Emergency Request Memo

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
Public Health Service
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC)
Atlanta GA 30341-3724

Sept 8, 2022
Dominic Mancini
Deputy Director
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Office of Management and Budget
Washington, DC
Subject: Request for Emergency Review and Clearance
Dear Mr. Mancini:
Pursuant to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) procedures established at 5 CFR Part 1320,
Controlling Paperwork Burdens on the Public, I request that the proposed information collection project,
Assessing Vector-Borne Disease Experiences and Risk of Transmission (AVERT) be processed in
accordance with section 1320.13, Emergency Processing.
I have determined that this information must be collected prior to the expiration of time periods
established under Part 1320, and that this information is essential to CDC’s mission to promote health
equity, mitigate disease transmission during ongoing outbreaks, and reduce disease incidence among
populations at disproportionate risk. Recent outbreaks of vector-borne diseases have been identified
among people experiencing homelessness. To address this ongoing disease risk, CDC’s Division of
Vector-Borne Diseases developed the AVERT (Assessing Vector-Borne Disease Experiences and Risk of
Transmission) survey to identify knowledge gaps and practices in homeless shelters to reduce risk of
body lice and flea infestations and associated diseases. This project has been identified as one of CDC’s
CORE Health Equity priority projects.
On February 7, 2022, the PRA/OMB 60-day public review package was submitted to CDC’s ICRO
office; the public review period ended without any comments or suggestions for changes. In June 2022,
pilot testing of the AVERT survey instruments were completed with collaborating public health
colleagues in Seattle, WA. This pilot testing provided important insights that informed survey instrument
revisions that were included in the 30-day public review package was submitted to CDC’s ICRO office
on July 5, 2022. Unfortunately, due to overwhelming demand on ICRO due to multiple concurrent
emergency responses (COVID-19, polio, monkeypox), the package was not published to the federal
register until September 9, 2022.
The collaborating public health partner, Public Health – Seattle & King County, is receiving funding for
personnel and project support as one of three Homelessness Centers of Excellence; however, this funding
expires on September 30, 2022. In addition, all associated CDC funding for data collection in Seattle,
Washington (estimated to be $5,250) will be lost if the project is not completed within the month of
September, as these funds must be spent in the current fiscal year and cannot be carried over to
subsequent fiscal years. Furthermore, inability to complete this data collection would erode key
stakeholder confidence in CDC to follow through on its commitments and undermine CDC’s mission to
rapidly address ongoing disease threats in the community.
Data collected through the AVERT project are critical to inform prevention of vector-borne disease in

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
Public Health Service
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC)
Atlanta GA 30341-3724

people experiencing unsheltered or sheltered homelessness. Subsequent phases of this project include
development of an infectious disease handbook for homeless service providers, a toolkit of best practices
and standard operating procedures to rapidly detect disease vectors in homeless service sites and
implementation of mitigation strategies to minimize transmission risk in congregate settings.
Please provide an approval/disapproval determination of this request to collect information under an
emergency clearance by close of business Wednesday, September 14, 2022.

Respectfully,

Digitally signed by Christopher
Christopher R.
R. Braden -S
Braden
-S
Date: 2022.09.08 17:47:22 -04'00'
________________________________________

Christopher R. Braden, MD
Acting Director
National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious
Diseases (NCEZID)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)