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Process Implemented for Reporting the Notifiable Diseases

Introduction

Health and medical workers should have an efficient way of detecting and reporting notifiable diseases. In the past, manuals would be used but they proved erratic, incomplete, and extremely inefficient. Health workers need to report any cases of certain diseases to the medical field authorities. That is why an automated or electronic way should be used to detect and report on any notifiable disease. In the case of the 2008 reportable disease summary, the electronic method had to be used to come up with the report, graphs, and tables in the report.

Information about the reported diseases has to be published each year every week in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The health department through compilation and summarization analyzes the provisional information. For the results to be published in the report, the provisional information has to be approved by the head of epidemiologists. The published information has to be interpreted after the reporting by the home state of the patient diagnosed with the said disease. Several methodologies explain the notifiable diseases that are reportable in the nation.

In the case of the disease listed in the 2008 Summary, the statistics had to be officially published using tables and graphs after successful collection and compilation of health departments’ data. In one section, the highlights included would offer information about the diseases and assist in the evaluation of detected trends. Incidences of diseases data, number of cases reported, graphs, maps, and tabular representations had to be included in the report (Dlugacz, 2006).

The disease chosen for analysis is Chlamydia which is the most reported notifiable disease in the United States. The disease affects more females than males, and it may result in other complications if it goes untreated.

Analysis of the Tables, Graphs, and Other Resources

The number of people infected with Chlamydia in June 2008, was 92, 058. This number would be represented in the table that shows the monthly cases of notifiable diseases in the United States of America. From that figure in June, the number decreased in July and then increased in the subsequent months, with August recording the highest in that year. The total number of Chlamydia infections at the end of the year 2008 was 1, 210, 523, being the highest number among all the notifiable diseases reported.

The reported cases of Chlamydia based on geographical division were highest in the United States that recorded 1,210,523. The report gave figures for geographical areas in the United States such as New England, Mid Atlantic, E. N. Central, N. Central, S. Atlantic, E. S. Central, Mountain region, and Pacific area. South Atlantic recorded the highest number with 247,480 cases while New England recorded the lowest number that stood at 39,246 cases. In American Samoa and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, there were no reported cases (Brucker & King, 2011).

Chlamydia infections could not be found in children under the age of 14 years. Persons between the age of 15 and 24 years recorded 856,189 cases in the year 2008. Those between the age of 25 and 39 were 299,307 while those between the age of 40 and 64 were 35,326. Persons of the age 65 years and above recorded 3,168 cases in that year. The highest number of infections affected persons between the age of 15 and 24 years. The lowest number occurred in people aged 65 years and above.

The number of males affected by Chlamydia was 313,779 while the number of females affected was 893,004 in the year 2008. The number of females affected was more than twice the number of affected males. The blacks had more infection as compared to American Indians, Asians, and Whites. The number of blacks infected was 426,416 while the lowest number of infections occurred in Asians or Pacific Islanders.

Cases History from the year 1998 to the year 2008

In every 100,000 people, the persons infected were 236.57 in the year 1998, 254.10 in 1999, 257.76 in 2000, 278.32 in 2001, 296.55 in 2002, 304.71 in 2003, 319.61 in 2004, 332.51 in 2005, 347.80 in 2006, 370.20 in 2007 and 401.34 in the year 2008. The trend has been a steady increase over the ten years between the year 1998 and the year 2008. The number of Chlamydia infections recorded was high in the year 2008. Unlike other cases included in the Summary report, for example, this AIDS had a fluctuating recording throughout the ten years (Alexander, 2010).

The results portrayed here could be due to little sensitization given by the health care department. Over the years, the epidemiologist needed to understand the worrying trend and rise to the occasion before it was too late. The causes need to be established, and mitigation measures considered in curbing the increasing rate of Chlamydia. Girls most affected needed to be advised on how to spot symptoms, how to protect themselves and they needed to be told on the importance of early treatment. In addition, the increase could be due to the increase in population in the country. As the number of people increased, the rate of infection also went up (Spephens, 1999).

How Nurses can use the Data to improve the Quality of Care in Populations with Chlamydia

The given reports and trends can show the health care workers that Chlamydia is the most commonly detected infection in the United States. It is more widely spread than all other diseases reported in the same time between the year 1998 and the year 2008. The statistics given in tabular form and graphs can assist epidemiologists in finding the trends demonstrated by the disease. In addition, the nurses can find out that the prevalence rates in women are extremely high (the number is thrice that of their male counterparts), and this can be vital in taking up measures to curb the disease. It is also worthwhile for health workers, and nurses to note the increase in the number of cases from the year 1998 to the year 2008. The nurses also need to note the other Chlamydia cases that go unreported or even undetected (Merill & Timmreck, 2006).

Health workers already know that Chlamydia infections that go untreated may cause other complications such as sterility, ectopic pregnancies, and various pelvic diseases. The best way for health workers to deal with these diseases would be through sensitization of Chlamydia to the most affected (those between the ages of 15 and 24 and the female gender). This can be done through seminars where people can learn about the symptoms, repercussions, and treatment of Chlamydia. For the infected, it is crucial to encourage them to be tested and get treated immediately to reduce further escalation of the disease. It is vital to offer effective treatment at an affordable price to most Americans. In addition, nurses should talk to patients to encourage them to go for screening to aid in the early detection of Chlamydia. In addition, the health workers need to take it as their mandate to report any cases of Chlamydia infections to continue noting the trend of the disease.

References

Alexander, L. L. (2010). New Dimensions in women’s Health. Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Brucker, M. C., & King, L. T. (2011). Pharmacology for women’s health. Sudbury: Jones and Barlett Publishers.

Dlugacz, Y. (2006). Measuring health care: using data for operational, financial, and clinical improvement. San Francisco: Jossey- Bass.

Merill, R. M., & Timmreck, T. (2006). Introduction to epidemiology. Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Spephens, R. S. (1999). Chlamydia: Intracellular biology, pathogens, and immunity. Washington DC: ASM Press.

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1. ApeGrade. "Process Implemented for Reporting the Notifiable Diseases." May 11, 2022. https://apegrade.com/process-implemented-for-reporting-the-notifiable-diseases/.


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ApeGrade. "Process Implemented for Reporting the Notifiable Diseases." May 11, 2022. https://apegrade.com/process-implemented-for-reporting-the-notifiable-diseases/.

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ApeGrade. 2022. "Process Implemented for Reporting the Notifiable Diseases." May 11, 2022. https://apegrade.com/process-implemented-for-reporting-the-notifiable-diseases/.

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ApeGrade. (2022) 'Process Implemented for Reporting the Notifiable Diseases'. 11 May.

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