Temporal and geographic trends of rotavirus activity in the United States, 1997-2004.

Rotavirus (RV) has a characteristic seasonal pattern in the 48 contiguous states of the continental United States, and climatologic factors have been implicated though not confirmed. Since 1997, three significant events occurred, including strong El Niño and La Niña climatologic phenomena, and the brief introduction of a rotavirus (RV) vaccine. We examined trends in RV activity in the continental United States between 1997 and 2004, using data from a network of over 70 laboratories that voluntarily report weekly RV detection rates within the National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (NREVSS). Analysis of NREVSS data indicates characteristic winter activity that begins in the Southwest in December or January, moves across the country, and ends in the Northeast in April or May. This pattern was not affected by the brief use of RV vaccine nor by periods of climate change associated with the El Niño and La Niña phenomena. The temporal and geographic pattern of RV spread in the United States has persisted since its initial description and defies easy explanation. An impact of the RV vaccine was not observed, either because of the limited uptake of the vaccine or the inherent variability of the system. NRVESS permits a gross assessment of RV geographic and temporal trends in the United States, but underscores the need for additional assessment mechanisms.

Assessing perinatal hepatitis B screening and neonatal prophylaxis in a large, multiethnic county.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the completeness of maternal screening and appropriateness of newborn prophylaxis for hepatitis B virus (HBV) in 2001 in Florida's largest county. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study sampled 1% of deliveries at all hospitals in Miami-Dade County that had delivery suites. Abstractors reviewed mothers' and newborns' charts before discharge to determine whether newborns received appropriate HBV prophylaxis based on mothers' hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) status at 12 hours postpartum. At each hospital, deliveries were sampled sequentially until the target number was reached. Sampling was donefor March-August 2001. RESULTS: Among 339 deliveries at 14 hospitals, the mother's HBsAg status was known within 12 hours of delivery for 286, or 84.4% (95% CI 80.1-88.1%). Of the 53 infants whose mothers' HBsAg status was unknown, 15 (28.3%) were vaccinated within 12 hours of delivery; both infants whose mothers were HBsAg positive received vaccine and immune globulin within 12 hours delivery. CONCLUSION: While HBsAg screening of pregnant women is widespread in Miami-Dade County, the information is not consistent used to protect infants who mothers' HBsAg status unknown.

SARS-associated coronavirus transmission, United States.

To better assess the risk for transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV), we obtained serial specimens and clinical and exposure data from seven confirmed U.S. SARS patients and their 10 household contacts. SARS-CoV was detected in a day-14 sputum specimen from one case-patient and in five stool specimens from two case-patients. In one case-patient, SARS-CoV persisted in stool for at least 26 days after symptom onset. The highest amounts of virus were in the day-14 sputum sample and a day-14 stool sample. Residual respiratory symptoms were still present in recovered SARS case-patients 2 months after illness onset. Possible transmission of SARS-CoV occurred in one household contact, but this person had also traveled to a SARS-affected area. The data suggest that SARS-CoV is not always transmitted efficiently. Routine collection and testing of stool and sputum specimens of probable SARS case-patients may help the early detection of SARS-CoV infection.