Completed Projects
The state-wide surveillance program for human ehrlichia infections was conducted between 1995 and 2000 in order to characterize the prevalence and annual incidence of ehrlichiosis and its spectrum of disease symptoms.
Active surveillance for human ehrlichia and babesia infections was conducted in primary care physician offices in a 12-town area around Lyme, CT. This surveillance helped document the emergence and burden of illness associated with these two emerging tickborne pathogens.
The objectives of this multisite (CT & MD) project were to define the spectrum of agents that cause diarrheal illness in the community and to better understand modes of transmission of diarrheal illness. Download PDF.
The objectives of this population-based, prospective surveillance project included (1) the determination of the incidence of Candida blood stream infection in the state of Connecticut and (2) definition of the risk factors for development of antifungal resistance in patients with candidemia to assess clinical outcome as a function of antifungal resistance and other factors.
The objective of this statewide surveillance program was to determine whether adoption of the perinatal antibiotic prophylaxis program to reduce the incidence of early-onset group B streptococcal disease would affect the incidence and antibiotic susceptibilities of other organisms causing sepsis and meningitis in Connecticut.
UIDP is a population-based, prospective surveillance program for unexplained severe illness and death of possible infectious etiology in previously healthy residents of New Haven County.
The Unexplained Deaths Possibly Related to Bioterrorism project was undertaken to identify patients who died in the hospital of unknown causes and to assess the degree to which diagnostic testing was performed to rule in or out the possibility of exposure to bioterrorism agents.
The Yale Unexplained Pneumonia Project’s (YUPP) purpose is to describe the etiologic spectrum of severe pneumonia in previously healthy persons and to identify clinical characteristics and risk factors for unexplained pneumonias.
The Enhanced Pneumonia Surveillance (EPS) project is a population-based project that is established to gather demographic and epidemiologic data on hospitalized patients admitted with pneumonia at two hospitals located in New Haven County, Connecticut.
The Pediatric Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Study is a case-control study that examines the effectiveness of the trivalent influenza vaccine (flu shot) and the effectiveness of one dose versus two doses of the vaccine in eligible children. The study began during the 2005-06 influenza season and continued through the 2007-08 influenza season. In total, 40 cases and 160 conrols were enrolled over the three influenza seasons.
The purpose of the Lyme disease intervention case-control study is to identify and statistically evaluate personal behaviors and landscape modification practices that may be related to the peridomestic prevention of human Lyme disease.
NHCLS conducts population-based, prospective surveillance for newly diagnosed and existing cases of chronic liver disease among residents of New Haven County. Epidemiological and clinical data are used to better characterize CLD of all causes, with emphasis on infectious causes.
Beginning in October 2009, the Emerging Infections Program (EIP) conducted active surveillance statewide for all cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). GBS surveillance was a collaborative effort between the Connecticut EIP, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Connecticut hospitals, and local neurologists. Similar surveillance was also carried out in the 9 other EIP sites across the country. GBS surveillance ended May 30, 2010.
The Novel Influenza H1N1 Vaccine Effectiveness evaluation sough to measure the effectiveness of the monovalent novel H1N1 (nH1N1) influenza vaccine in preventing hospitalization among all persons recommended to receive this vaccine.
The primary method of preventing complications from community-acquired influenza virus infections among adults is vaccination with trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV). Since 2000, the Advisory Council on Immunization Practices has recommended that adults aged 50 years and older receive TIV annually. The purpose of this case-control study is to estimate the effectiveness of TIV against influenza-associated hospitalizations among adults aged 50 years and older during several influenza seasons.
The initial landmark trials of Rotateq and Rotarix—rotavirus vaccines approved for widespread use in 2006 and 2008, respectively—revealed impressive efficacy and safety profiles from a large cohort of various countries, as well as a reduction in rates of hospitalizations, and emergency room and office visits. However, none of these studies were conducted in the United States. Accordingly, this study’s primary aim is to assess the effectiveness of the recently licensed rotavirus vaccines in preventing hospitalization, and emergency room and office visits, in young children specifically in a US clinical setting. This study will provide a generalizable model and better understanding of the vaccines’ effectiveness in the current setting of the US health care system.
The Emerging Infections Program (EIP), in partnership with the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is conducting activities to better understand legionellosis in Connecticut.