Travel and tourism pose global health security risks via the introduction and spread of disease, as demonstrated by the H1N1 pandemic (2009), Chikungunya (2013), and recent Zika virus outbreak. In 2016, nearly 60 million persons visited the Caribbean. Historically no regional surveillance systems for illnesses in visitor populations existed. The Tourism and Health Information System (THiS), designed by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) from 2016-2017, is a new web-based application for syndromic surveillance in Caribbean accommodation settings, with real-time data analytics and aberration detection built in. Once an accommodation registers as part of the surveillance system, guests and staff can report their illness to front desk administration who then complete an online case questionnaire. Alternatively guests and staff from both registered and unregistered accommodations can self-report their illness using the online questionnaire in the THiS web application. Reported symptoms are applied against case definitions in real-time to generate the following syndromes: gastroenteritis, fever & respiratory symptoms, fever & haemorrhagic symptoms, fever & neurologic symptoms, undifferentiated fever, and fever & rash. Reported data is analyzed in real-time and displayed in a data analytic dashboard that is accessible to hotel/guest house management and surveillance officers at the Ministry of Health. Data analytics include syndrome trends over time, gender and age breakdown, and illness attack rates.
Objective:
The new Tourism and Health Information System (THiS) was implemented for syndromic surveillance in visitor accommodations in the Caribbean region. The objective was to monitor for illnesses and potential outbreaks in visitor accommodations (hotels/guest houses) in the Caribbean in real-time using the web-based application.