Control of Communicable Diseases Manual, 19th Edition Edited by David L. Heymann Washington, DC: American Public Health Association, 2008. 746 pp. $45.00 (hardcover)
Edited by David L. Heymann
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Miriam L. Cameron Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic
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Washington, DC
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Robert L. Colebunders Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp Clinical Sciences
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Antwerpen
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Belgium
D o w n l o a d e d f r o m h t t p : / / c .i d o x f o r d j o u r n a .l s o r g / b y g u e s t o n N o v e m b e r 7 , 2 0 1 4
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Chapter 6, Pseudo-Outbreaks
Reported in Health Care Settings, discusses
causes of pseudo-outbreaks, including
the failure to verify the diagnosis or the
existence of an outbreak. Chapter 7,
Organisms and Diseases Associated with
Outbreaks in a Variety of Health Care
Settings, discusses outbreaks
attributable to the organisms
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus,
vancomycinresistant Enterococcus, M. tuberculosis,
and Clostridium difficile, to parasitic
diseases such as scabies, and to disease
syndromes. For each, there is discussion
about transmission and prevention.
Unfortunately, there is no information
presented about other multidrug-resistant
organisms that cause health
careassociated infections, such as extended
spectrum b-lactamaseproducing
gram-negative bacteria.
Chapter 8, Investigation, Prevention,
and Control of Outbreaks in the Health
Care Setting, details guidelines for
recognizing, investigating, collecting, and
evaluating outbreak data; formulating a
hypothesis; and instituting control
measures. There is a brief discussion on
coordinating with public health
departments, developing emergency plans,
and reporting to required
governmental agencies.
The final 4 chapters discuss information
technology, statistical methods, the role of
the laboratory, and models for collecting,
organizing, and displaying
epidemiological data. The author vividly shows her own
use of information technology in the
wealth of information contained in this
book. The statistical chapter, coauthored
with Deborah Y. Phillips, provides
easyto-understand information about
descriptive and inferential statistics, analytic
studies, and interpretation of results.
The strength of this book as a reference
is the extensive information, presented in
a concise form, on outbreak investigation,
prevention, and control in various types
of health care settings. This is also a deficit
to the extent that certain information is
missing and the writing style is sometimes
pedantic. Minimal information is
presented about types of isolation
precautions, newer organisms, and
catheterassociated bloodstream infection,
ventilator-associated pneumonia, and Foley
catheterassociated urinary tract infection,
except when mentioned in relation to
outbreaks. This book is a good reference for
infection control professionals and
physicians to use as a preliminary guideline
for outbreak investigation, prevention,
and control.
As the recent outbreak of Mexican
(H1N1) influenza virus has so clearly
demonstrated, the unpredictable field of
communicable diseases is ever evolving,
and the spread of infectious disease
remains a global public health threat. An
emerging communicable disease in one
part of the world can quickly affect the
entire worlds population. Moreover,
communicable diseases remain a leading
cause of mortality and morbidity around
the world. Health care professionals
working in this fast moving environment
need guidance to rely on, to remain up
to date with the most recent information
and to face the numerous challenges. For
190 years now, the Control of
Communicable Diseases Manual has proven to be
an indispensable key source of succinct,
reliable, up-to-date, evidence-based
information on both well known and
recently emerged infectious diseases.
This 19th edition, published by the
American Public Health Association, is the
latest asset to this long tradition. Its editor,
David L. Heymann, is the right man to
manage this book for the second time in
a row, as his long career exhibits his
dedication to disease control to this day.
Currently the Assistant Director-General for
Health Security and Environment of the
World Health Organization (WHO) and
Representative of the Director-General for
Polio Eradication, Dr Heymann is one of
the most important communicable disease
control experts in the world. Before
joining WHO, Dr Heymann worked for 13
years as a medical epidemiologist in
subSaharan Africa. He directed the
international response to the Ebola outbreak in
Kikwit in 1995. Under his guidance, an
impressive group of experts in
communicable diseases and public health from
around the world (most working for
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
and WHO) has gathered to write, review
and edit this book, ensuring global
relevance of the information provided.
As all previous editions, Control of
Communicable Diseases Manual, 19th Edition
has a clear, well organized format that
provides easy-to-read, succinct information.
Diseases are listed in alphabetical order,
and each disease is described in the same
format, covering identification, infectious
agent, occur (...truncated)