Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)

August 17, 2012 / Vol. 61 / No. RR–4
Recommendations for the Identification of Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection Among Persons Born During 1945–1965
CE Available

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an increasing cause of morbidity and mortality in the U.S. CDC estimates that persons born during 1945-1965 account for three fourths of all HCV infections in the country. This report presents CDC recommendations that augment previous recommendations for HCV testing and recommends one-time testing without prior ascertainment of HCV risk for persons born during 1945-1965.

September 7, 2012 / Vol. 61 / No. SS–5
Cryptosporidiosis Surveillance — United States, 2009–2010

Cryptosporidiosis is a nationally notifiable gastrointestinal illness caused by chlorine-tolerant protozoa of the genus Cryptosporidium. The total (confirmed and probable) number of cases of cryptosporidiosis reported annually increased 16.9% from 7,656 for 2009 to 8,951 for 2010. Cases were most frequently reported in children aged 1–9 years, followed by adults aged 25–29 years. This is the first reporting period in which more cases of cryptosporidiosis were reported in females than in males. Local and state health departments can use cryptosporidiosis surveillance data to define the epidemiology of cryptosporidiosis in the United States, establish public health priorities (e.g., research) to improve cryptosporidiosis prevention and control, and design and evaluate efforts (e.g., health communication and policy) to prevent and control the transmission of Cryptosporidium.


Giardiasis Surveillance — United States, 2009–2010

Giardiasis is a nationally notifiable gastrointestinal illness caused by the protozoan parasite Giardia intestinalis. During 2009–2010, the total number of reported cases of giardiasis increased slightly from 19,403 for 2009 to 19,888 for 2010. A larger number of case reports were received for children aged 1–9 years than with other age groups. Peak onset of illness occurred annually during early summer through early fall. Local and state health departments can use giardiasis surveillance data to better understand the epidemiologic characteristics and the disease burden of giardiasis in the United States, design efforts to prevent the spread of disease, and establish research priorities.

June 1, 2012 / Vol. 59 / No. 53
Summary of Notifiable Diseases — United States, 2010

Health-care providers in the United States are required to report certain infectious diseases to a specified state or local authority. A disease is designated as notifiable if timely information about individual cases is considered necessary for prevention and control of the disease. Each year, CDC publishes a summary of the cases of notifiable disease reported for the most recent year for which data is available. This report presents a summary of notifiable diseases for 2010.

August 10, 2012 / Vol. 61 / Supplement
Lead in Drinking Water and Human Blood Lead Levels in the United States

Since 1970, considerable reductions in lead concentrations have occurred in air, tap water, food, dust, and soil, which significantly reduced the BLLs of children throughout the United States. However, children are still being exposed to lead, and no safe blood lead threshold for children has been identified. This review describes a selection of peer-reviewed publications on childhood lead poisoning, sources of lead exposure for adults and children, particularly children aged <6 years, and the Safe Drinking Water Act Lead and Copper Rule of 1991. What is known and unknown about tap water as a source of lead exposure is summarized, and ways that children might be exposed to lead in drinking water are identified. When investigating cases of children with BLLs at or above the reference value established as the 97.5 percentile of the distribution of BLLs in U.S. children aged 1–5 years, drinking water should be considered as a source.