Westchester County Department of Health

Abstract Passive transfer of antibodies from COVID-19 convalescent patients is being used as an experimental treatment for eligible patients with SARS-CoV-2 infections. The United States Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) guidelines for convalescent plasma recommends target antibody titers of 160. We evaluated SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies in sera from recovered COVID-19 patients using plaque reduction neutralization tests (PRNT) at low (PRNT50) and high (PRNT90) stringency thresholds. We found that neutralizing activity increased with time post symptom onset (PSO), reaching a peak at 31-35 days PSO. At this point, the number of sera having neutralizing titers of at least 160 was ∼93% (PRNT50) and ∼54% (PRNT90). Sera with high SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels (>960 ELISA titers) showed maximal activity, but not all high titer sera contained neutralizing antibody at FDA recommended levels, particularly at high stringency. These results underscore the value of serum characterization for neutralization activity.

Abstract Using archaeological and ecological data of animal communities, and fish communities in particular, we test for evidence consistent with the Anthropocene in the lower Illinois River valley across millennia. Environmental impacts by preindustrialized peoples may be minor compared to current alterations; however, this hypothesis is untested and should be assessed. Using the relative abundance of fish taxa, we tested for differences among archaeological and modern time periods, taking advantage of published zooarchaeological data sets and newly analyzed data. Collections from all archaeological time periods differed significantly from modern collections, but the relative abundance of fishes did not differ significantly among archaeological time periods. Sociopolitical context, material culture, plant-based subsistence patterns, and the use of animal classes shifted temporally, but these differences did not extend to the relative abundance of fish families. Our results suggest that dominating human influences on fish communities did not occur prior to the Late Woodland period in the lower Illinois River.

In January 2003, the Westchester County Department of Health (WCDH) began conducting electronic syndromic surveillance of hospital emergency department (ED) chief complaints. Although methods for data collection and analysis used in syndromic surveillance have been described previously, minimal information exists regarding the responses to and investigations of signals detected by such systems. This paper describes WCDH's experience in responding to syndromic surveillance signals during the first 9 months after the system was implemented.The objectives of this analysis were to examine WCDH's responses to signals detected by the county's syndromic surveillance system. Specific goals were to 1) review the actual complaints reported by hospital EDs to determine whether complaint data were accurately identified and classified into syndrome categories, and provide feedback from this review to data collection and analysis staff to refine text terms or filters used to identify and classify chief complaints; 2) develop procedures and response algorithms for investigating signals; 3) determine whether signals correlated with reportable communicable diseases or other incidents of public health significance requiring investigation and intervention; and 4) quantify the staffing resources and time required to investigate signals.During January 27-October 31, 2003, electronic files containing chief-complaint data from seven of the county's 13 EDs were collected daily. Complaints were classified into syndrome categories and analyzed for statistically significant increases. A line listing of each complaint comprising each signal detected was reviewed for exact complaint, number, location, patient demographics, and requirement for hospital admission.A total of 59 signals were detected in eight syndrome categories: fever/influenza (11), respiratory (6), vomiting (11), gastrointestinal illness/diarrhea (8), sepsis (7), rash (7), hemorrhagic events (3), and neurologic (6). Line-listing review indicated that complaints routinely were incorrectly identified and included in syndrome categories and that as few as three complaints could produce a signal. On the basis of hospital, geographic, age, or sex clustering of complaints, whether the complaint indicated a reportable condition (e.g., meningitis) or potentially represented an unusual medical event, and whether rates of hospital admission were consistent with medical conditions, 34 of 59 signals were determined to require further investigation (i.e., obtaining additional information from ED staff or medical providers). Investigation did not identify any reportable communicable disease or other incidents of public health significance that would have been missed by existing traditional surveillance systems. Nine staff members spent 3 hours/week collectively investigating signals detected by syndromic surveillance.Standardized sets of text terms used to identify and classify hospital ED chief complaints into syndrome categories might require modification on the basis of hospital idiosyncrasies in recording chief complaints. Signal investigations could be reasonably conducted by using local health department resources. Although no communicable disease events were identified, the system provided baseline and timely objective data for hospital visits and improved communication among county health department and hospital ED staff.

The purpose of this study was to compare the trapping and examining of mice, drag sampling, and CO2-baited traps for their ability to detect the presence and abundance of immature deer ticks, Ixodes dammini, in a Lyme disease endemic area in southern New York State. Eight study sites were sampled 14 times between 28 May and 31 August by setting 49 live-traps, four CO2-baited traps, and drag sampling 500 m2. A total of 1540 nymphs and 3079 larvae was collected during the study. Drag sampling collected the most nymphs (705), while more larvae were recovered from CO2-baited traps (1105). Comparisons among the methods showed a significant difference in the numbers of both larval and nymphal ticks collected (P less than 0.01). There was a positive correlation between the numbers of nymphs collected by drag sampling and CO2-baited tick traps (rs = 0.83, P less than 0.05), and between the numbers of larvae collected by drag sampling and mouse trapping (rs = 0.75, P less than 0.05). These results suggest that drag sampling would be the single most reliable method for quantitatively sampling immature I. dammini populations in a Lyme disease endemic area.

Home Healthcare Nurse: The Journal for the Home Care and Hospice Professional: November 1989 - Volume 7 - Issue 6 - p 42

Cases of Lyme disease that occurred in Westchester County, an affluent suburb north of New York City, in 1983 were investigated in 1983 and 1984 to determine the presence of Ixodes dammini (Acari: Ixodidae) in the vicinity of the patients' homes. Small mammal trapping, drag cloth, and carbon dioxide-baited tick traps were used to sample ticks. In all but one of 11 cases investigated, I. dammini was found on or near well-maintained lawns in the immediate vicinity of the residences. A mark-release-recapture experiment to determine tick abundance in one 700 m2 lawn resulted in an estimate of 6800 adult ticks (approximately 1 per m2). Dark-field microscopic examination of tick midgut tissues revealed that 33% of nymphs and 55% of adult ticks from this lawn contained spirochetes. These data suggest that many cases of Lyme disease in Westchester County, New York, may be acquired at home as a result of activities on the lawn.

A simulation was developed to determine optimum routes for refuse collection vehicles. The program yields exact routes suitable for use by municipalities. Crew size, vehicle size, and pickup time may be varied to permit efficient labor and equipment usage. The program computes overtime, incentive time, vehicular capacity utilization, mileage traveled, weight hauled, and productive time.