[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 91 (Friday, May 10, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31810-31811]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-11712]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-02-55]


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 for opportunity for public comment on 
proposed data collection projects, the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC) will publish periodic summaries of proposed 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) 498-1210.
    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 or other 
forms of information technology. Send comments to Anne O'Connor, CDC 
Assistant Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D24, 
Atlanta, GA 30333. Written comments should be received within 60 days 
of this notice.
    Proposed Project: National Survey for Laboratory Containment of 
Wild Polioviruses--New--National Vaccine Program Office (NVPO), Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Global polio eradication is 
anticipated within the next few years. The only sources of wild 
poliovirus will be in biomedical laboratories. Prevention of 
inadvertent transmission of polioviruses from the laboratory to the 
community is crucial.
    The first step toward laboratory containment is a national survey 
of all biomedical laboratories. The survey will alert laboratories to 
the impending eradication of polio, encourage the disposition of all 
unneeded wild poliovirus infectious and potential infectious materials, 
and establish a national inventory of laboratories retaining such 
materials. Laboratories on the inventory will be kept informed of polio 
eradication progress and notified, when necessary, to implement 
biosafety requirements appropriate for the risk of working with such 
materials.
    In June 2001, the Secretary for Health and Human Services, Tommy 
Thompson, declared in a letter to the Regional Director of the Pan 
American Health Organization that:

    The United States is fully committed to PAHO's Executive 
Committee Resolution CE126.R4 urging Member States ``to initiate 
activities related to the containment of any laboratory material 
that may harbor specimens of wild poliovirus.''

    The Department of Health and Human Services proposes a national 
survey of all biomedical laboratories that may possess wild poliovirus 
infectious or potential infectious materials. An estimated 15,000 
biomedical laboratories, in six categories of institutions: academic, 
federal government, hospital, industry, private, and state and local 
government facilities, will be included in the national survey.
    The national survey instruments and logistics will be tested during 
the OMB approved Pilot Survey (OMB Number: 0920-0545), scheduled to 
begin May 2002. The survey instruments ask laboratories to indicate 
whether or not they possess wild poliovirus infectious and/or potential 
infectious materials. If such materials are present, respondents are 
asked to indicate the types of materials and estimated numbers 
retained. Survey instruments will be available on the NVPO web page, 
and institutions will be encouraged to submit completed survey forms 
electronically.
    No cost beyond time involved to complete the survey will be charged 
to the respondent. The time required for individuals and institutions 
to complete the national survey instruments is a function of records 
quality in each laboratory. It will take the respondent an average of 
45 minutes to complete the survey form.

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                                                                                          Average
                                                               Number of     Number of    burden/       Total
  Respondents (institutions in the following categories)    respondents\*\  responses/    response    burden (in
                                                                            respondent   (in hrs.)      hrs.)
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Academic..................................................            301          1          45/60          226
Federal...................................................             10          1          45/60            8
Hospital..................................................          5,134          1          45/60        3,851
Industry..................................................          1,217          1          45/60          913
Private...................................................          4,226          1          45/60        3,170
State and local government................................          1,499          1          45/60        1,124
                                                           -----------------------------------------------------
    Total.................................................  ..............  ..........  ...........   \*\ 9,292
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* The database of biomedical laboratories is currently under development. The numbers of respondents are best
  estimates.



[[Page 31811]]

    Dated: May 6, 2002.
Nancy E. Cheal,
Acting Associate Director for, Policy, Planning and Evaluation, Centers 
for Disease Control, and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 02-11712 Filed 5-9-02; 8:45 am]
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