[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 80 (Thursday, April 27, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19373-19374]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-08492]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-17-1039; Docket No. CDC-2017-0040]


Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice with comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part 
of its continuing efforts to reduce public burden and maximize the 
utility of government information, invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or 
continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed 
revision to the information collection project titled ``Information 
Collection on Cause-Specific Absenteeism in Schools.'' Changes include 
a revised title. The proposed title is ``Information Collection on 
Cause-Specific Absenteeism in Schools and Evaluation of Influenza 
Transmission within Student Households.'' The project will continue to 
address the original aim of improving our understanding of the role of 
influenza-like illness (ILI)--specific absenteeism in schools in 
predicting community-wide influenza transmission.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before June 26, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2017-
0040 by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Leroy A. Richardson, Information Collection Review 
Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road 
NE., MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and Docket Number. All relevant comments received will be posted 
without change to Regulations.gov, including any personal information 
provided. For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to Regulations.gov.
    Please note: All public comment should be submitted through the 
Federal eRulemaking portal (Regulations.gov) or by U.S. mail to the 
address listed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan 
and instruments, contact Leroy A. Richardson, Information Collection 
Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton 
Road NE., MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; phone: 404-639-7570; Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal agencies must obtain approval from 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of 
information they conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires 
Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register 
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each new 
proposed collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of 
information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information 
collection before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To 
comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a 
proposed data collection as described below.
    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; (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; and (e) estimates of capital or start-
up costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services 
to provide information. Burden means the total time, effort, or 
financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, 
disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This 
includes the time needed to review instructions; to develop, acquire, 
install and utilize technology and systems for the purpose of 
collecting, validating and verifying information, processing and 
maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; to 
train personnel and to be able to respond to a collection of 
information, to search data sources, to complete and review the 
collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise disclose the 
information.

Proposed Project

    Information Collection on Cause-Specific Absenteeism in Schools and 
Evaluation of Influenza Transmission within Student Households (OMB 
Control Number 0920-1039; expires 12/31/2017)--Revision--National 
Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

[[Page 19374]]

Background and Brief Description

    The CDC's Division of Global Migration and Quarantine (DGMQ), 
requests approval of an information collection project that will allow 
for improved understanding of the role of influenza-like illness (ILI)-
specific absenteeism in schools in predicting community-wide influenza 
transmission. The collection will also allow for within-household 
influenza transmission where students have been absent from school due 
to ILI. CDC is seeking three-year clearance to collect this data.
    Since receiving Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval in 
December 2014, CDC enrolled 651 students in the study. Of them, 58% 
were positive for at least one respiratory pathogen included in the 
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) panel that tests for presence of 17 
common respiratory viruses, and 27% of the students were found to be 
positive for influenza. It was demonstrated that absenteeism due to ILI 
in school children was highly correlated with PCR-confirmed influenza 
in enrolled school children and with medically-attended influenza in 
the surrounding community suggesting that ILI-specific school 
absenteeism can be considered a useful tool for predicting influenza 
outbreaks in the surrounding community. However, more observations 
during influenza seasons caused by other influenza strains are needed 
to make these findings more robust.
    The information collection for which approval is sought is in 
accordance with CDC's and DGMQ's missions to reduce morbidity and 
mortality in mobile populations, and to prevent the introduction, 
transmission, or spread of communicable diseases within the United 
States. Insights gained from this information collection will assist in 
the planning and implementation of CDC Pre-Pandemic Guidance on the use 
of school related measures, including school closures, to slow 
transmission during an influenza pandemic.
    School closures were considered an important measure during the 
earliest stage of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, because a pandemic vaccine 
was not available until October (6 months later), and sufficient stocks 
to immunize all school-age children were not available until December. 
However, retrospective review of the U.S. government response to the 
pandemic identified a limited evidence-base regarding the 
effectiveness, acceptability, and feasibility of various school related 
measures during mild or moderately severe pandemics. Guidance updates 
will require an evidence-based rationale for determining the 
appropriate triggers, timing, and duration of school related measures, 
including school closures, during a pandemic.
    CDC staff proposes that the revised information collection for this 
package will target adult and child populations in a school district in 
Wisconsin. CDC will continue collecting reports from students absent 
from school due to ILI including information on individual student 
symptoms, vaccination status, recent travel, recent exposure to people 
with influenza symptoms, and duration of illness. The proposed revision 
will include collecting data from household members of students absent 
from school due to ILI. Household members will provide information on 
household composition, individual influenza vaccination status, 
presence of ILI symptoms, severity of illness, related healthcare 
visits, diagnosis and treatment, and missed work or school. This will 
be accomplished through telephone and in-person interviews.
    Findings obtained from this information collection will be used to 
inform and update CDC's Pre-pandemic Guidance on the implementation of 
school related measures to prevent the spread of influenza, especially 
school closures. The Guidance is used as an important planning and 
reference tool for both State and local health departments in the 
United States.
    There is no cost to respondents other than their time. The 
estimated annualized number of burden hours are 365.
    Authorizing legislation includes Section 361 of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 264) and Section 301 of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 241).

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of       Number of      burden per     Total burden
      Type of respondent            Form name       respondents    responses per   response  (in       hours
                                                                    respondent        hours)
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Parents.......................  Screening Form..             300               1            5/60              25
                                Acute                        300               1           15/60              75
                                 Respiratory
                                 Infection and
                                 Influenza
                                 Surveillance
                                 Form.
Students......................  Biospecimen                  300               1            5/60              25
                                 collection.
Household members.............  Household Study              720               1           10/60             120
                                 Form Part 1
                                 (Day 0).
                                Household Study              720               1           10/60             120
                                 Form Part 2
                                 (Day 7).
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............             365
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Leroy A. Richardson,
Chief, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of the Associate Director for Science, Office of the 
Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2017-08492 Filed 4-26-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P