MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report
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MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. · Nov 2001
Update: adverse events associated with anthrax prophylaxis among postal employees--New Jersey, New York City, and the District of Columbia metropolitan area, 2001.
Antimicrobial prophylaxis to prevent inhalational anthrax has been recommended for persons potentially exposed to Bacillus anthracis as a result of the recent bioterrorist attacks. During October 26-November 6, 2001, an epidemiologic evaluation to detect adverse events associated with antimicrobial prophylaxis was conducted among 8,424 postal employees who had been offered antimicrobial prophylaxis for 60 days in New Jersey (NJ), New York City (NYC), and one postal facility in the District of Columbia (DC). This report summarizes preliminary results of that evaluation, which found that few employees receiving antimicrobial prophylaxis sought medical attention for symptoms that may have been associated with anaphylaxis. Persons with exposures to B. anthracis related to the bioterrorist attacks should complete the full 60-day course of antimicrobial prophylaxis.
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MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. · Nov 2001
Case ReportsUpdate: investigation of bioterrorism-related inhalational anthrax--Connecticut, 2001.
Since October 3, 2001, CDC and state and local public health authorities have been investigating cases of bioterrorism-related anthrax. As of November 28, a total of 23 cases have been identified; 11 were confirmed as inhalational anthrax, and 12 (seven confirmed and five suspected) were cutaneous. ⋯ Antimicrobial prophylaxis is continuing in persons exposed to B. anthracis, and surveillance to detect new cases of bioterrorism-related anthrax is ongoing. This report summarizes the findings of the case investigation in CT.
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MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. · Nov 2001
Alcohol involvement in fatal motor-vehicle crashes--United States, 1999-2000.
The following table compares alcohol involvement in fatal motor-vehicle crashes by age group and blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels for 1999 and 2000. A fatal crash is considered alcohol-related by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) if either a driver or nonoccupant (e.g., pedestrian) had a BAC of > or =0.01 g/dL in a police-reported traffic crash. Because BACs are not available for all persons in fatal crashes, NHTSA estimates the number of alcohol-related traffic fatalities on the basis of a discriminant analysis of information from all cases for which driver or nonoccupant BAC data are available.
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MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. · Nov 2001
Reducing the risk for injury while traveling for Thanksgiving holidays.
Each year in the United States, motor-vehicle crashes result in approximately 40,000 deaths and 3.2 million nonfatal injuries. In 2000 during the Thanksgiving holiday, motor-vehicle crashes killed approximately 500 persons (US Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, unpublished data, 2000), and resulted in >43,000 hospital emergency department visits.
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MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. · Nov 2001
Nationwide campaign for vaccination of adults against rubella and measles--Costa Rica, 2001.
In 1999 in Costa Rica, a large rubella outbreak occurred among persons aged 15-45 years. In response, the Ministry of Health adopted the goal of eliminating rubella and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). ⋯ This report highlights successful aspects of the campaign, including effective planning, cooperation among government ministries, social mobilization, the use of house-to-house vaccination teams, daily coverage reports from local staff, vaccine safety monitoring, and strategies for ensuring a sufficient national blood supply. This campaign will strengthen measles eradication and lead to rubella and CRS elimination in Costa Rica.