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A recently released report of the Exploring Accreditation Project affirmatively answered the questions regarding the desirability and feasibility of establishing a national voluntary public health accreditation program. The report's recommendations were made after 10 months of inquiry from public health experts, elected officials, the general public health workforce, academicians, and other interested parties, more than 650 public health professionals in all. Recommendations regarding how such a program might be implemented insofar as its governance, principles for standards development, financing and incentives, and evaluation were included. The report provides a blueprint for establishing a national voluntary public health accreditation program. This article describes key aspects of the Steering Committee recommendations, with limited linkage to implementation strategies where relevant, in the four areas in which the project was designed. Details are provided in the final reports of the Steering Committee (www.exploringaccreditation.org) and in other articles in this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eleven cases of hamster associated lymphocytic choriomeningitis occurred within a space of four months in Jefferson County, Alabama residents. A single Birmingham breeder was the source of the infected hamsters. Ten cases experienced an illness of one to three weeks duration with grippe-like symptoms being most frequent. Complaints of nine cases suggested meningeal involvement, and one was asymptomatic. All patients recovered uneventfully. Frequent hamster contact had occurred in most cases, although three individuals reported infrequent or room exposure to the animals. The holding of hamsters for observation prior to sale, random testing of all breeders' stock, and the distribution of printed information with each hamster sold are suggested as precautions against future outbreaks of this nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Public Health Service Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the Committee on Infectious Diseases of the American Academy of Pediatrics have not reached complete agreement in their currently recommended schedules for primary infant immunization with trivalent oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV). To determine which if either of these is the more efficacious, 200 infants were immunized with trivalent OPV. Approximately 50% of these infants completed the 3 dose primary series recommended by the ACIP; remaining infants completed the 4 dose series recommended by the Academy. Microneutralization titers to all three poliovirus types were determined at appropriate time intervals. At the completion of the study, a satisfactory percentage of individuals in both groups exhibited microneutralization titers of 1:10 or greater to all three poliovirus types. During the course of study minor differences were noted between the two groups in the percentage of individuals with titers against poliovirus types 1 and 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the sequence of events leading to the historic first use of the Federal Air Pollution injunctive authority in central Alabama, including Jefferson County (Birmingham), as well as the subsequent development and implementation of local episode abatement plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT. Five years after primary infant immunization with trivalent oral poliovirus vaccine, employing either a three-dose primary series as recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) or a four-dose series as recommended by the Committee on Infectious Diseases of the American Academy of Pediatrics, 115 children were serologically tested for persistence of neutralizing antibodies by the microneutralization test. Of the 57 individuals immunized according to the ACIP recommendation, antibody persistence was demonstrated in 92% for type 1 poliovirus, 98% for type 2, and 84% for type 3. Of those 58 individuals originally receiving a four-dose primary infant immunization series, the persistence of antibody was 98% to type 1, 98% to type 2, and 87% to type 3. Twenty-one of 24 negative sera showed neutralizing ability when tested by a more sensitive plaque reduction test. Thus, individuals completing either immunization schedule demonstrated satisfactory persistence of neutralizing antibody to all three poliovirus types over a five-year period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the epidemiology of St. Louis encephalitis (SLE) in Birmingham, Alabama. The Jefferson County Health Department implemented a comprehensive SLE surveillance program. Local physicians and designated staff members in each of 15 hospitals were asked to report suspected cases of SLE to the County Health Department. Serologic testing was carried out using antigens of SLE and yellow fever, group A antigens of Eastern, Western, Venezuelan encephalitis and that of La Crosse virus. The high attack rate and increased clinical severity of SLE in the older age groups noted in Birmingham have been two of the most common findings in previous epidemics.

The article reports developments on community preventive health services under the surveillance of the U.S. Center for Disease Control. The center had begun discussions with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers which led to the establishment of a collaborative work group to develop model standards for community-oriented preventive health services. A public law has been signed with provisions that standards for community preventive health services be developed. Extensive works have been made to standardize public health procedures.