Publications by authors named "Stephanie Dietz"
Article Synopsis
- - Human parvovirus B19 typically causes mild illness but can pose serious risks to pregnant individuals, those with weakened immune systems, and people with chronic blood disorders; recent B19 activity has surged in several European countries.
- - In the U.S., no standard B19 surveillance exists, but studies found a significant rise in IgM antibodies, indicating recent infections, showing a notable increase from less than 1.5% (2020-2023) to 9.9% in Q2 of 2024.
- - A similar spike was observed in donor plasma testing, with 20% positive for B19 nucleic acid amplification testing in June 2024, up from under 2% in previous years
On January 31, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) declared, under Section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, a U.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContext: A trained and diverse public health workforce is needed to respond to public health threats. The Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) is an applied epidemiology training program. Most EIS officers are from the United States, but some are from other countries and bring unique perspectives and skills.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - This study analyzed antibody concentrations in 3,067 COVID-19-unvaccinated individuals with detectable anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, revealing significantly lower neutralizing and binding antibody levels compared to those seen after vaccination.
- - Approximately 88% of participants had neutralizing antibody levels associated with 70% vaccine efficacy against symptomatic infection, but only about 30% had levels indicative of 90% vaccine efficacy; binding antibody levels were even lower.
- - The findings underline the importance of vaccination for enhanced protection and recommend using standardized assays to measure antibody levels, which can inform public health decisions regarding booster doses, especially as new variants emerge.
Background: Cryptococcosis is a serious opportunistic fungal disease, and the proportion of cases among patients with immunosuppressive conditions other than HIV or organ transplant has increased. Understanding laboratory testing patterns for cryptococcosis is useful for estimating its true burden and developing testing guidance.
Methods: We identified cryptococcosis tests (cryptococcal antigen [CrAg], cryptococcal antibody, and fungal cultures) performed at a major national commercial laboratory ordered during March 1, 2019-October 1, 2021, and analyzed test results, patient and provider features, reasons for testing, geography, and temporal trends.
In November 2021, CDC was notified of a cluster of previously healthy children with hepatitis of unknown etiology evaluated at a single U.S. hospital (1).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: During the COVID-19 pandemic, disruptions were anticipated in the US health care system for routine preventive and other nonemergency care, including sexually transmitted infection care.
Methods: Using a large national laboratory data set, we assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the weekly numbers and percent positivity of chlamydia and gonorrhea tests ordered from the 5th week of 2019 to the 52nd week of 2020 in the United States. We compared weekly 2020 values for test volume, percent positive, and number of positives with the same week in 2019.
Article Synopsis
- In 2020, Americans spent more time outdoors compared to 2019, but there were still fewer reported tick bite emergencies and Lyme disease tests.
- The lower reports of Lyme disease cases might be linked to changes in how people sought healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Overall, the data suggests that even with increased outdoor activity, the actual cases of Lyme disease may not reflect the true exposure risk.
Background: Respiratory tract infections are common, often seasonal, and caused by multiple pathogens. We assessed whether seasonal respiratory illness patterns changed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: We categorized emergency department (ED) visits reported to the National Syndromic Surveillance Program according to chief complaints and diagnosis codes, excluding visits with diagnosed SARS-CoV-2 infections.
Changing Age Distribution of the COVID-19 Pandemic - United States, May-August 2020.
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep
October 2020
As of September 21, 2020, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had resulted in more than 6,800,000 reported U.S. cases and more than 199,000 associated deaths.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Nationally, animal-motor vehicle crashes (AVCs) account for 4.4% of all types of motor vehicle crashes (MVCs). AVCs are a safety risk for drivers and animals and many National Park Service (NPS) units (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Hepatitis B virus is a bloodborne pathogen typically transmitted through sexual contact, injection drug use or perinatally. A hepatitis B vaccine (HepB) is available; the first dose is recommended at birth. We sought to identify hospital policy, maternal characteristics and birth factors associated with HepB receipt at birth in West Virginia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Concerns regarding vaccine safety and pain have prompted certain parents to limit the number of shots their child receives per visit. We estimated the prevalence of shot-limited children in Michigan, described their characteristics, assessed whether shot-limited children were up-to-date on recommended vaccinations, and investigated possible intervention points for vaccination education.
Methods: We analyzed vaccination registry and birth record data of children born in Michigan during 2012 who had ⩾2 vaccination visits, with ⩾1 visits after age 5months.