[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 26, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7092-7093]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-01619]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30Day-21-0728]


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 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 October 
23, 2020 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. Comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function. 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 (NNDSS) (0920-
0728, Exp. 4/30/23)--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 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 04/30/2023). This Revision 
includes requests for approval to: (1) Receive case notification data 
for Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS) associated with Coronavirus 
Disease 2019 (COVID-19); (2) receive new disease-specific data elements 
for Anthrax, Brucellosis, Campylobacteriosis, Cholera, 
Cryptosporidiosis, Hansen's Disease, Leptospirosis, Melioidosis, MIS 
associated with COVID-19, COVID-19, S. Paratyphi Infection, S. Typhi 
Infection, Salmonellosis, STEC, Shigellosis, and Vibriosis; and (3) 
Receive new vaccine-related data elements for all conditions.
    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

[[Page 7093]]

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 or 
emailed 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. Jurisdictions remove most personally identifiable 
information (PII) before data are submitted to CDC, but some data 
elements (e.g., date of birth, date of diagnosis, county of residence) 
could potentially be combined with other information to identify 
individuals. Private information is not 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 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 burden 
estimates for the one-time burden for reporting jurisdictions are for 
the addition of case notification data for MIS associated with COVID-
19; disease-specific data elements for Anthrax, Brucellosis, 
Campylobacteriosis, Cholera, Cryptosporidiosis, Hansen's Disease, 
Leptospirosis, Melioidosis, MIS associated with COVID-19, COVID-19, S. 
Paratyphi Infection, S. Typhi Infection, Salmonellosis, STEC, 
Shigellosis, and Vibriosis; and vaccine data elements for all diseases. 
The estimated annual burden for the 257 respondents is 18,954 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                           50              52               4
                                         Implementation).
States................................  Annual..................              50               1              75
States................................  One-time Addition of                  50               1              12
                                         Diseases and Data
                                         Elements.
Territories...........................  Weekly (Automated)......               5              52           20/60
Territories...........................  Weekly, Quarterly (Non-                5              56           20/60
                                         automated).
Territories...........................  Weekly (NMI                            5              52               4
                                         Implementation).
Territories...........................  Annual..................               5               1               5
Territories...........................  One-time Addition of                   5               1              12
                                         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              12
                                         Diseases and Data
                                         Elements.
Cities................................  Weekly (Automated)......               2              52           20/60
Cities................................  Weekly (Non-automated)..               2              52               2
Cities................................  Weekly (NMI                            2              52               4
                                         Implementation).
Cities................................  Annual..................               2               1              75
Cities................................  One-time Addition of                   2               1              12
                                         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. 2021-01619 Filed 1-25-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P