[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 148 (Tuesday, August 3, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46547-46548]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-17619]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-04-JT]


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. CDC is requesting an emergency 
clearance for this data collection with a two week public comment 
period. CDC is requesting OMB approval of this package 7 days after the 
end of the public comment period.
    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 Seleda M. Perryman, 
CDC Assistant Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D24, 
Atlanta, GA 30333 or send an e-mail to [email protected]. Written comments 
should be received within 14 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    Passenger Locator Card--New--National Center for Infectious 
Diseases (NCID), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
    The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 
(DHHS) has statutory responsibility for preventing the introduction, 
transmission, and spread of communicable diseases from foreign 
countries into the United States, e.g., at international ports of 
entry, and from one state or possession into another. Under its 
delegated authority by DHHS, the Division of Global Migration and 
Quarantine of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is 
empowered to detain, medically examine, or conditionally release 
individuals suspected of carrying a communicable disease. Under foreign 
quarantine regulations, the master of a ship or captain of an airplane 
entering the United States from a foreign port is required by public 
health law to report certain illnesses among passengers (42 CFR 71.21). 
CDC has the authority to collect personal health information to protect 
the health of the public under the authority of Section 301 of the 
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 241).
    People exposed to communicable diseases of public health importance 
while traveling on a conveyance should be notified as quickly as 
possible by public health authorities so they can be made aware of (1) 
their exposure, (2) told what to do if they become symptomatic, and (3) 
be medically monitored for a period after exposure, or given preventive 
treatment if indicated and readily available. In order to do this, 
emergency contact information is needed for all persons (passengers and 
crew) who traveled on the conveyance.
    Presently, there are two circumstances that passenger locator 
information would be collected: (1) When a passenger is reported with 
signs and symptoms of a communicable illness; and, (2) In the event of 
a global disease outbreak. During the severe acute respiratory syndrome 
(SARS) outbreak in 2003, it was evident that current methods of using 
paper copies of airline manifests and customs information were 
inadequate to notify passengers potentially exposed to SARS within the 
incubation period (10 days). Airline manifests and custom declarations 
do not contain reliable emergency contact information. Manifests 
contain only the name and the seat number. Custom declarations are 
written by passengers and are often illegible or not complete. Names on 
the custom declarations do not necessarily match those on the 
manifests, phone numbers are not included, and only one custom 
declaration is filled out per family. The locating information maybe 
fairly complete; however, the person may no longer be at that address 
(e.g., temporary lodging).
    Passengers on domestic flights do not complete custom declaration, 
therefore no reliable system exist to obtain emergency contact 
information for passengers on domestic conveyances. The estimated time 
to locate passengers using the current system is one month.
    An emergency clearance is being requested because CDC has developed 
an airline passenger locator card to obtain the necessary information 
needed to notify passengers who may have been exposed to a communicable 
disease. Because of today's uncertainties, we are requesting OMB to 
grant approval most expeditiously.
    Completing the passenger locator card and furnishing the requested 
information is voluntary; however, in order to prevent the spread of a 
disease, more complete information allows important public health 
functions such as adequate monitoring and follow-up of

[[Page 46548]]

significant health events to be performed. To prevent the spread of 
communicable diseases, identifiable information may be shared with 
authorized DHHS personnel and public health or cooperating medical 
authorities. In addition to collecting detailed locator information, 
the passenger locator card can be scanned, which will increase the 
speed as well as accuracy of data collection and should allow for more 
timely notification of passengers when necessary. This package will be 
included in the next extension of the Foreign Quarantine Regulations 
(42 CFR Part 71) OMB No. 0920-0134. There are no costs to the 
respondents.

                                             Annualized Burden Table
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                                                                     Number of    Average burden/
              Type of notification                   Number of      responses/     response  (in   Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent        hours)           hours
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Outbreak of public health significance..........       2,700,000               1            5/60         225,000
Ill passenger...................................             800               1            5/60              67
                                                 -----------------
    Total.......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............         225,067
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    Dated: July 27, 2004.
Alvin Hall,
Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 04-17619 Filed 8-2-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P