[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 33 (Friday, February 20, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7907-7908]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-3647]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-09-09AR]


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 404-639-5960 or 
send comments to Maryam Daneshvar, CDC Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 
Clifton Road, MS-D74, Atlanta, GA 30333 or send an e-mail to 
[email protected].
    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. Written comments should be received 
within 60 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    STD Surveillance Network (SSuN)--New--Division of STD Prevention 
(DSTDP); National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB 
Prevention (NCHHSTP); Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Backgroundand Brief Description

    The STD Surveillance Network (SSuN) is a group of STD clinics and 
health departments designed to perform active surveillance for STDs, 
such as, chancroid, chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis B, HIV, 
trichomoniasis, genital warts, human Papillomavirus, and Mycoplasma 
genitalium at twelve health departments and STD clinics at: Alabama 
State Health Department, Baltimore City Health Department, Chicago City 
Health Department, Colorado State Health Department, Connecticut State 
Health Department, Los Angeles City Health Department, Louisiana State 
Health Department, New York City Health Department, Philadelphia City 
Health Department, San Francisco City Health Department, Virginia State 
Health Department, and Washington State Health Department.
    These twelve active sentinel surveillance sites will provide 
detailed information on demographic characteristics, behavioral risk 
factors, and clinical history of ill persons in order to identify 
factors that sustain the epidemic. For example, history of previous 
STD, number and sex of sex partners, and participation in anonymous or 
commercial sex alter a person's risk for acquiring disease.
    The objectives of the SSuN project are: (1) To establish an 
integrated network of sentinel STD clinics and health departments to 
inform and guide national programs and policies for STD control in the 
U.S.; (2) to improve the capacity of national, state, and local STD 
programs to detect, monitor, and respond to established and emerging 
trends in STDs, HIV, and viral hepatitis; and (3) to identify and 
evaluate the effectiveness of public health interventions to reduce STD 
morbidity.
    Information for the SSuN will be obtained from two different areas; 
twelve sentinel STD clinics and twelve health departments who will 
conduct sentinel surveillance among individuals who are diagnosed with 
STDs in the general population.
    Health Departments and the sentinel STD clinics are funded by CDC 
through a cooperative agreement for participation in the SSuN active 
surveillance. Clinical information of the patients with a STD is 
routinely entered into the STD clinic databases in an electronic form. 
In addition to the clinical data, STD clinic counselors will include a 
patient interview on sexual behaviors and practices, and clinical 
history which will also reside in the clinic databases. Data elements 
of interest to the SSuN will be extracted from the clinic databases on 
a quarterly basis and transmitted to CDC through a secured channel. 
Each STD clinic will spend 2 hours to transmit the data to CDC each 
quarter. At CDC, data will be aggregated with data from all 
participating sites in a common language and formatted for analysis.
    The twelve Health departments serving as the SSuN sentinel 
surveillance sites will interview 67 persons from the community at 
large each quarter. Each interview is expected to take 7 minutes per 
person. The survey results will also be entered into the existing 
information systems at each health department and sent to CDC through a 
secure data network on a quarterly basis.
    There is no cost to the respondents other than their time.

                                       Estimate of Annualized Burden Table
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                               Average burden
               Respondent                      No. of       No. of responses  per response (in  Total burden (in
                                             respondents     per respondent        hours)            hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STD Surveillance Clinics................                12                 4                 2                96
STD Patients............................              3216                 1              7/60               375
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total...............................  ................  ................  ................               471
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



[[Page 7908]]

    Dated: February 17, 2009.
Maryam I. Daneshvar,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. E9-3647 Filed 2-19-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P