Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations

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;

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; and

5. Assess information collection costs.

Proposed Project

Characteristics of Cases of Priority Fungal Diseases (OMB Control No. 0920-1385, Exp. 4/30/2027)—Revision—National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

Fungal diseases cause substantial illness, ranging from mild infection to severe or life-threatening invasive disease. They also constitute a considerable financial burden on patients and healthcare systems. Awareness of fungal diseases is low, and data collection has historically been limited in size, scope, and coordination, which has hindered our understanding of these diseases. Detailed epidemiologic and clinical data are critical to inform appropriate public health responses.

CDC plans to enhance surveillance of high priority fungal diseases across the United States to better characterize factors such as disease burden, geographic scope, patient risk factors, health disparities, healthcare utilization, outcomes, and emerging trends. This project will serve as a Revision to the information collection project Characteristics of Cases of Priority Fungal Diseases (OMB Control No. 0920-1385). The Revision will expand the number of fungal diseases for which data may be collected. In addition to triazole-resistant A. fumigatus infections, coccidioidomycosis, histoplasmosis, blastomycosis, C. auris, and antifungal-resistant dermatophytosis, Case Report Forms (CRF) have also been developed for chromoblastomycosis, mycetoma, and sporotrichosis.

CDC plans to use standardized CRFs to collect public health surveillance data for cases of these diseases regarding demographics ( e.g., age, sex, race/ethnicity, location of residence), underlying medical conditions, diagnosis ( e.g., clinical presentation, laboratory testing), treatments, and outcomes ( e.g., hospitalization, vital status). The corresponding CRF would be filled out voluntarily by state, local or tribal health departments, federal agencies, and members of the private sector ( e.g., academic institutions), and contains a section for medical chart review and an optional supplemental interview (including data on potential occupational or environmental exposures) of the patient or their representative. Findings can help identify populations at higher risk of these diseases, detect emerging epidemiologic trends, and guide prevention and response efforts. They can also help better focus public and healthcare provider outreach, inform efforts to contain or mitigate spread, and influence health policy and research on prevention and treatment.

CDC requests OMB approval for an estimated 1,564 annual burden hours. There is no cost to respondents other than their time to participate.