Spatial analysis of pertussis cases in Harris County from 2005-2010

Objective: This study examined the recent trends and characteristics of reported pertussis in Harris County from 2005-2010. ^ Methods: The study population included surveillance data from all reported pertussis cases from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2010 to Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services (HCPHES). We calculated incidence and attack rates for varying age groups, race/ethnicity, and gender. Spatial analyses were conducted of hot spot and cluster of incident cases in Harris County census tracts. Maps were constructed using geographic information system. ^ Results: Age-specific incidence rates of reported cases of pertussis were highest among infants under a year of age and lowest among adults age 20 and older. Hispanics represented the most cases reported compared to any other race or ethnic group (42% of 483 cases). Age-adjusted rates were highest in 2009 at 9.81 cases per 100,000 population. Only 31.2% of people received at least four of the recommended five doses of vaccine. Spatial analyses revealed statistically significant clusters within the northeast region of Harris County. ^ Conclusions: Hispanic infants are the most at risk group for pertussis. Although 70% of cases had a history of immunization, 41.8% of infants were appropriately vaccinated for their age. Increased vaccination coverage may decrease the incidence of pertussis.^

Disparities in foodborne illness in Harris County, Texas, 2005--2010

Using a retrospective cross-sectional approach, this study quantitatively analyzed foodborne illness data, restaurant inspection data, and census-derived socioeconomic and demographic data within Harris County, Texas between 2005 and 2010. The main research question investigated involved determining the extent to which contextual and regulatory conditions distinguish outbreak and non-outbreak establishments within Harris County. Two groups of Harris County establishments were analyzed: outbreak and non-outbreak restaurants. STATA 11 was employed to determine the average profiles of each category across both the regulatory and socioeconomic (contextual) variables. Cross tabulations of all of the non-quantitative variables were also performed, and finally, a discriminant analysis was conducted to assess how well the variables were able to allocate the restaurants into their respective categories. Contextual and regulatory conditions were found to be minimally associated with the occurrence of foodborne outbreaks within Harris County. Across both the categories (outbreak and non-outbreak establishments), variables included were extremely similar in means, and when possible to observe, distributions. The variables analyzed in this study, both regulatory and contextual, were not found to significantly allocate the establishments into their correct outbreak or non-outbreak categories. The implications of these findings are that regulatory processes and guidelines in place in Harris County do not effectively to distinguish outbreak from non-outbreak restaurants. Additionally, no socioeconomic or racial/ethnic patterns are apparent in the incidence of foodborne disease in the county. ^