Successful Implementation of a Rapid Screening Tool for Hantavirus Cardiopulmonary Syndrome: 5 Years of Experience From a Community Hospital in an Endemic Region

Authors

Tarrah T. Oliver, Tséhootsooí Medical Center, Fort Defiance, AZ, USA
Jonathan W. Dyal, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Atlanta, GA, USA; Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
Donna L. Talker, Tséhootsooí Medical Center, Fort Defiance, AZ, USA
Shahrokh Safaeian, Tséhootsooí Medical Center, Fort Defiance, AZ, USA
Del Yazzie, Navajo Epidemiology Center, Window Rock, AZ, USA
Aaron D. Kofman, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Atlanta, GA, USA
Shawn M. D'Andrea, Tséhootsooí Medical Center, Fort Defiance, AZ, USA
Mozafar Saleki, Tséhootsooí Medical Center, Fort Defiance, AZ, USA
Glynnis B. Ingall, University of New Mexico Health Science Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Mary J. Choi, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Atlanta, GA, USA
Ramona Antone-Nez, Navajo Epidemiology Center, Window Rock, AZ, USA

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-1-2022

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Hantavirus is endemic in the Four Corners region of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, and hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) disproportionately affects the Navajo Nation. We describe the application of a rapid screening tool for identification of HCPS.

METHODS: A rapid screening tool for HCPS was implemented at Tséhootsooí Medical Center (TMC) in collaboration with academic partners.

RESULTS: Since its implementation in 2016, 20 TMC staff members have been trained to perform this test, and 189 screens for HCPS have been reported. Although hantavirus infection is rare even in high-risk areas, use of this tool resulted in the identification of 4 acute cases of hantavirus infection.

CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate the successful implementation of a 5-point screening tool for hantavirus infection in an endemic setting by a laboratory in a small community hospital.

Recommended Citation

Oliver TT, Dyal JW, Talker DL, Safaeian S, Yazzie D, Kofman AD, D'Andrea SM, Saleki M, Ingall GB, Choi MJ, Antone-Nez R. Successful Implementation of a Rapid Screening Tool for Hantavirus Cardiopulmonary Syndrome: 5 Years of Experience From a Community Hospital in an Endemic Region. Am J Clin Pathol. 2022 Apr 1;157(4):498-501. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/aqab170. PMID: 34664618.