2018-17176. Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations

AGENCY:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION:

Notice with comment period.

SUMMARY:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of its continuing effort to reduce public burden and maximize the utility of government information, invites the general public and other Federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a proposed and/or continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed information collection project titled FoodNet Population Survey. The FoodNet Population Survey is conducted in 10 states and collects data on the prevalence of acute gastrointestinal illness in the United States and exposures associated with foodborne illness.

DATES:

CDC must receive written comments on or before October 9, 2018.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2018-0072 by any of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail: Jeffrey M. Zirger, Information Collection Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.

Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name and Docket Number. CDC will post, without change, all relevant comments to Regulations.gov. Please note: Submit all comments through the Federal eRulemaking portal (regulations.gov) or by U.S. mail to the address listed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request more information on the proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan and instruments, contact Jeffrey M. Zirger, Information Collection Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; phone: [phone]; Email: [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each new proposed collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information collection before submitting the collection to the OMB for approval. To comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a proposed data collection as described below.

The OMB is particularly interested in comments that will help:

1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;

2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

4. Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submissions of responses.

5. Assess information collection costs.

Proposed Project

FoodNet Population Survey—Extension ICR—National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

Foodborne illnesses represent a significant public health burden in the United States. It is estimated that each year, 48 million Americans (1 in 6) become ill, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die as the result of a foodborne illness. Since 1996, the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) has conducted active population-based surveillance for Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora, Listeria, Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 and non-O157, Shigella, Vibrio, and Yersinia infections. Data from FoodNet serves as the nation's “report card” on food safety by monitoring progress toward CDC Healthy People 2020 objectives.

Since the previous OMB approval, pilot testing has been completed and data collection began in all states. As of July 10, 2018 a total of 11,657 surveys have been completed between all survey modes including landline, cell phone, web, and mail. CDC is seeking two years of OMB clearance for an extension of control number 0920-1112.

Evaluation of efforts to control foodborne illnesses can only be done effectively if there is an accurate estimate of the total number of illnesses that occur, and if these estimates are recalculated and monitored over time. Estimates of the total burden start with accurate and reliable estimates of the number of acute gastrointestinal illness episodes that occur in the general community. To more precisely estimate this and to describe the frequency of important exposures associated with illness, FoodNet created the Population Survey.

The FoodNet Population Survey is a survey of persons residing in the surveillance area. Data are collected on the prevalence and severity of acute gastrointestinal illness in the general population, describe common symptoms associated with diarrhea, and determine the proportion of persons with diarrhea who seek medical care. The survey also collects data on exposures (e.g. food, water, animal contact) commonly associated with foodborne illness. Information about food exposures in the general public has proved invaluable during outbreak investigations. The ability to compare exposures reported by outbreak cases to the `background' exposure in the general population allows investigators to more quickly pinpoint a source and enact control measures.

CDC seeks approval for an OMB extension to continue this important work. The total estimated Burden Hours for this collection is 6,067 annually. There is no cost to the respondents other than their time.

Estimated Annualized Burden Hours

Type of respondents	Form name	Number of respondents	Number of responses per respondent	Average burden per response (in hours)	Total burden (in hours)
U.S. General Population	Population Survey	18,200	1	20/60	6,067
Total					6,067

Jeffrey M. Zirger,

Acting Chief, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific Integrity, Office of the Associate Director for Science, Office of the Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.