A Cluster of Health Symptoms After a Law Enforcement Operation: A Case Study

Sophia K. Chiu; Jennifer Hornsby-Myers; Christopher Iverson; Douglas Trout

doi:10.1016/j.shaw.2022.08.003

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A Cluster of Health Symptoms After a Law Enforcement Operation: A Case Study

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

A Cluster of Health Symptoms After a Law Enforcement Operation: A Case Study

Sophia K. Chiu, Jennifer Hornsby-Myers, Christopher Iverson and Douglas Trout

Safety and health at work, Vol.13(4), pp.507-511

12/01/2022

DOI: 10.1016/j.shaw.2022.08.003

PMCID: PMC9772466

PMID: 36579004

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Abstract

Law enforcement officers (LEOs) often encounter rapidly changing and uncontrolled situations that expose them to various hazards. A law enforcement agency requested an evaluation by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) when multiple LEOs reported illness after executing a search warrant and taking a suspect into custody. NIOSH investigators interviewed LEOs and reviewed medical records, forensic laboratory results for collected evidence, and environmental testing results of samples taken after the operation. Two-thirds (25 of 38) of LEOs who participated in the operation reported ≥1 symptom. Eleven LEOs met a case definition for influenza-like illness (ILI). Members of one unit were more likely to have ILI than non-members (prevalence ratio (PR), 4.1; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.3–13.0; p = 0.01). Influenza vaccination was associated with a lower prevalence of ILI (PR, 0.2; 95% CI, 0.1–0.9; p = 0.02). Preventing employees from working while ill and annual influenza vaccination might prevent similar occurrences.

Execution of a search warrant

Infectious disease

Influenza-like illness

Police officers

Public safety

Details

Title: Subtitle: A Cluster of Health Symptoms After a Law Enforcement Operation: A Case Study
Creators: Sophia K. Chiu - National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Jennifer Hornsby-Myers - Emergency Preparedness and Response Office, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Morgantown, WV, USA
Christopher Iverson - National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Douglas Trout - National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Safety and health at work, Vol.13(4), pp.507-511
Publisher: Elsevier B.V
DOI: 10.1016/j.shaw.2022.08.003
PMID: 36579004
PMCID: PMC9772466
ISSN: 2093-7911
eISSN: 2093-7997
Language: English
Date published: 12/01/2022
Academic Unit: Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine; Occupational and Environmental Health; Internal Medicine
Record Identifier: 9984647058802771

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