Preventing and Controlling Emerging and Reemerging Transmissible Diseases in the Homeless
Emerging Infectious Diseases·
- DOI
- 10.3201/eid1409.080204
- PMID
- 18760000
- PMCID
- PMC2603102
- OpenAlex
- W2106292146
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
Homelessness is described as an increasing public health problem, and the authors call for national public health programs specifically addressing homeless populations.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
This review examines intervention measures for controlling and preventing common transmissible infections in homeless populations.
Study design
This is a summary review of intervention measures reported as efficient for infection control in homeless populations.
Population and setting
The target population is homeless persons, who experience poor living conditions and limited healthcare access that increase exposure to communicable infections.
Main findings
Street- or shelter-based interventions tailored to specific homeless subgroups are identified as most efficient. Effective measures include education, free condom distribution, needle prescription programs, tuberculosis screening and directly observed therapy, improved hygiene for clothing and bedding, and widespread ivermectin use for scabies and lice. Systematic vaccination against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, influenza, pneumococcus, and diphtheria is strongly recommended.
Public-health relevance
Homelessness is described as an increasing public health problem, and the authors call for national public health programs specifically addressing homeless populations.
Important limitations
This summary is limited to the supplied single-article abstract and metadata. The abstract does not specify the scope, quality, or recency of the evidence reviewed, nor does it report outcome measures or effect sizes for the interventions described. Decision-grade interpretation requires the full paper.
GIDS interpretation
The classifier linked this article to hepatitis A, hepatitis B, tuberculosis, diphtheria, and influenza under treatment and vaccination topics, reflecting its scope as a review of preventive and control measures for infections disproportionately affecting homeless populations. It does not report new outbreak or surveillance data.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 12 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.