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Public/Population Health

Description

Public Health England (PHE) uses syndromic surveillance systems to monitor for seasonal increases in respiratory illness. Respiratory illnesses create a considerable burden on health care services and therefore identifying the timing and intensity of peaks of activity is important for public health decision-making. Furthermore, identifying the incidence of specific respiratory pathogens circulating in the community is essential for targeting public health interventions e.g. vaccination. Syndromic surveillance can provide early warning of increases, but cannot explicitly identify the pathogens responsible for such increases.

PHE uses a range of general and specific respiratory syndromic indicators in their syndromic surveillance systems, e.g. “all respiratory disease”, “influenza-like illness”, “bronchitis” and “cough”. Previous research has shown that “influenza-like illness” is associated with influenza circulating in the community1 whilst “cough” and “bronchitis” syndromic indicators in children under 5 are associated with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)2, 3. However, the relative burden of other pathogens, e.g. rhinovirus and parainfluenza is less well understood. We have sought to further understand the relationship between specific pathogens and syndromic indicators and to improve estimates of disease burden. Therefore, we modelled the association between pathogen incidence, using laboratory reports and health care presentations, using syndromic data. 

Objective

To improve understanding of the relative burden of different causative respiratory pathogens on respiratory syndromic indicators monitored using syndromic surveillance systems in England. 

Submitted by Magou on
Description

As syndromic surveillance systems continue to grow, new opportunities have arisen to utilize the data in new or alternative ways for which the system was not initially designed. For example, in many jurisdictions syndromic surveillance has recently become population-based, with 100% coverage of targeted emergency department encounters. This makes the data more valuable for real- time evaluation of public health and prevention programs. There has also been increasing pressure to make more data publicly available – to the media, academic partners, and the general public. 

Objective

This roundtable will provide a forum for national, state, and local managers of syndromic surveillance systems to discuss how they identify, monitor, and respond to changes in the nature of their data. Additionally, this session will focus on the strengths and weakness of the syndromic surveillance systems for supporting program evaluation and trend analysis. This session will also provide a forum where subject matter experts can discuss the ways in which this deep understanding of their data can be leveraged to forge and improve partnerships with academic partners. 

Submitted by Magou on
Description

Healthcare data, including emergency department (ED) and outpatient health visit data, are potentially useful to the public health community for multiple purposes, including programmatic and surveillance activities. These data are collected through several mechanisms, including administrative data sources [e.g., MarketScan claims data1; American Hospital Association (AHA) data2] andpublic health surveillance programs [e.g., the National Syndromic Surveillance Program (NSSP)3]. Administrative data typically become available months to years after healthcare encounters; however, data collected through NSSP provide near real time information not otherwise available to public health. To date, 46 state and 16 local health departments participate in NSSP, and the estimated nationalp ercentage of ED visits covered by the NSSP BioSense platform is 54%. NSSP’s new data visualization tool, ESSENCE, also includes additional types of healthcare visit (e.g., urgent care) data. Although NSSP is designed to support situational awareness and emergency response, potential expanded use of data collected through NSSP (i.e., by additional public health programs) would promote the utility, value, and long-term sustainability of NSSP and enhance surveillance at the local, state, regional, and national levels. On the other hand, studies using administrative data may help public health programs better understand how NSSP data could enhance their surveillance activities. Such studies could also inform the collection and utilizationof data reported to NSSP.

Objective

This roundtable will address how multiple data sources, including administrative and syndromic surveillance data, can enhance public health surveillance activities at the local, state, regional, and national levels. Provisional findings from three studies will be presented to promote discussion about the complementary uses, strengths and limitations, and value of these data sources to address public health priorities and surveillance strategies.

Submitted by teresa.hamby@d… on
Description

Immunization is one of the safest and most effective interventions to prevent disease and early child death. Although, about three quarters of the world’s child population is reached with the required vaccines, only half of the children in Sub-Saharan Africa get access to basic immunization. A substantial number of children worldwide do not complete immunization schedules because neither health services nor conventional communication mechanisms regularly reach their communities. Separate studies in Australia and Papua New Guinea have shown that knowledge gaps underlie low compliance with vaccination schedules. Mothers are less likely to complete immunization schedules if they are poorly Informed about the need for immunization, logistics (which includes time, date, and place of vaccination), and the appropriate series of vaccines to be followed. Although knowledge in itself is insufficient to create demand, poor knowledge about the need for vaccination and when the next vaccination is due is a good indicator of poor compliance. Up-to-date, complete, and scientifically valid information about vaccines can help parents to make informed decisions.

Immunity gap created by this low immunization coverage in Northern Nigeria favors the emergence and transmission of some vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) especially measles and polio. 

Objectives

1. To assess the knowledge, perception, and practices of mothers/ caregivers on vaccine preventable diseases in children aged 12-23 months in Kaduna State, Nigeria

2. To determine the immunization coverages in Kaduna State, Nigeria

3. To determine the sources of information on routine immunization among mothers/caregivers of children aged 12-23months in the study area 

Submitted by Magou on
Description

Coccidioidomycosis, commonly referred to as Valley Fever, is caused by the soil-borne saprophytic fungus C. immitis and posadasii. These species have historically been found in the desert southwest and Mexico; however, in 2010 there were three coccidioidomycosis cases identified in central Washington. Colonization of soils by C. immitis has been confirmed at exposure sites associated with these cases. Multiple studies have identified a relationship between environmental conditions and C. immitis growth areas, but these relationships have not been evaluated in Washington. The Washington State Department of Health has been conducting environmental surveillance in an effort to understand the geographic distribution of C. immitis in central Washington and the associated risk to humans and animals. Here we describe our environmental surveillance efforts and present preliminary findings related to environmental conditions of C. immitis growth areas in central Washington.

Objective

Our objective is to describe the environmental conditions associated with confirmed Coccidioides immitis growth and accumulation sites in south central Washington in an effort to understand the ecology and identify additional potential sites across this emerging endemic zone. 

 

 

Submitted by Magou on

This Primer, developed by the Network for Public Health Law and posted on June 5, 2017, outlines major public health concerns underlying Zika virus and discusses legal preparedness and response issues. These include legal issues related to testing and screening, surveillance and reporting, public health preparedness, mosquito abatement, liability and insurance, and maternal and child health. 

Submitted by ctong on

High rates of morbidity and mortality among Americans related to opioid use constitute a public health epidemic, leading multiple jurisdictions to declare formal states of emergency or public health emergency. Declaring a state of emergency grants states and localities additional resources to address the epidemic immediately. The Fact Sheet, developed by the Network for Public Health Law and released July 20, 2017, provides a brief summary of the emergency declarations in six states.

Submitted by ctong on

This presentation addresses the legal principles framing the collection, use, and release of health data for public health activities, including issues such as privacy, confidentiality, HIPAA, and data use agreements.

Presenter

Rachel L. Hulkower, JD, MSPH, Public Health Analyst, Public Health Law Program, in the Office for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention