Melanie J Firestone, Linnea Thorell, Leslie Kollmann, Lydia Fess, Greta Ciessau, Anna K Strain, Richard Danila, Ruth Lynfield, Stacy Holzbauer
{"title":"2020-2021 年 COVID-19 大流行期间明尼苏达州不明原因的可能感染性死亡监测。","authors":"Melanie J Firestone, Linnea Thorell, Leslie Kollmann, Lydia Fess, Greta Ciessau, Anna K Strain, Richard Danila, Ruth Lynfield, Stacy Holzbauer","doi":"10.1177/00333549231218283","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Surveillance systems for unexplained deaths that might have an infectious etiology are rare. We examined the Minnesota Department of Health Unexplained Deaths and Critical Illnesses of Possible Infectious Etiology and Medical Examiner Infectious Deaths (UNEX/MED-X) surveillance system,-a system that expanded postmortem surveillance for infectious diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic by leveraging standard (medical examiner [ME]) and expanded (mortuary) surveillance to identify COVID-19-related deaths.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>MEs, coroners, or morticians collected postmortem swabs from decedents with an infectious prodrome or with SARS-CoV-2 exposure before death but with no known recent infectious disease testing. The Minnesota Department of Health Public Health Laboratory used nucleic acid amplification, viral culture, and standard algorithms to test specimens collected postmortem for SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus, and other infectious pathogens. We reviewed UNEX/MED-X data from March 2, 2020, through December 31, 2021, and characterized decedents by location of swab collection (ie, ME or mortuary).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>From March 2, 2020, through December 31, 2021, the UNEX/MED-X surveillance system received samples from 182 decedents from mortuaries and 955 decedents from MEs. Mortuary decedents were older than ME decedents (median age, 78 vs 46 y). Seventy-three mortuary decedents (40.1%) and 197 ME decedents (20.6%) had SARS-CoV-2 detections. The UNEX/MED-X system identified 212 COVID-19-related deaths, representing 2.0% of total COVID-19-related deaths in Minnesota. Eighty-nine decedents (42.0%) were from racial and ethnic minority populations, representing 6.1% more COVID-19-related deaths among people from racial and ethnic minority populations than would have been detected without this surveillance system.</p><p><strong>Practice implications: </strong>Expanded and standard UNEX/MED-X surveillance builds capacity and flexibility for responding to emerging public health threats. Similar programs should be considered elsewhere as resources allow.</p>","PeriodicalId":20793,"journal":{"name":"Public Health Reports","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11037231/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"Surveillance for Unexplained Deaths of Possible Infectious Etiologies During the COVID-19 Pandemic-Minnesota, 2020-2021.\",\"authors\":\"Melanie J Firestone, Linnea Thorell, Leslie Kollmann, Lydia Fess, Greta Ciessau, Anna K Strain, Richard Danila, Ruth Lynfield, Stacy Holzbauer\",\"doi\":\"10.1177/00333549231218283\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Surveillance systems for unexplained deaths that might have an infectious etiology are rare. We examined the Minnesota Department of Health Unexplained Deaths and Critical Illnesses of Possible Infectious Etiology and Medical Examiner Infectious Deaths (UNEX/MED-X) surveillance system,-a system that expanded postmortem surveillance for infectious diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic by leveraging standard (medical examiner [ME]) and expanded (mortuary) surveillance to identify COVID-19-related deaths.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>MEs, coroners, or morticians collected postmortem swabs from decedents with an infectious prodrome or with SARS-CoV-2 exposure before death but with no known recent infectious disease testing. The Minnesota Department of Health Public Health Laboratory used nucleic acid amplification, viral culture, and standard algorithms to test specimens collected postmortem for SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus, and other infectious pathogens. We reviewed UNEX/MED-X data from March 2, 2020, through December 31, 2021, and characterized decedents by location of swab collection (ie, ME or mortuary).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>From March 2, 2020, through December 31, 2021, the UNEX/MED-X surveillance system received samples from 182 decedents from mortuaries and 955 decedents from MEs. Mortuary decedents were older than ME decedents (median age, 78 vs 46 y). Seventy-three mortuary decedents (40.1%) and 197 ME decedents (20.6%) had SARS-CoV-2 detections. The UNEX/MED-X system identified 212 COVID-19-related deaths, representing 2.0% of total COVID-19-related deaths in Minnesota. Eighty-nine decedents (42.0%) were from racial and ethnic minority populations, representing 6.1% more COVID-19-related deaths among people from racial and ethnic minority populations than would have been detected without this surveillance system.</p><p><strong>Practice implications: </strong>Expanded and standard UNEX/MED-X surveillance builds capacity and flexibility for responding to emerging public health threats. Similar programs should be considered elsewhere as resources allow.</p>\",\"PeriodicalId\":20793,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"Public Health Reports\",\"volume\":null,\"pages\":null},\"PeriodicalIF\":3.0000,\"publicationDate\":\"2024-05-01\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11037231/pdf/\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"Public Health Reports\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"3\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549231218283\",\"RegionNum\":4,\"RegionCategory\":\"医学\",\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"2024/1/11 0:00:00\",\"PubModel\":\"Epub\",\"JCR\":\"Q2\",\"JCRName\":\"PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Public Health Reports","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549231218283","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/1/11 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH","Score":null,"Total":0}
Surveillance for Unexplained Deaths of Possible Infectious Etiologies During the COVID-19 Pandemic-Minnesota, 2020-2021.
Objectives: Surveillance systems for unexplained deaths that might have an infectious etiology are rare. We examined the Minnesota Department of Health Unexplained Deaths and Critical Illnesses of Possible Infectious Etiology and Medical Examiner Infectious Deaths (UNEX/MED-X) surveillance system,-a system that expanded postmortem surveillance for infectious diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic by leveraging standard (medical examiner [ME]) and expanded (mortuary) surveillance to identify COVID-19-related deaths.
Methods: MEs, coroners, or morticians collected postmortem swabs from decedents with an infectious prodrome or with SARS-CoV-2 exposure before death but with no known recent infectious disease testing. The Minnesota Department of Health Public Health Laboratory used nucleic acid amplification, viral culture, and standard algorithms to test specimens collected postmortem for SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus, and other infectious pathogens. We reviewed UNEX/MED-X data from March 2, 2020, through December 31, 2021, and characterized decedents by location of swab collection (ie, ME or mortuary).
Results: From March 2, 2020, through December 31, 2021, the UNEX/MED-X surveillance system received samples from 182 decedents from mortuaries and 955 decedents from MEs. Mortuary decedents were older than ME decedents (median age, 78 vs 46 y). Seventy-three mortuary decedents (40.1%) and 197 ME decedents (20.6%) had SARS-CoV-2 detections. The UNEX/MED-X system identified 212 COVID-19-related deaths, representing 2.0% of total COVID-19-related deaths in Minnesota. Eighty-nine decedents (42.0%) were from racial and ethnic minority populations, representing 6.1% more COVID-19-related deaths among people from racial and ethnic minority populations than would have been detected without this surveillance system.
Practice implications: Expanded and standard UNEX/MED-X surveillance builds capacity and flexibility for responding to emerging public health threats. Similar programs should be considered elsewhere as resources allow.
期刊介绍:
Public Health Reports is the official journal of the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General and the U.S. Public Health Service and has been published since 1878. It is published bimonthly, plus supplement issues, through an official agreement with the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health. The journal is peer-reviewed and publishes original research and commentaries in the areas of public health practice and methodology, original research, public health law, and public health schools and teaching. Issues contain regular commentaries by the U.S. Surgeon General and executives of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health.
The journal focuses upon such topics as tobacco control, teenage violence, occupational disease and injury, immunization, drug policy, lead screening, health disparities, and many other key and emerging public health issues. In addition to the six regular issues, PHR produces supplemental issues approximately 2-5 times per year which focus on specific topics that are of particular interest to our readership. The journal''s contributors are on the front line of public health and they present their work in a readable and accessible format.