Emergency Request Contact Investigations Part B

Emergency Submission to Supplement OMB Control Number 0920-0900 in the context of contact investigations associated with Ebola and travel.

Supporting Statement B

Respondent universe:

This package is structured to perform contact investigations in response to ill travelers who are confirmed to have Ebola and who posed a risk of transmission during travel. This includes both international and domestic travelers.

Data Collection Methods:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will perform contact investigations of individuals who may have come into contact with travelers that are confirmed to have Ebola infection. CDC will collaborate with state health departments, conveyance operators, port of entry partners, and international public health authorities. CDC relies on these established public and private sector partnerships to complete contact investigations.

In general, once CDC is given the pertinent contact information on a potentially exposed passenger, CDC will provide this information to the state health departments who will collect information on passengers using the Ebola Airline Exposure Assessment Passenger form developed by CDC. An email with instructions will be used to send the forms to states with instructions for conducting the interviews, which will be completed with the passenger over the phone. Hard copies of the interview form should be printed, completed, and returned to CDC as instructed. Instructions will include request to those performing the interviews that the initial interview and final disposition be sent back to CDC via secure fax. Information will be entered into a secure CDC database. In some cases, CDC will use the attached tools and make contact directly.

For airline and port of entry staff, once CDC is made aware of any potential exposure to the confirmed case, appropriate points of contact for flight crew, cleaning crew, and port of entry staff are be identified. The Ebola Airline Exposure Assessment Flight Crew, Ebola Exposure Assessment Cleaning Crew and Ebola Exposure Assessment Airport or Other Port of Entry Staff interview forms will be sent via email to the airline and port of entry authority for use in conducting their interviews. Airline and port of entry occupational health will collect information on flight crew, cleaning crew, and port of entry staff using the tools developed by CDC. Health departments may assist airports, airlines, and other ports of entry as needed and may be involved in follow-up with any individuals depending on risk or as needed. In some cases, CDC may need to make contact with the air crew, cleaning crew, or airport/port of entry staff directly. In every case, CDC works in cooperation with our private sector partners.

In some cases, CDC staff may need to conduct interviews directly, e.g. in the case of a US citizen overseas or if the state was unable to conduct interviews for their residents. In the vast majority of cases, state and local health authorities are able to conduct the interviews.

Information will be collected twice: an initial interview and then a final disposition interview after the 21 day incubation period from day of flight has expired. The same form will be used for the initial interview and final disposition interview. Interviews may be conducted by telephone or in person. CDC requests that hard copies of the tools be printed by our partners, completed, and returned to CDC via secure fax. Information will be entered into a secure CDC database.

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