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Disease Detection

Salt Lake Valley Health Department uses syndromic surveillance to monitor influenza-like illness (ILI) activity as part of a comprehensive influenza surveillance program that includes pathogen-specific surveillance, sentinel surveillance, school absenteeism and pneumonia, and influenza mortality. During the 2009 spring and fall waves of novel H1N1 influenza, sentinel surveillance became increasingly burdensome for both community clinics and Salt Lake Valley Health Department, and an accurate, more efficient method for ILI surveillance was needed. One study found that syndromic surveillance performed, as well as a sentinel provider system in detecting an influenza outbreak and syndromic surveillance is currently used to monitor regional ILI in the United States.

 

Objective

The objective of this study is to compare the performance of syndromic surveillance with the United States Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network (ILINet), for the

detection of ILI during the fall 2009 wave of H1N1 influenza in Salt Lake County.

Referenced File
Submitted by hparton on

The use of syndromic surveillance systems by state and local health departments for the detection of bioterrorist events and emerging infections has greatly increased since 2001. While these systems have proven useful for tracking influenza and identifying large outbreaks, the value of these systems in the early detection of bioterrorism events has been under constant evaluation [3,4].

Objective

The 2001 U.S. anthrax mailings, which followed a week after the tragic events of September 11th, highlighted the nation's vulnerability to bioterrorist attacks. This event, known by its FBI code name "Amerithrax," resulted in 22 known infections and five deaths in various east coast locations, including Connecticut [1]. These cases enforced the need for an effective, federal, state, and locally-integrated biosurveillance system network that can provide early warnings to reduce casualties, as called for in U.S. Homeland Security Presidential Directive-21 (HSPD-21) and emphasized in recent CDC reports [2]. This presentation reviews several post-2001 anthrax cases and the roles played by various biosurveillance systems in their identification. Recommendations for the use of modeling and the development of regional and national coordinated surveillance systems are also discussed.

Referenced File
Submitted by elamb on

Interactive tools for visualization of disease outbreaks has been improving markedly in the past few years. With the flagships Google Flutrends1 and HealthMap2 providing prime examples. These tools provide interactive access to the general public concerning the current state-of-affairs for disease outbreaks generally and specifically for influenza. For example, while browsing HealthMap I learned of a case of tuberculosis on my campus, Iowa State University. While extremely sophisticated, these tools do not utilize modern statistical algorithms for detection or forecasting. In addition, the development cost and perhaps the maintenance cost is not trivial. We aim to build a similar visualization tool that incorporates modern algorithms for detection and forecasting but has low development and maintenance cost. Due to the low cost this tool is appropriate for quick deployment in developing countries for emerging outbreaks as well as public health agencies with declining operating budgets.

Objective

To build a zero-cost tool for disease outbreak visualization, detection, and forecasting incorporating modern tools.

Submitted by knowledge_repo… on

The interest of medication sales data in Syndromic Surveillance is well recognized. In France, where a real-time computerized surveillance system of frequent communicable diseases based on Sentinel general practitioners (SGPs) provides since 1984 a gold standard to evaluate other indicators, it has been shown that medication sales provided early alerts for influenza. Gastroenteritis surveillance relies in France on the surveillance of acute diarrhea by the SGPs in the general population, since 1991. The main objective of this study is to validate, at a national level, new indicators based on medication sales data to facilitate the detection of gastroenteritis epidemics.

 

Objective

This study examines how medication sales data can detect gastroenteritis epidemics in France.

Referenced File
Submitted by elamb on

The University of Washington has been working since 2000 with partners in Washington State to advance bioterrorism (BT) detection and preparedness. This project collects data on patients presenting with influenza-like illnesses and other potentially BT-related syndromes at emergency departments and primary care clinics (Kitsap, Clallam, and Jefferson counties) using a secure automated informatics approach. Local health jurisdiction epidemiologists use a web-based interface to view de-identified data and use a version of CDC’s EARS disease detection algorithms to watch for variances in patterns of diagnoses, volume, time and space as part of the public health real-time disease surveillance system. This processed hospital data is also made available back to the officials and administrators at the reporting hospital.

 

Objective

To understand GIS issues in a rural-tourban setting and demonstrate limitations of ZIPcode-only approaches compared to census tract and block approaches.

Referenced File
Submitted by elamb on

Although many syndromic surveillance (SS) systems have been developed and implemented, few have included response protocols to guide local health jurisdictions when alerts occur [1,2]. SS was first implemented in GA during the 2004 G-8 Summit. Six EDs in the Coastal Public Health District (PHD), 1 of 18 GA PHDs (Figure 1), conducted SS during that “national security special event.” Since that time, EDs in other PHDs have been actively recruited to participate in GA’s SS system. In GA, the PHD has the responsibility for monitoring SS data. Likewise, the PHD responds to alerts and initiates public health investigations and interventions; the state Division of Public Health (DPH) assists, if requested. To address these responsibilities, the Coastal PHD informally developed their own response practices.

Objective

To develop a template protocol to guide local response to syndromic surveillance alerts generated through analyses of emergency department (ED) visit data.

Referenced File
Submitted by elamb on

The goal of this project is to compare automated syn-dromic surveillance queries using raw chief complaints to those pre-processed with the Emergency Medical Text Processor (EMT-P) system.

Referenced File
Submitted by elamb on

The 2003/04 influenza season included a more pathogenetic organism and had an earlier onset. There were noticeably more deaths in otherwise healthy children than in previous seasons. Following this season, States were asked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to increase their surveillance efforts for influenza illness.

 

Objective 

This paper describes data that was available in Ohio for analysis and considered valuable to determine the occurrence of influenza-like illness (ILI). These data sources were studied to determine their value to ILI surveillance and to develop an improved method of establishing influenza activity levels.

Referenced File
Submitted by elamb on

BioSense is a national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiative to improve the nation's capabilities for early event detection and situational awareness. BioSense data includes Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs ambulatory care diagnoses and procedures, as well as Laboratory Corporation of America lab test orders.  The data are collected, assigned to syndromes based upon definitions developed by a multi-agency working group, analyzed using several detection algorithms, and displayed in various visualizations [2,3].  BioIntelligence Center (BIC) staff at CDC monitors BioSense national data on a daily basis and are available to support state and local public health officials’ monitoring and investigations [3]. As part of its ongoing bioterrorism surveillance, the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS) reviews the BioSense application for syndrome activity and disease alerts of potential public health importance.  In November, 2004, staff noted a Sentinel Infection Alert for Smallpox two days before the Thanksgiving holiday.  The investigation of this Sentinel Alert by NJDHSS was the first Sentinel Alert follow-up investigation by a state health department and helped state and CDC colleagues identify ways to enhance BioSense.

Objective:

This paper describes a situation in November, 2004, regarding a Sentinel Infection Alert for Smallpox that appeared in the BioSense application.

Referenced File
Submitted by elamb on

Analysis of the BioSense data facilitates the identification, tracking, and management of emergent and routine health events, including potential bioterrorism events, injury related incidents and rapidly spreading naturally occurring events (1).  BioSense enhances coordination between all levels of public health and healthcare by providing access to the same data at the same time which can ultimately produce a faster and more coordinated response.  BioSense is a network of networks rather than a stand-alone program. Analysts at the BioIntelligence center (BIC) analyze and track BioSense data activity at a national level and support state and local public health system users (2).

Objective:

BioSense is a national human health surveillance system designed to improve the nationís capabilities for disease detection, monitoring, and real-time health situational awareness.

Referenced File
Submitted by elamb on
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