized children with laboratory-confirmed RSV according to age group (<3, 3-5, 6-11, 12-23, and 24-59 months).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Rotavirus commonly causes diarrhea but can also cause seizures. Analysis of insurance claims for 1773295 US children with 2950 recorded seizures found that, compared to rotavirus-unvaccinated children, seizure hospitalization risk was reduced by 24% (95% confidence interval [CI], 13%-33%) and 14% (95% CI, 0%-26%) among fully and partially rotavirus-vaccinated children, respectively.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We used administrative data to study the impact of family history on the risk of herpes zoster (HZ). Our HZ cases and our HZ family history were both ascertained on the basis of medically attended diagnoses, without reliance on self-report or recall bias. Family history was associated with HZ risk among both siblings and parents.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Rotavirus vaccination was introduced in the United States in 2006. Our objectives were to examine reductions in diarrhea-associated health care utilization after rotavirus vaccine implementation and to assess direct vaccine effectiveness (VE) in US children.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study using claims data of US children under 5 years of age.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * A study analyzed hospitalization rates from 2002-2015, noting a clear pattern of increased rates during certain years in the early post-vaccine period, especially in 2009 and 2011 compared to 2008 and 2010.
  • * The findings suggest that incomplete vaccine coverage may have led to these peaks, but as vaccination rates improve, this pattern seems to be diminishing, indicating that higher coverage could eventually eliminate these peak
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates the circulation patterns of human coronaviruses (HCoVs) -OC43, -229E, -NL63, and -HKU1 in the U.S. by analyzing testing data from July 2014 to June 2017.
  • - Out of 854,575 tests conducted across 117 laboratories, the highest positivity rates were recorded for HCoV-OC43 (2.2%) and the lowest for HCoV-HKU1 (0.6), with positive test results peaking during winter months (December-March).
  • - The analysis revealed significant differences in age distribution among the HCoV species but no notable differences in sex, indicating that seasonal and demographic factors may influence the
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The effectiveness of rotavirus vaccines in low and very low birth weight infants (LBW and VLBW) weighing <2500 and <1500 g at birth, respectively, a high-risk population for severe rotavirus gastroenteritis, has not been well examined.

Methods: We analyzed inpatient commercial claims data for US children <5 years of age from July 2001 to June 2015. Claims for acute gastroenteritis (AGE) and rotavirus-coded hospitalizations and LBW, VLBW and normal birth weight (NBW) infants were identified.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • In 2014, an outbreak of severe respiratory illness in the U.S. was linked primarily to enterovirus D68 (EV-D68), but also involved other enteroviruses and rhinoviruses.
  • A study analyzed respiratory specimens from patients during the outbreak to identify and characterize various enterovirus and rhinovirus types, revealing significant diversity among the viruses present.
  • The results indicated that while EV-D68 was the most common virus detected, many cases also involved rhinoviruses, highlighting the need for better understanding of these viruses to improve diagnostics and treatment strategies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The effect of a third dose of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine in stemming a mumps outbreak is unknown. During an outbreak among vaccinated students at the University of Iowa, health officials implemented a widespread MMR vaccine campaign. We evaluated the effectiveness of a third dose for outbreak control and assessed for waning immunity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The emergence of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has prompted enhanced surveillance for respiratory infections among pilgrims returning from the Hajj, one of the largest annual mass gatherings in the world.

Objectives: To describe the epidemiology and etiologies of respiratory illnesses among pilgrims returning to Jordan after the 2014 Hajj.

Study Design: Surveillance for respiratory illness among pilgrims returning to Jordan after the 2014 Hajj was conducted at sentinel health care facilities using epidemiologic surveys and molecular diagnostic testing of upper respiratory specimens for multiple respiratory pathogens, including MERS-CoV.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF