![]() Federal agency–developed materials on how residents who are not immunosuppressed can safely conduct mold cleanup after disasters were made available to participants after the interview. Interviewers were trained on types of PPE. The 20-minute questionnaire was administered by telephone in either English or Spanish by trained interviewers during October 21–Novemno personally identifiable information was collected. Cleanup was categorized as either heavy (e.g., removing furniture, drywall, or carpeting) or light (e.g., sweeping, wiping off counters or walls, or retrieving personal items). Questions were focused on experiences with housing, flooding and mold, cleanup activities, and PPE. A CDC questionnaire developed after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita was modified and field-tested. Residents whose homes were predicted to have been flooded were prioritized for contact.Īmong the three hospital systems from which participants were selected, systematic, hospital-wide messaging about avoiding mold exposure had not been disseminated before Hurricane Harvey. Models developed by CDC’s Geospatial Research, Analysis and Services Program were used to predict whether residents’ homes had been flooded. Eligible residents were selected because of risk factors for invasive mold infections ( 7) participants included persons who had received a solid organ transplant in the past year or who had been prescribed an immunosuppressive medication, including tumor necrosis factor inhibitors, cyclosporine, or chemotherapeutic agents, in the last 3 months. Interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of immunosuppressed residents from three hospital systems in the Houston metropolitan area. Immunosuppressed residents who are at high risk for invasive mold infections were exposed to mold and flood-damaged areas after Hurricane Harvey recommendations from health care providers to avoid exposure to mold and flood-damaged areas could mitigate the risk to immunosuppressed persons. One participant reported wearing all personal protective equipment (PPE) recommended for otherwise healthy persons (i.e., respirator, boots, goggles, and gloves). Among immunosuppressed persons who performed heavy cleanup, 43% reported wearing a respirator, as did 8% who performed light cleanup. Approximately half of the participants (50) engaged in cleanup of mold and water-damaged areas these activities included heavy cleanup (23), such as removing furniture or removing drywall, or light cleanup (27), such as wiping down walls or retrieving personal items. To assess the extent of exposure to mold and flood-damaged areas among persons at high risk for invasive mold infections after Hurricane Harvey, CDC and Texas health officials conducted a survey among 103 immunosuppressed residents in Houston. Because mold exposure can cause serious illnesses known as invasive mold infections ( 4, 5), and immunosuppressed persons are at high risk for these infections ( 6, 7), several federal agencies recommend that immunosuppressed persons avoid mold-contaminated sites ( 8, 9). ![]() ![]() Mold exposure was a serious concern because investigations after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (2005) had documented extensive mold growth in flood-damaged homes ( 2, 3). In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey caused unprecedented flooding and devastation to the Houston metropolitan area ( 1). ![]()
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