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G S Birkhead

Publications and source records attributed to G S Birkhead.

43 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

The geographic spread and temporal increase of the Lyme disease epidemic.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the temporal and geographic progression of the Lyme disease epidemic in New York State from 1977 through 1989. DESIGN: Communicable disease surveillance system. SETTING: Statewide. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The progression of the epidemic was examined by analyzing trends in Lyme disease cases reported to the state surveillance system, town and county Lyme disease incidence rates, Lyme disease hospital discharge rates, and the distribution of Ixodes dammini ticks obtained from surveillance efforts and submitted for identification. MAIN RESULTS: The number of confirmed Lyme disease cases in New York has increased with concurrent increases in the number of hospital discharges. The number of counties endemic for Lyme disease increased from four to eight between 1985 and 1989. The number of counties with documented I dammini ticks increased from four in 1985 to 22 in 1989. Incidence of the disease also increased within known endemic counties. CONCLUSIONS: Tick surveillance indicated that the range of I dammini has expanded annually into areas up to 384 km from the original known endemic areas of Long Island, NY, and Connecticut. Cumulative data from human surveillance resources document both temporal increases and geographic expansion of the Lyme disease epidemic in New York.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

The use of hospital discharge data for public health surveillance of Guillain-Barré syndrome.

The sensitivity of passive reporting of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) to the Vermont Department of Health from 1980 to 1985 was compared to that of computerized hospital discharge abstract data. Written hospital discharge summaries were reviewed for clinical data to validate the computerized abstracts. In all, 51 definite and probable cases of GBS were identified from hospital data during a period when only 4 cases (8%) had been reported to the health department through passive physician reporting. Based on the hospital data, the incidence of this syndrome in Vermont was 1.6/100,000 population/year. The incidence rate for males was 1.5 times that for females. No geographical or seasonal clustering of cases was found. These epidemiological features are consistent with previously published data on the syndrome and suggest that the incidence has not changed significantly in the past 10 years. Incidence rates for GBS based on passively reported cases markedly underestimate the true incidence rate. Although limited by the lack of timeliness for public health surveillance, computerized hospital discharge data are readily available in many states and may be more sensitive in detecting cases, compared to passive surveillance. They may be a useful tool for establishing baseline rates and examining long-term trends for selected acute diseases like GBS for which there are well-established diagnostic criteria and that usually result in hospitalization.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

New York State's two-dose schedule for measles immunization.

In April 1989, New York became the first State in the United States to adopt a two-dose schedule for routine measles immunization. Although a two-dose schedule had been under discussion for the previous 10 years, this policy change was finally prompted in New York State by widespread measles outbreaks in 1989 among college and high school students who had been appropriately vaccinated with a single dose of measles vaccine. These outbreaks affected 21 college and secondary school campuses with 91 cases of measles and led to the administration of 53,093 doses of vaccine at a cost in excess of $859,000 for vaccine alone. In addition, there were major disruptions of intercollegiate athletic and scholastic events and physician and public confusion over the different recommendations for "outbreak" versus "routine" measles immunization. In response, the New York State Department of Health adopted a policy of two doses of measles vaccine required for entrance into kindergarten and college beginning in the fall of 1990. This report describes the data and process that were used in reaching this policy decision.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The emergency department in surveillance of attempted suicide: findings and methodologic considerations.

The authors conducted one of the first active, population-based public health surveillance systems for detecting suicide attempts in the United States. Surveillance was conducted in all four hospital emergency departments serving a county suburban to Atlanta, GA, with a population of 426,000. Emergency department staff gathered information from all patients who presented with an intentionally self-inflicted injury (suicide attempt) or with thoughts about self-injury (suicidal ideation). During an 18-month period in 1988 and 1989, 798 suicide attempt-related patients were reported, for a rate of 124.7 per 100,000 county residents per year. Females had a higher attempted suicide rate than males, but males had a higher completed suicide rate. Ingestion of drugs or poison was the most common method of attempted suicide (71.1 percent), and use of firearms was the most common method of completed suicide (69.8 percent). In comparing reported cases with those found by reviewing emergency department log books, the authors found that the case reports were 58 percent complete and that surveillance reporting was highly representative of all cases requiring emergency transport. The authors conclude that emergency department-based surveillance for attempted suicide is feasible. It can provide representative data that may be used to monitor trends in attempted suicide and to define high-risk groups. Such surveillance may also allow timely detection of suicide attempt clusters, facilitating prompt intervention.

Adolescent↗