In the fall of 2001, the Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response (BT P&R) Unit initiated a syndromic surveillance system utilizing chief complaint data collected from Emergency Departments throughout Los Angeles County (LAC). Chief complaint data were organized into four syndromes (gastrointestinal, neurological, rash and respiratory) based on key words/phrases that appear in the patient’s record. Syndrome data are analyzed daily; counts for each syndrome are calculated and compared to a threshold to determine if a “signal” or aberration has occurred (EARS algorithm). A signal is defined as a case count elevated above threshold for a particular syndrome at an individual hospital.
Objective
To describe the methods used by LAC, Department of Health Services, BT P&R Unit in determining the response to unusual disease/syndromic activity in LAC hospitals.