Infectious Disease

Infectious disease remains costly in human and economic terms. Effective and timely disease surveillance is a critical component of prevention and mitigation strategies. The limitations of traditional disease surveillance systems have motivated new techniques based upon internet data sources such as search queries and social media. However, 4 challenges remain before internet-based disease surveillance models can be reliably integrated into an operational system: openness, breadth, transferability, and forecasting. We evaluated a new data source, Wikipedia access logs, in these 4 challenges for global disease surveillance and forecasting

Objective

To explore the use of Wikipedia as a data source for disease surveillance.

The World Health Organization (WHO) puts a great emphasis on the study of diseases related to using or consuming poor-quality water and the absence of proper hygiene. Unfortunately, consumption of poor-quality water causes certain diseases in Ukraine.

The World Health Organization (WHO) puts a great emphasis on the study of diseases related to using or consuming poor-quality water and the absence of proper hygiene. Unfortunately, consumption of poor-quality water causes certain diseases in Ukraine.

Since 2003 some Arizona counties have followed mosquito surveillance protocols to trap the West Nile Virus vector, Culex spp., using CO2 traps. Despite low sensitivity of these traps to detect Aedes spp., one out of seven CO2 traps deployed in Santa Cruz County detected Aedes aegypti in 2014. Enhancing surveillance for Aedes spp. in this region is critical, given that local transmission of dengue has occured across the border in Nogales, Sonora. Limited resources in Santa Cruz County have previously inhibited efforts to enhance mosquito surveillance . To broaden the reach of county surveillance, we implemented a community participatory project by engaging residents to conduct ovitrapping, a non-technical trap that attracts Aedes spp.

Objective

The objective of this work is to develop an efficient communitybased strategy to enhance mosquito surveillance for Aedes spp., vector for chikungunya and dengue viruses, in Santa Cruz County on the U.S.-Mexico border. We aim to determine vector presence, distribution, and seasonality by using ovitraps maintained by community members.

The National Biosurveillance Integration Center (NBIC) has the responsibility to integrate, analyze, and share the nation’s biosurveillance information provided from capabilities distributed across public and private sectors. The integration of information enables early warning and shared situational awareness of biological events to inform critical decisions directing response and recovery efforts. In addition to its interagency partners, NBIC supports the Office of Health Affairs and DHS components responsible for safeguarding U.S. ports of entry. More than 150 U.S. international airports process an estimated two billion passengers and 50 million metric tons of cargo arriving in the U.S. from more than 1,000 international airports located outside the U.S. Entry and customs screening are points where travelers from international destinations pass; a logical location for assessing health of incoming travelers in order to identify and control import of diseases of emerging diseases. NBIC examined peer-reviewed literature, region-specific disease spectrum/frequency, and air travel patterns to assess options for ports of entry health screening as well as the challenges and potential benefits for active screening programs.

Objective

NBIC analysts evaluated the options and effectiveness of airport symptom-based health screening programs available during emerging disease outbreaks occurring outside the U.S.

West Africa recently experienced the most persistent epidemic of EVD recorded in history. The reported morbidity and mortality of the highly virulent, emerging zoonotic filovirus infection is far larger than all previous epidemics combined. Its spread to Nigeria (Africa’s most populous country) and to densely populated Lagos (a city in Nigeria with approximate combined population of Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia) raised significant public health concern. The Federal Ministry of Health was notified of a suspected case of viral haemorrhagic fever on the 22nd July, 2014. A 40-year old male Liberian presented in a private health facility on account of fever, vomiting and diarrhea. On the 23rd July, the index case was confirmed to have EVD and on 25th July, he died.

Objective

To describe the socio-demographic characteristics of Ebola virus disease (EVD) patients and their contacts, magnitude of the outbreak and factors associated with outcome in patients.

Clostridium difficile (CD), a gram-negative, anaerobic, sporeforming bacterium causes symptoms ranging from mild to severe diarrhea and may result in death. Approximately 75% of CDI cases have symptom onset outside of health care settings. Annual US costs of treatment and infection containment have surpassed $4.8 billion. Risk factors for CDI include recent broad-spectrum antibiotic exposure, advanced age, severe underlying morbidities, immunocompromised status, long-term hospital stays, and residence in long-term-care facilities. Nationally, CO-CA cases have increased from 2.8/100,000 person in 1993 to 14.9/100,000 person in 2005.

Objective

Identify population-based Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) incidence stratified by Health Care Facility Onset (HCFO), Community Onset-Healthcare Facility Associated (CO-HCFA), and Community Onset-Community Associated (CO-CA) CDI in Denver County from 2011 - 2013 and describe demographic, health care facility exposure, and medication use risk factors.

Public health practitioners endeavor to expand and refine their syndromic and other advanced surveillance systems which are designed to supplement their existing laboratory testing and disease surveillance toolkit. While much of the development and widespread implementation of these systems was previously supported by public health preparedness funding, the reduction of these monies has greatly constrained the ability of public health agencies to staff and maintain these systems. The appearance of highly-pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H3N2v, and other novel influenza A viruses required agencies to carefully identify systems which provide the most cost-effective data to support their public health practice. The global emergence of influenza A (H7N9), Ebola virus strains, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and other viruses associated with high mortality, emphasize the importance of maintaining vigilance for the presence of emerging diseases.

Objective

To continue efforts in characterizing the challenges experienced by influenza surveillance coordinators and other practitioners conducting surveillance for the presence of avian influenza, novel respiratory diseases, and other globally emerging viruses in an era of limited resources among public health agencies.

Norovirus, commonly referred to as the winter vomiting disease, is the most common cause of gastroenteritis worldwide, with the total number of cases reported per year in Ontario second only to the common cold. The disease is highly infectious, requires a low infectious dose, and is well-known to cause large outbreaks in closely confined populations. While deaths are rare, hospitalization and longterm sequelae are more likely to occur in at-risk populations, such as the elderly or immunocompromised. Action to reduce the number of norovirus infections per year is required due to its health and economic burden. It is estimated that norovirus infections cost the United States 2.5 billion CAD and the United Kingdom close to 200 million CAD per year in health care costs alone. While laboratory surveillance is practiced in Ontario to detect norovirus outbreaks, early detection remains a challenge. This project aims to utilize syndromic surveillance with TeleHealth Ontario data in order to develop an early warning system mitigating the impact of norovirus outbreaks.

As part of this surveillance study for Avian Influenza both active and passive surveillance samples were tested using PCR and also utilized to validate the LAMP method. Active surveillance samples include pathological material and tracheal and cloacal swabs from ill poultry, which were subsequently assessed for avian influenza during diagnosis, and birds collected by hunters. Passive surveillance included environmental samples such as sand and bird faeces. Active surveillance samples were taken mostly from poultry farms across Ukraine, where infected birds are required to be diagnosed by State Scientific Research Institute of Laboratory Diagnostics and Veterinary Sanitary Expertise (SSRILDVSE) by Ukraine Law. Passive surveillance samples were taken primarily during the annual bird migration season. Development of simple, sensitive, and cheap methods for diagnostics of avian influenza is a very important task for practical veterinary medicine. LAMP is one of such methods. The technique is based on isothermal amplification of nucleic acids. It does not require special conditions and equipment (PCR cyclers), therefore it is cheaper in comparison with PCR. Accurate diagnosis is necessary for determining the risk associated with avian influenza in Ukraine and along the Dnipro River during the migratory season.

Objective

The performance of comparative analysis of sensitivity and results of detection of avian influenza virus by real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR-RT) and loop-mediated isothermal amplification of the nucleic acids (LAMP) was the main goal of the study.