Knowledge and practices related to louse- and flea-borne diseases among staff providing services to people experiencing homelessness in the United States.

Bartonella quintana Rickettsia typhi body lice flea‐borne diseases louse‐borne diseases murine typhus people experiencing homelessness

Journal

Zoonoses and public health
ISSN: 1863-2378
Titre abrégé: Zoonoses Public Health
Pays: Germany
ID NLM: 101300786

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
21 Mar 2024
Historique:
revised: 06 03 2024
received: 03 01 2024
accepted: 07 03 2024
medline: 22 3 2024
pubmed: 22 3 2024
entrez: 22 3 2024
Statut: aheadofprint

Résumé

Louse-borne Bartonella quintana infection and flea-borne murine typhus are two potentially serious vector-borne diseases that have led to periodic outbreaks among people experiencing homelessness in the United States. Little is known about louse- and flea-borne disease awareness and prevention among staff who provide services to the population. We surveyed staff in seven US states to identify gaps in knowledge and prevention practices for these diseases. Surveys were administered to 333 staff at 89 homeless shelters and outreach teams in California, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, New York and Washington from August 2022 to April 2023. Most participants (>68%) agreed that body lice and fleas are a problem for people experiencing homelessness. About half were aware that diseases could be transmitted by these vectors; however, most could not accurately identify which diseases. Less than a quarter of staff could describe an appropriate protocol for managing body lice or fleas. Misconceptions included that clients must isolate or be denied services until they are medically cleared. Our findings reveal significant knowledge gaps among staff who provide services to people experiencing homelessness in the prevention and control of louse- and flea-borne diseases. This demonstrates an urgent need for staff training to both reduce disease and prevent unnecessary restrictions on services and housing.

Sections du résumé

BACKGROUND AND AIMS OBJECTIVE
Louse-borne Bartonella quintana infection and flea-borne murine typhus are two potentially serious vector-borne diseases that have led to periodic outbreaks among people experiencing homelessness in the United States. Little is known about louse- and flea-borne disease awareness and prevention among staff who provide services to the population. We surveyed staff in seven US states to identify gaps in knowledge and prevention practices for these diseases.
METHODS AND RESULTS RESULTS
Surveys were administered to 333 staff at 89 homeless shelters and outreach teams in California, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, New York and Washington from August 2022 to April 2023. Most participants (>68%) agreed that body lice and fleas are a problem for people experiencing homelessness. About half were aware that diseases could be transmitted by these vectors; however, most could not accurately identify which diseases. Less than a quarter of staff could describe an appropriate protocol for managing body lice or fleas. Misconceptions included that clients must isolate or be denied services until they are medically cleared.
CONCLUSIONS CONCLUSIONS
Our findings reveal significant knowledge gaps among staff who provide services to people experiencing homelessness in the prevention and control of louse- and flea-borne diseases. This demonstrates an urgent need for staff training to both reduce disease and prevent unnecessary restrictions on services and housing.

Identifiants

DOI: 10.1111/zph.13125 PMID: 38514461
pubmed: 38514461
doi: 10.1111/zph.13125
doi:

Types de publication

Journal Article

Langues

eng

Sous-ensembles de citation

IM

Subventions

Organisme : CDC HHS
Pays : United States

Informations de copyright

© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.

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Auteurs

Shannan N Rich (SN)

Epidemic Intelligence Service, Epidemiology and Laboratory Workforce Branch, Division of Workforce Development, National Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial (STLT) Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
ORCID: 0000-0002-1203-2443

Ann Carpenter (A)

Epidemic Intelligence Service, Epidemiology and Laboratory Workforce Branch, Division of Workforce Development, National Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial (STLT) Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
ORCID: 0000-0003-0118-2726

Bree Dell (B)

Communicable Disease Epidemiology & Immunization Section, Public Health - Seattle & King County, Seattle, Washington State, USA.

Rachel Henderson (R)

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.

Sydney Adams (S)

Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA.

Nicolette Bestul (N)

Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Christopher Grano (C)

Communicable Disease Branch, Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, Denver, Colorado, USA.

Briana Sprague (B)

Communicable Disease Branch, Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, Denver, Colorado, USA.

Josh Leopold (J)

Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention, and Control Division, Minnesota Department of Health, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA.

Elizabeth K Schiffman (EK)

Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention, and Control Division, Minnesota Department of Health, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA.

Andrea Lomeli (A)

Medical and Preventive Services, Fulton County Board of Health, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Hassan Zadeh (H)

Medical and Preventive Services, Fulton County Board of Health, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Jemma Alarcón (J)

Epidemic Intelligence Service, Epidemiology and Laboratory Workforce Branch, Division of Workforce Development, National Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial (STLT) Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Acute Communicable Disease Control Program, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Umme-Aiman Halai (UA)

Acute Communicable Disease Control Program, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Yoon-Sung Nam (YS)

Epidemic Intelligence Service, Epidemiology and Laboratory Workforce Branch, Division of Workforce Development, National Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial (STLT) Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Bureau of Environmental Surveillance and Policy, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York City, New York, USA.

Leah Seifu (L)

Epidemic Intelligence Service, Epidemiology and Laboratory Workforce Branch, Division of Workforce Development, National Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial (STLT) Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Bureau of Epidemiology Services, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York City, New York, USA.

Sally Slavinski (S)

Bureau of Communicable Disease, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York City, New York, USA.

David Crum (D)

Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Outbreak Response Bureau, Maryland Department of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Emily Mosites (E)

Office of the Director, Deputy Director for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Johanna S Salzer (JS)

Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Alison F Hinckley (AF)

Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
ORCID: 0000-0003-2853-5165

David W McCormick (DW)

Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Grace E Marx (GE)

Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
ORCID: 0000-0003-2393-6947

Classifications MeSH