Rabies is caused by a virus spread to people from the saliva and neural tissue of infected animals. The most common mode of transmission is through the bite of a rabid animal; however, rabies can be transmitted through non-bite exposures (e.g., transplant of organs or tissue, contamination of mucous membranes with saliva or neural tissue from an infected animal). Rabies has been recognized throughout history due to its neurotropic nature and because it is nearly 100% fatal following symptom onset.
Success Stories
Description
Since October 2004, the Indiana State Health Department and the Marion County Health Department have been developing and using a syndromic surveillance system based on emergency department admission data. The system currently receives standards-based HL7 emergency department visit data, including free-text chief complaints from 72 hospitals throughout the state. Fourteen of these hospitals are in Marion County, which serves the Indianapolis metropolitan region (population 865,000).
Objective
This paper describes how a syndromic surveillance system based on emergency department data may be leveraged for other public health uses.
Referenced File
Description
Currently, Indiana monitors emergency department patient chief complaint data from 73 geographically dispersed hospitals. These data are analyzed using the Electronic Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community-based Epidemics application.
While researchers continue to improve syndromic detection methods, there is significant interest among public health practitioners regarding how to most effectively use the currently available tools. The Public Health Emergency Surveillance System (PHESS) staff have developed and refined a daily syndromic alert analysis and response process based on experiences gained since November 2004.
Objective
This paper describes how the Indiana State Department of Health PHESS staff responded to a syndromic surveillance alert related to a bioterrorism preparedness event.
Referenced File
Description
On Monday, August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast. Outside of the affected areas of TX, LA, MS, and AL, GA received the largest number of these evacuees, approximately 125,000. By August 30, 2005, GA began receiving a total of approximately 1,300 NDMS patients from flights arriving at Dobbins Air Force Base. Within days, Georgia established 13 shelters for evacuees. Crowded shelters can increase the risk for communicable diseases. In addition, many evacuees left behind needed medications, thus increasing the risk for chronic disease exacerbations.
Objective
To assess public health needs among sheltered evacuees, the GA Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health recommended daily surveillance.
Referenced File
Presented March 22, 2018.
Are you facing one of the barriers to writing a story about your surveillance data in action listed below?
Barriers:
- I don't know what a success story is.
- I’m not sure if I have a story to share.
- I have a story, but I don't know how to share it with the community
- I don't have time to document my story
Have you been asked to write a “success story” but you don’t know where to start? Are you not sure what counts as a success?
Description
Syndromic surveillance uses near-real-time emergency department and other health care data for enhancing public health situational awareness and informing public health activities. In recent years, continued progress has been made in developing and strengthening syndromic surveillance activities. At the national level, syndromic surveillance activities are facilitated by the National Syndromic Surveillance Program (NSSP), a collaboration among state and local health departments, the CDC, other federal organizations, and other organizations that enabled collection of syndromic surveillance data in a timely manner, application of advanced data monitoring and analysis techniques, and sharing of best practices. This panel will highlight the importance of success stories. Examples of successes from state and local health departments will be presented and the audience will be encouraged to provide feedback.
Objective:
This panel will:
- Discuss the importance of identifying and developing success stories
- Highlight successes from state and local health departments to show how syndromic surveillance activities enhance situational awareness and address public health concerns
- Encourage discussion on how to further efforts for developing and disseminating success stories.
Emergency medicine is a recognized specialty in the United Kingdom (UK), with formal training and accreditation conducted and governed by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. Health care in the UK is publicly funded and provided by the National Health Service (NHS) through a residence-based (rather than insurance-based) system. Emergency care within emergency departments (EDs) is currently provided free at the point of delivery for everyone, including non-UK residents.
Fifteen years have passed since the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 called for the establishment of nationwide surveillance and reporting mechanisms to detect bioterrorism-related events. In the 1990s, several health departments established surveillance systems to detect prediagnostic (ie, before diagnoses are confirmed) signs and symptoms for the early identification of disease occurrences.