Volume 18, Number 11—November 2012
Dispatch
Streptococcus pneumoniae Serotype 15A in Psychiatric Unit, Rhode Island, USA, 2010–2011
, Chukwuma Mbaeyi, Ruth Link-Gelles, Nicole Alexander, Alice Guh, Elizabeth Forbes, Bernard Beall, Jonas M. Winchell, Maria da Gloria Carvalho, Fabiana Pimenta, Maja Kodani, Cindy Vanner, Hilary Stevens, Diane Brady, Mardea Caulcrick-Grimes, Utpala Bandy, and Matthew R. MooreTable 1
Characteristics of 20 psychiatric unit patients during Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 15A outbreak, Rhode Island, USA, December 25, 2010–January 31, 2011
| Characteristic | No. (%) patients |
|---|---|
| Male sex | 14 (70.0) |
| Median age, y (range) | 13 (4–24) |
| Race | |
|
White |
16 (80.0) |
|
Black |
4 (20.0) |
|
Other/unknown |
0 |
| Underlying medical conditions | |
|
Asthma* |
6 (30.0) |
|
Chronic heart disease |
2 (10.0) |
|
Other risk factors for pneumococcal infection† |
0 |
| Median length of stay, days on Unit 1 as of January 30, 2011 (range) | 71 (1–706) |
| Receiving systemic antimicrobial drugs during January for illness unrelated to outbreak | 1 (5.0) |
| No. patients on Unit 1 as of January 30, 2011 | |
|
Current in-patient |
15 (75.0) |
|
Day program patient‡ |
1 (20.0) |
|
Discharged (since December 25, 2010) |
4 (5.0) |
*None were treated with systemic steroids (i.e., none had an indication for vaccine) (3,4).
†Includes chronic lung disease (other than asthma), diabetes mellitus, cerebrospinal fluid leaks, cochlear implant, systemic steroid use, sickle cell disease, congenital or acquired asplenia, HIV infection, chronic renal failure, nephritic syndrome or kidney disease with dialysis, bone-marrow or organ transplant, diseases associated with treatment with immunosuppressive drugs or radiation therapy, including malignant neoplasms, leukemia, lymphoma, and Hodgkin disease (3,4).
‡Day program patients were treated in Unit 1 during the day and returned home to stay overnight with their families.
