The purpose of this workgroup is to inform and improve practices related to Legionnaires’ disease surveillance and response in local, state, tribal, and territorial settings.
Topic Ideas for Future Surveillance Workgroup Calls
Hi everyone! Please comment with any ideas you may have for future call topics. All ideas and suggestions are welcome and appreciated!
Comments & Events
Julieta Saluzzo
Hi Ashley and everyone,
Thank you for getting this started! As it was mentioned during the call on 1/17/19, I would be very interested in sharing and hearing more about the following topics:
1. Encouraging clinicians to perform UAT and specimen collection (how can we improve communication between health departments and healthcare professionals with regards to this topic?)
2. Multi-agency response protocol (i.e., increasing capacity and strengthening the response to LD during investigations)
I look forward to these calls!
Sincerely, Julieta Saluzzo
Notified 79 people
Rachel Curtis,Epidemiologist
Hi,
I and others on my team would be interested to learn more about surveillance systems of which we are not yet aware. It would be interesting to learn more about how other teams work with local, state, and national surveillance systems and partners (and which partners).
Thanks!
Rachel Curtis-Robles, San Mateo County
Notified 79 people
Chandra Marriott
Pennsylvania is curious to know how other states determine when to follow-up on possible healthcare-associated Legionella cases.
Follow-up?
Yes, if an inpatient exposure.
Yes, if an outpatient exposure in a high-risk setting such as a hospital, cancer center, or dialysis center.
No, if only one case with an outpatient exposure in a low-risk setting such as a doctor's office, dental office, outpatient surgery center, etc.
Yes, if two or more cases with outpatient exposure in a low-risk setting.
What if the case was a visitor, volunteer, or employee exposed in a high risk setting?
Are there other scenarios to consider?
Does it matter if the case is suspect rather than confirmed?
It can be confusing for field staff to know when to follow-up. We had almost 100 possible healthcare-associated cases last year and we can't do follow-up with every facility. Do any states have a straightforward approach?
Thanks!
Chandra Marriott Pennsylvania Dept of Health
Notified 79 people
Scott Troppy,Surveillance Epidemiologist at MA DPH
Chandra - I reached out to the program epi's and the responses to your questions are below for Massachusetts -
Yes, if an inpatient exposure. In MA, we would recommend environmental remediation if patient was hospitalized for their entire incubation period.
Yes, if an outpatient exposure in a high-risk setting such as a hospital, cancer center, or dialysis center. In MA, we wouldn’t necessarily recommend environmental remediation right away with one case, but would add it to our list of possible exposure settings should another case be reported; if subsequent case reported, then we probably would.
No, if only one case with an outpatient exposure in a low-risk setting such as a doctor's office, dental office, outpatient surgery center, etc. In MA, same, but would still add to our list of possible exposure settings in case we got another one.
Yes, if two or more cases with outpatient exposure in a low-risk setting. In MA, would probably depend on timing of the cases, when during the incubation period the exposure occurred, what the actual exposure was and how long they were exposed for.
What if the case was a visitor, volunteer, or employee exposed in a high risk setting? In MA, would need to take a closer look at when during incubation period the exposure occurred, what was their actual exposure and how long they were exposed for. We are starting to think about employees and their places of employment as exposure settings, but have not come up with any specifics as of yet.
Are there other scenarios to consider? I’m sure there are, we are always getting calls about stuff we haven’t even considered yet
Does it matter if the case is suspect rather than confirmed? Probably determine on a case by case basis.
Thank you for getting this started! As it was mentioned during the call on 1/17/19, I would be very interested in sharing and hearing more about the following topics:
1. Encouraging clinicians to perform UAT and specimen collection (how can we improve communication between health departments and healthcare professionals with regards to this topic?)
2. Multi-agency response protocol (i.e., increasing capacity and strengthening the response to LD during investigations)
I look forward to these calls!
Sincerely,
Julieta Saluzzo
I and others on my team would be interested to learn more about surveillance systems of which we are not yet aware. It would be interesting to learn more about how other teams work with local, state, and national surveillance systems and partners (and which partners).
Thanks!
Rachel Curtis-Robles, San Mateo County
Pennsylvania Dept of Health