[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 147 (Wednesday, July 31, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49695-49696]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-19252]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30DAY-40-02]


Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes a 
list of information collection requests under review by the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). To request a copy of these requests, call 
the CDC Reports Clearance Officer at (404) 498-1210. Send written 
comments to CDC, Desk Officer, Human Resources and Housing Branch, New 
Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503. Written 
comments should be received within 30 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. The annual burden for this data collection is 6,969 
hours.

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                                                                                                  Average burden
                         Respondents                              Number of      Responses per     per response
                                                                 respondents       respondent       (in hours)
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Laboratories.................................................           9,292                1            45/60
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[[Page 49696]]

    Dated: July 24, 2002.
Nancy E. Cheal,
Acting Associate Director for Policy, Planning and Evaluation, Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 02-19252 Filed 7-30-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P