[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 67 (Tuesday, April 8, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17043-17044]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-8485]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30DAY-37-03]


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 Disease Surveillance Program--II. 
Disease Summaries (0920-0004)--Revision--National Center for Infectious 
Diseases (NCID), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background

    Surveillance of the incidence and distribution of disease has been 
an important function of the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) since 
1878. Through the years, PHS/CDC has formulated practical methods of 
disease control through field investigations. The CDC Surveillance 
Program is based on the premise that diseases cannot be diagnosed, 
prevented, or controlled until existing knowledge is expanded and new 
ideas developed and implemented. Over the years, the mandate of CDC has 
broadened to include preventive health activities and the surveillance 
systems maintained have expanded.
    CDC and the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) 
collect data on disease and preventable conditions in accordance with 
jointly approved plans. Changes in the surveillance program and in 
reporting methods are effected in the same manner. At the onset of this 
surveillance program in 1968, the CSTE and CDC decided on which 
diseases warranted surveillance. These diseases are

[[Page 17044]]

reviewed and revised based on variations in the public's health. 
Surveillance forms are distributed to the State and local health 
departments who voluntarily submit these reports to CDC at variable 
frequencies, either weekly or monthly. CDC then calculates and 
publishes weekly statistics via the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly 
Report (MMWR), providing the states with timely aggregates of their 
submissions.
    The following diseases/conditions are included in this program: 
influenza, respiratory and enterovirus, arboviral encephalitis, rabies, 
Salmonella, Campylobacter, Shigella, foodborne outbreaks, waterborne 
outbreaks, and enteric virus. These data are essential on the local, 
state, and Federal levels for measuring trends in diseases, evaluating 
the effectiveness of current prevention strategies, and determining the 
need for modifying current prevention measures.
    This request is for extension of the data collection for three 
years. Because of the distinct nature of each of the diseases, the 
number of cases reported annually is different for each. The total 
estimated annualized burden is 12,335 hours.

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                                                                                     No. of      Average burden/
                             Form                                   No. of         responses/      response (in
                                                                 respondents       respondent         hours)
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Diarrheal Disease Surveillance:
Campylobactor (electronic)...................................              53               52             3/60
Salmonella (electronic)......................................              53               52             3/60
Shigella (electronic)........................................              53               52             3/60
Foodborne Outbreak Form (electronic).........................              52               25            15/60
* * * Arboviral Surveillance (ArboNet).......................              54              717             5/60
Influenza:
Influenza virus (fax, Oct-May)...............................              44               33            10/60
Influenza virus (fax, year round)............................              12               52            10/60
Influenza virus (electronic, Oct-May)........................              14               33             5/60
Influenza virus (electronic, year round).....................              10               52             5/60
Influenza Annual Survey......................................              80                1            15/60
Influenza-like Illness (Oct-May).............................             620               33            15/60
Influenza-like Illness (year round)..........................             130               52            15/60
Monthly Respiratory & Enterovirus Surveillance Report:
Excel format (electronic)....................................              25               12            15/60
Access format (electronic)...................................               2               12            15/60
National Respiratory & Enteric Virus Surveillance System                   89               52            10/60
 (NREVSS)....................................................
Rabies (electronic)..........................................              40               12             8/60
Rabies (paper)...............................................              15               12            20/60
Waterborne Disease Outbreak Form.............................              60                2            20/60
* * * Cholera and other Vibrio Illness.......................             300                1            20/60
* * * CaliciNet..............................................              30               10            10/60
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    Dated: March 31, 2003.
Thomas Bartenfeld,
Acting Associate Director for Policy, Planning and Evaluation, Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 03-8485 Filed 4-7-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P