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 ur nation's experience with bioterrorism after the events of September 11, 2001, was a shocking reminder of our vulnerability to serious and deadly infectious diseases, whether transmitted criminally or otherwise. But while anthrax is a particularly aggressive and ravaging disease and its deployment as a weapon is a heinous act, many other serious infectious agents are spread incidentally and take a devastating toll. Emory clinicians deal with serious infectious diseases every day, from influenza in Atlanta to Ebola in Africa, and Emory basic and clinical scientists are developing new approaches to controlling and eradicating these scourges.
Our special relationship with Grady Memorial Hospital and its patients provides a context for a great deal of our infectious disease efforts. At Grady, tuberculosis is especially problematic among the patient population we serve. Emory physicians at Grady, in collaboration with the Fulton and DeKalb county health departments, have developed a cutting-edge tuberculosis control and research program to fight the disease burden of TB in Atlanta, which in some areas rivals the rate of incidence found in developing countries. In fact, if Grady were a state, it would rank 28th in the country for the number of tuberculosis cases reported. Controlling tuberculosis infection is a major priority for Emory and Grady. Heading our nationally recognized program there in TB infection control is Henry Blumberg, associate professor, infectious diseases, and hospital epidemiologist at Grady. As part of that program, our physicians and other health care workers perform careful screening and early identification of TB in patients who come to Grady. Patients with or at risk for TB are isolated upon admission. Patients with active TB are treated aggressively with a minimum of six months of therapy on a four-drug regimen. Health department staff often directly observe medication administration to help ensure patients are cured of the disease and no longer contagious. Grady's 26-bed respiratory isolation ward has increased efficiency in treating patients and in evaluating patients admitted to respiratory isolation to rule out TB. And to prevent the spread of TB within the hospital, air is filtered in specially engineered negative-pressure rooms before being recirculated or exhausted to the outside of the hospital. All health care employees are given TB skin tests annually. |
 
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A recent milestone in our Grady commitment was a 10-year, $4 million grant for TB research to our School of Medicine, as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Tuberculosis Epidemiology Studies Consortium. This Emory-Georgia Department of Health and Human Resources partnership is one of 22 sites across the country to receive funding for the CDC-sponsored epidemiology studies. In addition, physician scientists at the Emory Vaccine Center are also working on efforts to develop new diagnostic tests for tuberculosis to replace the tuberculin skin test. Other applied research studies being carried out by Emory investigators include molecular epidemiologic (DNA fingerprinting) studies of TB isolates or strains recovered from patients in Atlanta. Infectious disease is and will remain a major focus of our nation's efforts in health care. Emory's special relationship with the Grady Health System means that Emory will be in the forefront of these efforts.
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Copyright © Emory University, 2002. All Rights Reserved.
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Web version by Jaime Henriquez.