Event Detection in a Vulnerable Population

The City of Atlanta, volunteer organizations, and the faith community operate several homeless shelters throughout the city. Services available at these shelters vary, ranging from day services, such as meals, mail collection, and medical clinics, to overnight shelter accommodations. In addition to the medical clinics available at these facilities, the Atlanta homeless population also utilizes emergency departments in Fulton County for their health care needs.

Objective

This paper describes a cluster of Streptococcus pneumoniae infections identified through emergency department syndromic surveillance.