Although the majority of pyrethrin and pyrethroid poisoning cases were low in severity, adverse reactions have occurred, as transpired in Oregon in 2005. Regional analysis has the potential to improve the surveillance system and provide unique opportunities for targeting preventive interventions.
Interferon-gamma release assays have potentially been transformative to screening programs focused on latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in foreign-born persons. We sought to add to this assessment by presenting the impact of a well-established refugee screening and treatment program switching from skin testing to Quantiferon(®)-TB Gold (QFT). We completed a retrospective cohort of refugees screened for tuberculosis between November 1, 2009-April 30, 2011 (pre-QFT) and May 1, 2011-October 31, 2012 (post-QFT). Among 2244 refugees screened that met the inclusion criteria, there was a significant difference in the proportion of refugees diagnosed with LTBI between the two time periods (p = <0.0001). In multivariate analysis, refugees tested with QFT had a greater odds of treatment initiation (adjusted odds ratio 1.53; 95% CI 1.02-2.29, p = 0.040). However, test type had no impact on treatment completion (odds ratio 0.88; 95% CI 0.57-1.36, p = 0.560). Although we demonstrated increased efficiency in LTBI diagnosis in this group, treatment completion rates indicate other barriers to treatment that must be addressed.
WRA is a common but frequently unrecognized health problem, and this lack of recognition might contribute to poorer asthma control among adults with WRA. Because early recognition, treatment, and management of WRA are crucial for improving long-term prognosis, clinicians need to include assessment of workplace triggers in both their diagnostic and treatment plans for adult patients with asthma.
Young workers continue to be at risk for occupational injuries. Our results show that specific interventions may be needed for older teen and young adult workers to reduce their rate of injury.
Objective. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global health concern, with a large proportion of high-risk individuals unaware of their infection status. People born in countries with medium to high endemicity of HBV should be tested and linked to care. We describe a program that improved identification and linkage to care for refugees and immigrants at the Multnomah County Health Department in Oregon.Methods. We instituted outreach clinics and community referrals and expanded refugee screening to identify foreign-born people at risk for HBV. We obtained data from electronic health records and electronic laboratory reporting, including patient demographics, hepatitis B testing variables, vaccination history, and-for positive cases-risk-factor and linkage-to-care data. All results were entered into an Internet-based data collection tool. For this analysis, we only used results for testing performed from October 2012 through June 2014.Results. We screened 2,087 foreign-born people for HBV infection and identified 77 (4%) people with positive results. HBV infection prevalence varied by site, with 7% of HBV-positive people identified through the outreach and voucher program and 3% identified through refugee screening. Of the 77 people testing positive for HBV, 72 (94%) were successfully linked to care, of whom 68 (94%) attended their first follow-up visit.Conclusion. Implementation of a culturally competent screening program among immigrants and refugees in Multnomah County improved case finding and subsequent linkage to care.
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