Lyme disease - United States, 1987 and 1988

Article Abstract:

Lyme disease (LD) is an infection caused by spirochetes (Lyme borreliosis) which involves many organ systems of the body. The condition is named for Lyme, Connecticut where it was originally described. LD often begins with a characteristic bulls-eye shaped red rash on the body which is caused by the bite of a deer tick, but the initial source of infection often passes unnoticed. Since 1982 when only 492 cases of LD were reported in the United States, the rate of recognition and reporting has grown to 4,572 cases in 1988. Fifty-four percent of these cases were characterized by the following demographic breakdown: 92 percent of cases were reported in whites and 4 percent in Hispanics; blacks and Asians each accounted for 2 percent. The incidence of LD was highest for children less than 15 years and for adults aged 25 to 44 years. The attack rate was greatest in the Northeast; this area accounted for 80 percent of all reported cases of LD (New York alone reported 56 percent). All states have now reported cases of LD with the exceptions of Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico and Wyoming. The increased rate of reporting of LD is related both to better clinical understanding and diagnosis of the disease and also from an increase in its incidence and the geographic spread of its animal vector. Diagnosis still relies heavily on clinical features, due to the insensitivity of diagnostic tests and the inadequate quality of laboratory methods. Prevention measures are recommended, and include: avoidance of endemic areas; using repellents; wearing light-colored long pants and long-sleeved shirts; and inspection for ticks.

Lyme disease, Tick-borne diseases

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HIV infection reporting-United States

Article Abstract:

Although all states and the District of Columbia require health-care providers to report all new cases of AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), only 28 require the reporting of individuals infected with the HIV virus (human immunodeficiency virus). The states which require such reporting account for 45 percent of the US population and 24 percent of the reported cases of AIDS. Since each state has developed their own system of reporting, there are wide differences in the methodology used and in the information collected. Approximately 64 percent of these 28 states require reporting of HIV by the individual's name; under certain circumstances, however, 10 of these states allow anonymous testing. Just over half of these 28 states collect risk information, and only 29 percent ask about the patient's symptoms. Only four states collect enough information to allow a grading of the patient by the CDC HIV classification system. HIV infection reports are now integral to many public health programs, and a workshop was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control for the states regarding the importance of this data collection. Participants developed recommendations for states with HIV infection reporting and stressed the need for such data collection.

Sexually transmitted diseases, Research, AIDS (Disease), United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, column

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HIV seroprevalence in newborns in New York State

Article Abstract:

The prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection was measued in women giving birth in New York State for one year. Mandatory blood samples from about 275,000 newborns were examined for HIV, the human virus which impairs the immune system of humans and which causes AIDS. The overall HIV seroprevalence rate was 0.66 percent in 1816 newborns, with 0.16 percent in upstate New York and 1.25 percent in New York City. were born in the state of New York during the study period, which dated Nov 30, 1987 to Nov 30, 1988. the g

Medical examination, Infants (Newborn), Neonatal screening, AIDS virus carriers, HIV carriers, New York (State), New York. Department of Health

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