Discussion 10: Field Epidemiology Outbreak
Identify a recent, major disease outbreak (food borne, virus, bacteria, etc.) that occurred in the United States in the past 3 years. Present the outbreak using the table below, You will need to “think epidemiologically” to address the categories. Be sure to include a complete citation for the source of your selected outbreak (newspaper, YouTube, media, journal, etc. ). Do not use the COVID-19 Global Pandemic as it is too early to fully evaluate impact and complete lessons learned.
Sample Answer
Discussion 10: Field Epidemiology Outbreak
Identify a recent, major disease outbreak (food borne, virus, bacteria, etc.) that occurred in the United States in the past 3 years. Present the outbreak using the table below, you will need to “think epidemiologically” to address the categories. Be sure to include a complete citation for the source of your selected outbreak (newspaper, YouTube, media, journal, etc. ). Do not use the COVID-19 Global Pandemic as it is too early to fully evaluate impact and complete lessons learned. Fill in the table below:
| Outbreak Type: | A key disease outbreak that recently occurred in the U.S. is Hepatitis A (Virus). Hepatitis A is a vaccine-preventable liver infection triggered by the hepatitis A virus (HAV). HAV is present in the blood and stool of individuals infected. In 2019, there were nearly 19,000 cases of viral hepatitis A infection in the U.S., with several states reporting higher rates of hepatitis A infection between the states (Elflein.,2021). At that particular time, the death rate for this virus was just 0.09 for each 100,000 population for both females and males. |
| Management strategies (at least 2): | One management strategy is through acquiring a vaccine or immune globulin sooner after coming to contact with this virus.
Another management strategy is getting plenty of rest, eating a balanced diet, and avoiding alcohol. This will help the liver to heal.
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| DNP Role: | In relation Hepatitis A virus, the DNP’s role is to bring forth an expertized and differentiated set of skills concentrating on evaluating, decoding, and disseminating the research to practice for benefit and enhancement of the patient outcomes (Tenhunen et al., 2020). |
| Direct on the state of Florida (or in the state you currently reside) List at least one direct impact. | One direct impact in Florida state concerning the outbreak that occurred back in 2019 was the cases of deaths as a direct outcome of hepatitis A infection. |
| Indirect impact on the state of Florida (or in the state you currently reside) List at least one indirect impact. | One indirect impact, the Hepatitis A outbreak caused an impact on the economy since a lot of input was directed towards the outbreak requiring lots of costs that would have been meant to steer the state’s economy. This, the outbreak may also need a couple of days or weeks of hospitalization, causing absenteeism from work or school for numerous months or weeks. Thus, it can be expensive in relation to both the direct medical costs and loss of productivity affecting the economy.
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Lessons Learned (at least 3 lessons) |
One lesson that can be learned from this outbreak is that community education programs from the healthcare perspective and supported by the state should be set to enlighten individuals on safe and healthy ways of preparing foods. This is because Hepatitis A virus is commonly spread by eating or drinking anything contaminated with fecal matter, even tiny amounts (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2021). This, as a result, can help avoid the outbreak as well the economy state-wise.
Another lesson is that healthcare facilities should always be prepared for such outbreaks to act fast whenever they occur. This can be guaranteed, for instance, by acquiring vaccines such as single-antigen that have been revealed to control hepatitis A outbreaks. Besides, a significant lesson that can be learned is that individuals should always maintain hand hygiene. This is because Hepatitis A can easily spread from one individual to another by putting something in the mouth that may be has been contaminated with the stool of an individual with hepatitis A. This might happen when individuals don’t wash their hands after using the toilet and then prepare or come into contact with other people’s food.
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| Complete Cita!on | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, June 28). Widespread outbreaks of hepatitis a across the U.S. | CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/outbreaks/2017March-HepatitisA.htm
Elflein. (2021, August 31). Topic: Hepatitis in the U.S. Statista. https://www.statista.com/topics/5133/hepatitis-in-the-us/#dossierKeyfigures Tenhunen, Monica L.; Heinonen, Sarah; Buchko, Barbara L.; Frumenti, Jeanine. (2020). The expert role of the DNP-prepared nurse impacting healthcare systems: Bench to bedside, classroom to the boardroom. Repository Home. https://sigma.nursingrepository.org/handle/10755/21142
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