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Resources by Topic: Infectious diseases

The Rise of the Current Mortality Pattern of the United States, 1890–1930
Uses nationwide data to examine patterns and rural/urban differences in mortality from 1890-1930, with a focus on the 1918 influenza pandemic and the shift in leading causes of death from infectious disease to degenerative disease. Includes death rates per 100,000 people, with data broken down by rurality and disease type, including infectious disease, influenza, influenza and pneumonia, and degenerative disease.
Author(s): Hiroshi Maeda
Citation: American Journal of Epidemiology, 187(4), 639-646
Date: 04/2018
Type: Document
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Hepatitis C in New Mexico among Persons Less than 30 Years of Age, 2014-2016
Reports on the incidence of Hepatitis C among young people in New Mexico with comparisons for rural/urban counties. Also examines HCV incidence by race/ethnicity, age group, gender, and incarceration status.
Author(s): Drew Faturos, Amy Drake, Jaiju Thomas, Chad Smelser
Date: 03/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: New Mexico Department of Health
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Integrating Infectious Disease Considerations with Response to the Opioid Epidemic: A Workshop
Presentation recordings discusses the link between the opioid crisis and infectious diseases, such as HIV and HCV. Features state-by-state, county-level, and rural information, particularly in southern states.
Additional links: Jody Rich: Correctional Health, Nickolas Zaller: Challenges and Opportunities in Rural America
Date: 03/2018
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Infectious Diseases and Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) Policy Issues and Recommendations
Report details policy recommendations regarding infectious diseases, such as HIV and HCV, linked to injection drug use (IDU). Recommendations look at prevention as well as treatment. Features several important policy considerations for rural communities.
Date: 03/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: HIV Medicine Association, Infectious Disease Society of America, Pediatric Infectious Disease Society
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Notes from the Field: HIV Infection Investigation in a Rural Area — West Virginia, 2017
Reports on an investigation by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources that began with 10 cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection identified in three counties during January-July 2017. Describes how the investigation broadened to 15 counties based on injection drug use and sexual contacts. Identifies risk reduction and treatment options available in these counties and discusses strategies undertaken to limit further transmission of HIV.
Author(s): Mary E. Evans, Sarah M. Labuda, Vicki Hogan, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 67(8), 257-258
Date: 03/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Vaccine-Preventable, Hospitalizations among American Indian/Alaska Native Children Using the 2012 Kid's Inpatient Database
Explores health disparities in American Indian (AI) children related to vaccine-preventable infectious disease (VP-ID) hospitalizations. Utilizes the Kid's Inpatient Database (KID) to examine 12,732 VP-ID hospitalizations in 2012. Includes demographic breakdowns of hospitalized patients according to racial/ethnic group, age, sex, household income, geographic location, and metropolitan versus nonmetropolitan location.
Author(s): Amanda J. Nickel, Susan E. Puumala, Anupam B. Kharbanda
Citation: Vaccine, 36(7), 945-948
Date: 02/2018
Type: Document
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Epidemiological Study of People Living in Rural North Carolina for Novel Respiratory Viruses
Pilot study at an outpatient clinic in North Carolina examining individuals with influenza-like symptoms to identify respiratory viruses among people residing in a rural area with dense swine and poultry farming. Includes results from nasal swab and air samples as well as participant characteristics, including sex, age, animal exposure, and antibiotic and hospitalization history.
Author(s): X. Wang, B. D. Anderson, L. A. Pulscher, et al.
Citation: Zoonoses and Public Health, 65(1), e265–e269
Date: 02/2018
Type: Document
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Adolescent Vaccination Rates in America
Describes data regarding vaccines for adolescents recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): human papillomavirus (HPV), meningococcal and tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap). Covers differences in vaccination rates in urban and rural areas. Provides state-level data for HPV, meningococcal, and Tdap vaccination rates completed in 2013 and 2016.
Additional links: Appendix Data
Date: 02/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Blue Cross Blue Shield
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Scaling up HCV Prevention and Treatment Interventions in Rural USA – Model Projections for Tackling an Increasing Epidemic
Highlights a study on the rise in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in rural people who inject drugs (PWID) and the necessary interventions to reduce HCV outbreaks in rural communities. Focuses on a rural county in Indiana and evaluates the medication-assisted treatment (MAT) efficacy, syringe-services program (SSP) efficacy, and the PWID population size of the intervention, among other factors.
Author(s): Hannah Fraser, Jon Zibbell, Thomas Hoerger, et al.
Citation: Addiction, 113(1), 173-182
Date: 01/2018
Type: Document
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Community Response Planning for Outbreaks of Hepatitis and HIV among People who Inject Drugs: A Case Study from Lenowisco Health District, A Rural Community in Virginia
Provides guidance to rural health departments when developing a comprehensive community response plan for hepatitis and HIV outbreaks among persons who inject drugs (PWIDs). Integrates key components of controlling and preventing communicable disease with emergency management strategies and community resource utilization. Offers lessons learned from the experiences of the LENOWISCO Health District located in the Appalachian region of Virginia. .
Date: 2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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