[Federal Register: December 11, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 238)]
[Notices]               
[Page 69084-69085]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr11de03-72]                         

=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-04-14]

 
Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

    In compliance with the requirement of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment on 
proposed data collection projects, the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects. 
To request more information on the proposed projects or to obtain a 
copy of the data collection plans and instruments, call the CDC Reports 
Clearance Officer on (404) 498-1210.
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways 
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology. Send comments to Seleda Perryman, CDC 
Assistant Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-E11, 
Atlanta, GA 30333. Written comments should be received within 60 days 
of this notice.
    Proposed Project: Ecology of Bats in Households: A Case-Control 
Study for Assessing Knowledge, Attitudes, and Health Risks--New--
National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID), Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention (CDC).
    Bats are associated with many different kinds of infectious 
diseases that may be pathogenic to humans. Anthropogenic change from 
urban sprawl provides new roosts for bats in homes and buildings while 
reducing available natural roosts and putting humans in more frequent 
contact with bats. The largest public health concern with respect to 
bat exposure is the transmission of rabies virus--about 75% of human 
rabies deaths are from bat-associated rabies variants. The current U.S. 
guidelines for animal rabies prevention and control recommend that bats 
be excluded from houses and adjacent structures to prevent direct 
association with humans. While direct association with bats is 
certainly a risk factor for rabies transmission, little is known about 
the effects of indirect association with bats and potential adverse 
health effects. This is of public health concern because many 
organizations actually promote interactions between bats and humans, 
without consideration of public health consequences.
    The proposed study consists of an investigator-administered 
questionnaire conducted on site. The survey asks individuals to 
describe knowledge and attitudes of household members toward 
cohabitation with bats, including knowledge of rabies risk, general 
attitude toward bats, and attempts to exterminate the roosts. The 
questionnaire will also evaluate health outcomes among household 
members and their pets by administering a survey focused on general 
well-being, incidence of allergies, frequency and nature of hospital/
clinic visits, frequency of bat and bat-ectoparasite exposure, and 
frequency of post-exposure prophylaxis for rabies. We will also conduct 
a serological survey for evidence of exposure to bat-associated 
infectious diseases.
    The list of households with roosts is provided by Colorado State 
University bat researchers, identified through radio-tagging of bats. 
We plan to improve the knowledge of the ecology of bats and associated 
rabies transmission by assimilating rabies prevalence data in a bat 
population with data regarding the roost ecology and bat/human 
interaction ecology in a rapidly sprawling suburban area in Ft. 
Collins, Colorado. There is no cost to the respondents.

[[Page 69085]]



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     Number of    Average burden/
                   Respondents                       Number of      responses/     response (in    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent        hours)        (in hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telephone enrollment............................             150               1            6/60              15
Investigator-administered survey................             600               1           45/60             450
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............             465
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Dated: December 2, 2003.
Alvin Hall,
Director, Management Analysis and Services Office Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 03-30678 Filed 12-10-03; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4163-18-P