Annals of Emergency Medicine
Volume 55, Issue 1 , Pages 23-31 , January 2010

Outside the Box and Into Thick Air: Implementation of an Exterior Mobile Pediatric Emergency Response Team for North American H1N1 (Swine) Influenza Virus in Houston, Texas

  • Andrea T. Cruz, MD

      Affiliations

    • Section of Emergency Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
    • Section of Infectious Disease, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
    • Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress for correspondence: Andrea T. Cruz, MD, 6621 Fannin Street, Feigin Center, Suite 1850, Houston, TX 77030; 832-824-5582, fax 832-825-1182
    • ,
  • Binita Patel, MD

      Affiliations

    • Section of Emergency Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
    • Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
    • ,
  • Michael C. DiStefano, MD

      Affiliations

    • Section of Emergency Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
    • Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
    • ,
  • Catherine R. Codispoti, MHA

      Affiliations

    • Section of Emergency Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
    • ,
  • Joan E. Shook, MD, MBA

      Affiliations

    • Section of Emergency Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
    • Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
    • ,
  • Gail J. Demmler-Harrison, MD

      Affiliations

    • Section of Infectious Disease, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
    • Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
    • Diagnostic Virology Laboratory, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX
    • ,
  • Paul E. Sirbaugh, DO

      Affiliations

    • Section of Emergency Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
    • Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
    • City of Houston Emergency Medical Services, Houston, TX

Received 30 June 2009 ,Revised 28 July 2009 ,Accepted 4 August 2009.

References 

  1. Sirbaugh PE, Bradley RN, Macias CG, et al. The Houston flood of 2001: the Texas Medical Center and lessons learned. Clin Pediatr Emerg Med. 2002;3:275–283
  2. Sirbaugh PE, Gurwitch KD, Macias CG, et al. Caring for evacuated children housed in the Astrodome: creation and implementation of a mobile pediatric emergency response team: regionalized caring for displaced children after a disaster. Pediatrics. 2006;117:S428–S438
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Swine influenza A (H1N1) infection in two children—Southern California, March-April 2009. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2009;58:1–3
  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Update: swine influenza A (H1N1) infections—California and Texas, April 2009. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2009;58:1–3
  5. World Health Organization. Viral gene sequences to assist diagnostics for swine influenza A(H1N1): GenBank accession numbers: 28 April 2009. http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/swineflu/SwinefluViralgenome.pdfAccessed May 3, 2009
  6. Morens DM, Taubenberger JK, Fauci AS. Predominant role of bacterial pneumonia as a cause of death in pandemic influenza: implications for pandemic influenza preparedness. J Infect Dis. 2008;198:962–970
  7. Bridges CB, Kuehnert MJ, Hall CB. Transmission of influenza: implications for control in healthcare settings. Clin Infect Dis. 2003;37:1094–1101
  8. Texas weather forecasts. http://www.rssweather.com/climate/Texas/HoustonAccessed May 4, 2009
  9. Baraff LJ. Management of fever without source in infants and children. Ann Emerg Med. 2000;36:602–614
  10. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Interim guidance for infection control for care of patients with confirmed or suspected swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection in a healthcare setting (3 May 2009). http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidelines_infection_control.htmAccessed May 4, 2009
  11. Cruz AT, Cazacu AC, McBride LJ, et al. Performance characteristics of a rapid immunochromatographic assay for detection of influenza A virus in children during the 2003-2004 influenza season. Ann Emerg Med. 2006;47:250–254
  12. Hamilton DR, Gavagan T, Smart K, et al. Houston's medical disaster response to Hurricane Katrina: part 2: transitioning from emergency evacuee care to community health care. Ann Emerg Med. 2009;53:515–527
  13. Farizo KM, Stehr-Green PA, Simpson DM, et al. Pediatric emergency room visits: a risk factor for acquiring measles. Pediatrics. 1991;87:74–79
  14. Muñoz FM, Ong LT, Seavy D, et al. Tuberculosis among adult visitors of children with suspected tuberculosis and employees at a children's hospital. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2002;23:568–572
  15. Srinivasan A, McDonald LC, Jernigan D, et al. Foundations of the severe acute respiratory syndrome preparedness and response plan for healthcare facilities. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2004;25:1020–1025
  16. Tham K-Y. An emergency department response to severe acute respiratory syndrome: a prototype response to bioterrorism. Ann Emerg Med. 2004;43:6–14
  17. Boss LP. Epidemic hysteria: a review of the published literature. Epidemiol Rev. 1997;19:233–243

 Provide feedback on this article at the journal's Web site, www.annemergmed.com.

 Supervising editor: Amy H. Kaji, MD, MPH, PhD

 Author contributions: ATC, BP, MCD, JES, and PES organized the study. ATC, BP, MCD, CRC, and GJD-H participated in data collection. ATC, BP, and MCD analyzed the data. ATC drafted the article, and all authors contributed substantially to its revision. ATC had had full access to all of the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. ATC takes responsibility for the paper as a whole.

 Funding and support: By Annals policy, all authors are required to disclose any and all commercial, financial, and other relationships in any way related to the subject of this article that might create any potential conflict of interest. The authors have stated that no such relationships exist. See the Manuscript Submission Agreement in this issue for examples of specific conflicts covered by this statement.

 Reprints not available from the authors.

 Please see page 24 for the Editor's Capsule Summary of this article.

 Publication date: Available online October 17, 2009.

PII: S0196-0644(09)01400-0

doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2009.08.003

Annals of Emergency Medicine
Volume 55, Issue 1 , Pages 23-31 , January 2010

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