Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2002 Feb;8(2):145-53.
doi: 10.3201/eid0802.010165.

Surveillance for unexplained deaths and critical illnesses due to possibly infectious causes, United States, 1995-1998

Rana A Hajjeh  1 , David Relman, Paul R Cieslak, Andre N Sofair, Douglas Passaro, Jennifer Flood, James Johnson, Jill K Hacker, Wun-Ju Shieh, R Michael Hendry, Simo Nikkari, Stephen Ladd-Wilson, James Hadler, Jean Rainbow, Jordan W Tappero, Christopher W Woods, Laura Conn, Sarah Reagan, Sherif Zaki, Bradley A Perkins
Affiliations

Surveillance for unexplained deaths and critical illnesses due to possibly infectious causes, United States, 1995-1998

Rana A Hajjeh et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2002 Feb.

Abstract

Population-based surveillance for unexplained death and critical illness possibly due to infectious causes (UNEX) was conducted in four U.S. Emerging Infections Program sites (population 7.7 million) from May 1, 1995, to December 31, 1998, to define the incidence, epidemiologic features, and etiology of this syndrome. A case was defined as death or critical illness in a hospitalized, previously healthy person, 1 to 49 years of age, with infection hallmarks but no cause identified after routine testing. A total of 137 cases were identified (incidence rate 0.5 per 100,000 per year). Patients' median age was 20 years, 72 (53%) were female, 112 (82%) were white, and 41 (30%) died. The most common clinical presentations were neurologic (29%), respiratory (27%), and cardiac (21%). Infectious causes were identified for 34 cases (28% of the 122 cases with clinical specimens); 23 (68%) were diagnosed by reference serologic tests, and 11 (32%) by polymerase chain reaction-based methods. The UNEX network model would improve U.S. diagnostic capacities and preparedness for emerging infections.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The incidence of cases by age group, 1995-1998, the Surveillance for Unexplained Deaths and Critical Illnesses Due to Possibly Infectious Causes Project (UNEX).
Figure 2
Figure 2
The explained proportions of cases by syndrome and survival status, 1995-1998, Surveillance for Unexplained Deaths and Critical Illnesses Due to Possibly Infectious Causes (UNEX).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Institute of Medicine. Emerging infections: microbial threats to health in the United States. Washington: National Academy Press; 1992. - PubMed
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Addressing emerging infectious disease threats: a prevention strategy for the United States. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 1994.
    1. Perkins BA, Flood JM, Danila R, Holman RC, Reingold AL, Klug LA, et al. Unexplained deaths due to possibly infectious causes in the United States: defining the problem and designing surveillance and laboratory approaches. The Unexplained Deaths Working Group.1 Emerg Infect Dis. 1996;2:47–53. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zaki SR, Greer PW, Coffield LM, Goldsmith CS, Nolte KB, Foucar K, et al. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Pathogenesis of an emerging infectious disease. Am J Pathol. 1995;146:552–79. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Burt FJ, Swanepoel R, Shieh WJ, Smith JF, Leman PA, Greer PW, et al. Immunohistochemical and in situ localization of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus in human tissues and implications for CCHF pathogenesis. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 1997;121:839–46. - PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources