Posted: March 3rd, 2014

Tuberculosis: Outbreak in Dallas- Fort Worth Area Spreads to Denton High School

The purpose of this essay is for you to demonstrate that you understand the principles and materials of the course that have been covered thus far. The essay will allow you to apply the knowledge you have gained to a real-world scenario.

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The CDC BioSense program is a “biosurveillance program designed to increase the nation’s preparedness through the use of a national network for disease detection and health situational awareness.” On Friday, October 6, 2011, the CDC BioSense program identified a tuberculosis outbreak in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.  The outbreak was subsequently communicated to the public via the local news in the article “Tuberculosis Concerns Expand to Denton High School.”

Pretend you are an epidemiologist who has been investigating the tuberculosis (TB) outbreak at the Ennis and Denton High Schools in Dallas-Fort Worth area. As the local epidemiologist in charge of the investigation, you have been asked by the health commissioner to prepare a written summary report of the incident to present to the community (i.e., stakeholders, including students, parents, school staff, authorities, the media, and the general public).

Start your investigation by completing the following tasks:
• Review the local news article “Tuberculosis Concerns Expand to Denton High School”
• Expand your investigation by searching online for information related to the outbreak
• Check the Texas Department of State Health Services to determine if tuberculosis is a reportable disease
• Do a Google search for tuberculosis surveillance
• Explore the information provided by the CDC National Prevention Information Network (NPIN) on TB surveillance and data management

Next, prepare your written report. It should be at least one page, but will likely be longer, and should address the following topics:
• Background on TB
• Background on the outbreak specific to the Dallas-Fort Worth area
• Description of the analyses of cases in the outbreak
• Description of the methods used to investigate the outbreak
• Description of the prevention and control methods that were put in place in response to the identification of cases
• Next steps that you will be taking

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