FARMINGTON -- A two-year surveillance of residents to determine whether Farmington has abnormal rates of cancer, neurological illness or chronic fatigue syndrome will begin on April 1, the Davis County Health Department has announced.
The Sentinel Surveillance System will consist of voluntary reports of illnesses made by Farmington residents and periodic checks of state cancer records.Although the state bureau of epidemiology determined in February that the city does not have higher-than-expected rates of cancer or neurological illness, the health department nevertheless decided to implement the surveillance project because of the ongoing concerns of some residents.
Those concerns center on 21 cases of cancer counted by resident Deanie Stott in a 2 1/2-block area bounded by Main Street, 38 North, 255 West and 166 South. Stott, who suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome, also argued that hospital discharge data alone are not sufficient to identify all cases of neurological illness and chronic fatigue syndrome in the neighborhood.
She has speculated that chemicals used at the former Miller Floral Co. or other nurseries in the area could be responsible for her illness and those of others.
The surveillance will run through March 31, 2001. If warranted by the results, more in-depth epidemiological studies will be undertaken.
Twice a year, the bureau of epidemiology will review all Davis County cancer cases listed at the Utah Cancer Registry, which provides information on all cancer cases diagnosed in Utah.
In addition, data will be collected through a voluntary Community Surveillance Program. Individuals suffering from cancer, neurological illness or chronic fatigue syndrome are asked to report their condition to the Davis County Health Department by phone at 451-3321 or mail, at 50 E. State, Annex Building, Farmington, UT 84025.
People who know of other individuals suffering from such illnesses are also asked to report them to the Health Department.
Information the Health Department will need includes the following:
Patient's name, date of birth, address, phone number, occupation and place of employment.
Name of person reporting, date of report and their phone number.
Name of the diagnosed disease, date of first diagnosis and date of onset.
Name of health-care provider making diagnosis, phone number and address.
Patient's length of residence in Farmington.
Patient's or household's smoking history.
In coming weeks, the Health Department and the bureau of epidemiology will be educating the community regarding the surveillance through educational materials, community meetings, newsletters and other media.
At the conclusion of the surveillance, its results will be made public.