[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 27 (Monday, February 10, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7557-7558]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-02539]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30Day-20-0728]


Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has submitted the information 
collection request titled the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance 
System (NNDSS) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review 
and approval. CDC previously published a ``Proposed Data Collection 
Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations'' notice on November 
4, 2019 to obtain comments from the public and affected agencies. CDC 
did not receive comments related to the previous notice. This notice 
serves to allow an additional 30 days for public and affected agency 
comments.
    CDC will accept all comments for this proposed information 
collection project. The Office of Management and Budget is particularly 
interested in comments that:
    (a) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    (b) Evaluate the accuracy of the agencies estimate of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    (c) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected;
    (d) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including, through the use of appropriate 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting 
electronic submission of responses; and
    (e) Assess information collection costs.
    To request additional information on the proposed project or to 
obtain a copy of the information collection plan and instruments, call 
(404) 639-7570 or send an email to [email protected]. Direct written comments 
and/or suggestions regarding the items contained in this notice to the 
Attention: CDC Desk Officer, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th 
Street NW, Washington, DC 20503 or by fax to (202) 395-5806. Provide 
written comments within 30 days of notice publication.

Proposed Project

    National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (OMB Control No. 
0920-0728, Exp. 4/30/2022)--Revision--Center for Surveillance, 
Epidemiology and Laboratory Services (CSELS), Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    The Public Health Services Act (42 U.S.C. 241) authorizes CDC to 
disseminate nationally notifiable condition information. The National 
Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) is based on data 
collected at the state, territorial and local levels as a result of 
legislation and regulations in those jurisdictions that require health 
care providers, medical laboratories, and other entities to submit 
health-related data on reportable conditions to public health 
departments. These reportable conditions, which include infectious and 
non-infectious diseases, vary by jurisdiction depending upon each 
jurisdiction's health priorities and needs. Each year, the Council of 
State and Territorial Disease Epidemiologists (CSTE), supported by CDC, 
determines which reportable conditions should be designated nationally 
notifiable or under standardized surveillance.
    CDC requests a three-year approval for a Revision for the NNDSS 
(OMB Control No. 0920-0728, Expiration Date 04/30/2022). This Revision 
includes requests for approval to: (1) Receive case notification data 
for Blastomycosis which is now under standardized surveillance; (2) 
receive case notification data for 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) 
which was declared a public health emergency of international concern 
by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 01/30/2020 and declared a 
public health emergency by the U.S. Department of Health and Human 
Services (HHS) on 01/31/2020; and (3) receive disease-specific data 
elements for Carbon Monoxide (CO) Poisoning, Congenital Syphilis, and 
Sexually Transmitted Disease (not congenital).
    The NNDSS currently facilitates the submission and aggregation of 
case notification data voluntarily submitted to CDC from 60 
jurisdictions: Public health departments in every U.S. state, New York 
City, Washington DC, five U.S. territories (American Samoa, the 
Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the 
U.S. Virgin Islands), and three freely associated states (Federated 
States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the 
Republic of Palau). This information is shared across jurisdictional 
boundaries and both surveillance and prevention and control activities 
are coordinated at regional and national levels.
    Approximately 90% of case notifications are encrypted and submitted 
to NNDSS electronically from already existing databases by automated 
electronic messages. When automated transmission is not possible, case 
notifications are faxed, emailed, uploaded to a secure network, or 
entered into a secure website. All case notifications that are faxed, 
emailed, and uploaded are done so in the form of an aggregate weekly or 
annual report, not individual cases. These different mechanisms used to 
send case notifications to CDC vary by the jurisdiction and the disease 
or condition. Private personally identifiable information (PII) is 
collected from automated electronic messages and information can be 
retrieved by PII. In addition, some combinations of submitted data 
elements could potentially be used to identify individuals. Private 
information is not to be disclosed unless otherwise compelled by law. 
All data are treated in a secure manner consistent with the technical, 
administrative, and operational controls required by the Federal 
Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA) and the 2010 
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Recommended 
Security Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations. 
Weekly tables of nationally notifiable diseases are available through 
CDC WONDER and data.cdc.gov. Annual summaries of finalized nationally 
notifiable disease data are published on CDC WONDER and data.cdc.gov, 
and disease-specific data are published by individual CDC programs.
    The burden estimates include the number of hours that the public 
health department uses to process and send case notification data from 
their jurisdiction to CDC. Specifically, the burden estimates include 
separate burden hours incurred for automated and non-automated 
transmissions, separate weekly burden hours incurred for modernizing 
surveillance systems as part of NNDSS Modernization Initiative (NMI) 
implementation, separate burden

[[Page 7558]]

hours incurred for annual data reconciliation and submission, and 
separate one-time burden hours incurred for the addition of new 
diseases and data elements. The estimated annual burden is 18,354 
hours.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                     Number of    Average burden
        Type of respondents                   Form name              Number of     responses per   per response
                                                                    respondents     respondent      (in hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
States.............................  Weekly (Automated).........              50              52           20/60
States.............................  Weekly (Non- automated)....              10              52               2
States.............................  Weekly (NMI Implementation)              50              52               4
States.............................  Annual.....................              50               1              75
States.............................  One-time Addition of                     50               1               2
                                      Diseases and Data Elements.
Territories........................  Weekly (Automated).........               5              52           20/60
Territories........................  Weekly, Quarterly (Non-                   5              56           20/60
                                      automated).
Territories........................  Weekly (NMI Implementation)               5              52               4
Territories........................  Annual.....................               5               1               5
Territories........................  One-time Addition of                      5               1               2
                                      Diseases and Data Elements.
Freely Associated States...........  Weekly (Automated).........               3              52           20/60
Freely Associated States...........  Weekly, Quarterly (Non-                   3              56           20/60
                                      automated).
Freely Associated States...........  Annual.....................               3               1               5
Freely Associated States...........  One-time Addition of                      3               1               2
                                      Diseases and Data Elements.
Cities.............................  Weekly (Automated).........               2              52           20/60
Cities.............................  Weekly (Non-automated).....               2              52               2
Cities.............................  Weekly (NMI Implementation)               2              52               4
Cities.............................  Annual.....................               2               1              75
Cities.............................  One-time Addition of                      2               1               2
                                      Diseases and Data Elements.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2020-02539 Filed 2-7-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P