Request for OMB PRA Emergency Review

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AN D HUMAN SERVICES

Date:

May l, 2015

From:

Daniel B. Jernigan, MD, MPH
Incident Manager, 2014 Ebola Virus Response, CDC

Subject:

Request for OMB Paperwork Reduction Act Emergency Review

To:

Cortney Higgins, PhD
CDC Desk Officer, OIRA, OMB

Through:

Leroy Richardson, MS, MPH, MSCJ, CPHA
Chief, Information Collection Review Office (ICRO)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Public Health Service
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC)
Atlanta GA 30333

Pursuant to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) procedures established under 5 CFR 1320,
Controlling Paperwork Burdens on the Public, the CDC requests that the following collection of
information, "Assessment of Public Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) Relating to Ebola Virus
Disease (EVD) Prevention and Medical Care in Guinea," be processed in accordance with Section
1320.13 Emergency Processing. The CDC cannot reasonably comply with the normal clearance
procedures because delays in information collection will likely delay achieving the international goal of
zero new EVD cases in 2015.
This information collection is essential to CDC's mission to achieve zero new cases in Guinea, a nation
of 11 million inhabitants in 34 prefectures. The data from this collection will be used to design more
effective communication strategies. Despite dissemination of basic EVD prevention messages through
radio, billboards, community meetings, and other means, resistance to EVD prevention and control
measures continues in many communities. Some believe that EVD is transmitted by witchcraft,
"outsiders," or health workers. Some lack of understanding or confidence in control measures. Reports of
potential resistance include hiding of ill and deceased persons, unsafe burial practices, and violence
against health workers. This KAP will be nationally representative using random sampling methods to
address local perceptions of health education activities; reasons for resistance to prevention and control
efforts; or stigma and discrimination faced by EVD cases, survivors, or contacts. For this reason, the CDC
Director stressed after his March 2015 Guinea visit that a national assessment of EVD knowledge and
attitudes was critical to the West African nation-by-nation efforts to get to zero cases.
CDC will work with well-established African organizations specializing in household health surveys and
health promotion.The government of Guinea considers it is an essential issue of equity that all Guineans
have a chance to provide information to this activity; therefore, all eight regions will be included in the
assessment. This information will be shared with Guinea's Ministry of Health and health officials of
prefectures of Guinea Sierra Leone and Liberia, the US Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, the World
Health Organization, and numerous nongovernmental organizations for health promotion uses.
The CDC is requesting OMB approval by May 8, 2015. The CDC is requesting a 60-day approval to
allow for scheduling adjustments as needed. The upcoming 5-month rainy season makes many unpaved
roads impassable, hinders locating and recruitment of household members, harms mobile tablets used to
collect information collection, and limits the number of suitable outdoor venues needed for privacy
because no interviews will take place within the household.