[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 53 (Friday, March 17, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14573-14574]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-6614]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-00-29]


Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

    In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 
Paperwork reduction Act of 1995, the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention is providing opportunity for public comment on proposed data 
collection projects. To request more information on the proposed 
projects or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and 
instruments, call the CDC Reports Clearance Officer on (404) 639-7090.
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways 
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques for other 
forms of information technology. Send comments to Seleda Perryman, CDC 
Assistant Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D24, 
Atlanta, GA 30333. Written comments should be received within 14 days 
of this notice.

Proposed Projects

    Possible Estuary-Associated Syndrome (PEAS) Surveillance --New-- 
National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) is requesting an 
emergency clearance to collect data on PEAS. In 1997, scientists found 
a newly identified microorganism, the dinoflagellate Pfiesteria 
piscicida, in water samples taken from a bay tributary. The presence of 
large numbers of this organism (a bloom) was purportedly associated 
with observations of thousands of dead fish as well as with reports of 
a wide range of adverse human health effects. Reports of this purported 
association created excessive public concern about exposure to 
estuarine waters and a general distrust in seafood that prompted a 
flood of inquiries to public health and environmental quality agencies.

[[Page 14574]]

    Since 1997, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 
has been working with the States of Delaware, Florida, Maryland, North 
Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia in a series of meetings, 
workshops, and conference calls to design, implement, evaluate, and 
revise surveillance activities to provide a quantitative estimate of 
the public health burden associated with responding to Pfiesteria-
related events, including blooms, fish kills, and people with health 
complaints. Cooperative agreement funds were awarded to these states to 
develop a multi-state surveillance system to examine the effects of 
Pfiesteria blooms upon humans and to expand the scientific knowledge of 
the human health effects if Pfiesteria. Specifically, the states will 
quantify the burden of PEAS on their health agencies by enumerating the 
number of contacts involving public and professional requests for 
information as well as symptoms involved in self-reporting. In 
collaboration with the state health departments, NCEH has developed a 
standardized data collection instrument that the states may use to 
collect and store the surveillance data. NCEH has requested that the 
states report specific data elements back at regular intervals so that 
NCEH can compile the data and issue periodic aggregate reports.
    CDC/NCEH is requesting a 6 month emergency clearance. There is no 
cost to respondents.

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                                                                                   Avg. burden/
                 Type of burden                      Number of       Number of     response  (in   Total burden
                                                    respondents      responses         hrs.)         (in hrs.)
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Information only calls..........................             800               1            5/60              66
Symptomatic reports--telephone interview........              80               1           25/60              33
                                                                                                 ---------------
    Total.......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............              99
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    Dated: March 13, 2000.
Charles Gollmar,
Acting Associate Director for Policy, Planning, and Evaluation, Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 00-6614 Filed 3-16-00; 8:45 am]
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