In early May of 2013, two chemical spills occurred within high schools in Atlantic county. These incidents, occurring within a week of each other, highlighted the need to strengthen statewide syndromic surveillance of illnesses caused by such exposures. In response to these spills, a new 'chemical exposure' classifier was created in EpiCenter, New JerseyÃs syndromic surveillance system, to track future events by monitoring registration chief complaint data taken from emergency department visits. The primary objective behind creation of the new classifier is to provide local epidemiologists with prompt notification once EpiCenter detects an abnormal numbers of chemical exposure cases.
Objective
To describe the development of a new chemical exposure classifier in New Jersey's syndromic surveillance system (EpiCenter).