Many syndromic surveillance systems have been developed and are operational, yet lack concise guidelines for investigating and conducting followups on daily alarms. Daily emergency department visits from six reporting hospitals in the Duval County area are assessed and classified into a BioDefend (BD) system entry by triage personnel. Alarms are categorized into alerts, 3 SD above a 30 day rolling mean, or warnings, 2-3 SD above the mean. Signals are monitored and in response, public health investigations and recommended interventions are initiated.
Objective
To evaluate the protocol that the Duval County Health Department (DCHD) epidemiology staff uses to respond to BD syndromic surveillance system alarms. The response protocol utilizes all signals detected by BD and its secondary resources, within the DCHD jurisdiction.