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[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 78 (Monday, April 23, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24210-24211]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-9717]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-12-0821]

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 404-639-7570 
and send comments to Ron Otten, at CDC, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D74, 
Atlanta, GA 30333 or send an email 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

    Quarantine Station Illness and Death Investigation Forms--Airline, 
Maritime, Land/Border Crossing Illness and Death Investigation Forms--
Revision--National Center for Zoonotic and Emerging Infectious Diseases 
(NCEZID) (0920-0821, expires 9/30/2012), Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    CDC is requesting a revision to an existing data collection of 
patient-level clinical, epidemiologic, and demographic data from ill 
travelers and their possible contacts in order to fulfill its 
regulatory responsibility to prevent the importation of communicable 
diseases from foreign countries (42 CFR part 71) and interstate control 
of communicable diseases in humans (42 CFR part 70).
    Section 361 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act (42 U.S.C. 264) 
authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make and 
enforce regulations necessary to prevent the introduction, transmission 
or spread of communicable diseases from foreign countries into the 
United States. The regulations that implement this law, 42 CFR parts 70 
and 71, authorize quarantine officers and other personnel to inspect 
and undertake necessary control measures with respect to conveyances 
(e.g., airplanes, cruise ships, trucks, etc.), persons, and shipments 
of animals and etiologic agents in order to protect the public's 
health. The regulations also require conveyances to immediately report 
an ``ill person'' or any death on board to the Quarantine Station prior 
to arrival in the United States. An ``ill person'' is defined in 
statute by:

--Fever (>=100 [deg]F or 38 [deg]C) persisting >=48 hours
--Fever (>=100 [deg]F or 38 [deg]C) AND rash, glandular swelling, or 
jaundice
--Diarrhea (>=3 stools in 24 hours or greater than normal amount)

    The 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) situation and 
concern about pandemic influenza and other communicable diseases have 
prompted CDC Quarantine Stations to recommend that all illnesses be 
reported prior to arrival.
    CDC Quarantine Stations are currently located at 20 international 
U.S. Ports of Entry. When a suspected illness is reported to the 
Quarantine Station, officers promptly respond to this report by meeting 
the incoming conveyance in person (when possible), collecting 
information and evaluating the patient(s), and determining whether an 
ill person can safely be admitted into the U.S. If Quarantine Station 
staff is unable to meet the conveyance, the crew or medical staff of 
the conveyance is trained to complete the required documentation and 
forward it (using a secure system) to the Quarantine Station for review 
and follow-up.
    To perform these tasks in a streamlined manner and ensure that all 
relevant information is collected in the most efficient and timely 
manner possible, Quarantine Stations use a number of forms--the Air 
Travel Illness or Death Investigation Form, Maritime Conveyance Illness 
or Death Investigation Form, and the Land Travel Illness or Death 
Investigation Form--to collect data on passengers with suspected 
illness and other travelers/crew who may have been exposed to an 
illness. These forms are also used to respond to a report of a death 
aboard a conveyance.
    The purpose of all three forms is the same: to collect information 
that helps quarantine officials detect and respond to potential public 
health communicable disease threats. All three forms collect the 
following categories of information: Demographics and mode of 
transportation, clinical and medical history, and any other relevant 
facts (e.g., travel history, traveling companions, etc.). As part of 
this documentation, quarantine public health officers look for specific 
signs and symptoms common to the nine quarantinable diseases (Pandemic 
influenza; SARS; Cholera; Plague; Diphtheria; Infectious Tuberculosis; 
Smallpox; Yellow fever; and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers), as well as most 
communicable diseases in general. These signs and symptoms include 
fever, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, cough, diarrhea, 
jaundice, or signs of a neurological infection. The forms also collect 
data specific to the traveler's conveyance.
    These data are used by Quarantine Stations to make decisions about 
a passenger's suspected illness as well as its communicability. This in 
turn enables Quarantine Station staff to assist conveyances in the 
public health management of passengers and crew.
    The estimated total burden on the public, included in the chart 
below, can vary a great deal depending on the severity of the illness 
being reported, the number of contacts, the number of follow-up 
inquiries required, and who is recording the information (e.g., 
Quarantine Station staff versus the conveyance medical authority). In 
all cases, Quarantine Stations have implemented practices and 
procedures that balance the health and safety of the American public 
against the public's desire for minimal interference with their travel 
and trade. Whenever possible, Quarantine Station staff obtain 
information from other documentation (e.g., manifest order, other 
airline documents) to reduce the amount of the public burden.
    There are no costs to respondents other than their time.

[[Page 24211]]

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                     Number of                        Average
                                                    respondents      Number of      burden  per    Total burden
                      Form                         (2009, incl.    responses per   response (in        hours
                                                       H1N1)        respondent       minutes)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Airline Travel Illness or Death Investigation               1626               1            5/60             136
 Form...........................................
Maritime Conveyance Illness or Death                        1873               1            7/60             219
 Investigation Form.............................
Land Travel Illness or Death Investigation Form.             259               1            5/60              22
    Total.......................................           3,758  ..............  ..............             377
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    Dated: April 17, 2012.
Ron A. Otten,
Director, Office of Scientific Integrity, Office of the Associate 
Director for Science (OADS), Office of the Director, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2012-9717 Filed 4-20-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P
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