Surveillance in 2004
Michelle Korth, MSPH
Office of Epidemiology
Utah Department of Health
February 2004
Surveillance Activities
• Dead bird surveillance May 15 – October 15
– Corvids and raptors
– Oral swab
– Activity established – cease testing @ UDOH lab
• Mosquito trapping May 31 – September 20
– Culex pipiens, Culex tarsalis (target species)
– WNV, SLE, WEE
Surveillance Activities
• Sentinel chicken testing June 7 – September 20
– WNV, SLE, WEE
• Equine surveillance: year-round
– Veterinarian reporting of illness
– Testing available at Utah Veterinary Diagnostic
Lab
Surveillance Activities
• Passive human surveillance: year-round
– Physician/laboratory reports
• Testing available at UDOH lab and other
commercial labs
• All syndromes – fever, meningitis, encephalitis, and
acute flaccid paralysis
– Syndromic surveillance – RODS
Surveillance Activities
• Active human surveillance June - October
– Laboratory evaluation of CNS illness (LPs
ordered)
– Weekly contact of hospitals through LHDs
– Pregnancy risk study
– Blood donor screening
– Pediatric study
– Organ transplant
Surveillance results
• How results are communicated:
– Positive tests reported from testing lab to state agencies
– State agencies report to local health districts
• How are results available?
– Through local health department
– UDOH West Nile virus website
• www.health.utah.gov/wnv
• Updated Fridays at beginning of transmission season
Surveillance results
• UDOH WNV website content
– Surveillance tables/graphs
• Map of all cases
• Species-specific map of numerator and denominator data
(equine, bird, chicken, mosquito)
• Table of all WNV activity by county
• Graph of human data by MMWR week
• Table of human morbidity by syndrome and county
– Dead bird call-in form
– FAQ sheet
– Background info
– Risk level evaluated on weekly basis and messages
prepared & distributed accordingly
Education
• Education of health care providers and
veterinarians is critical
– To recognize signs and symptoms
– To institute diagnostic testing
– To send appropriate diagnostic samples
– To remember to consider other causes of
similarly presenting illnesses
• Other public health and animal health concerns are
out there!
Education
• Public education is critical
– State-wide information hotline
– Messages
• Personal protection and prevention
• The risk for serious harm from WNV is low, but
mosquito prevention can reduce that risk
• Fight the Bite campaign
Evaluation Activities
• Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
(BRFSS) survey
– Evaluate 2003 “Fight the Bite” campaign
• January – March 2004
• Revise 2004 campaign
– Evaluate 2004
• October – December 2004
– 1,250 surveys administered/evaluation
Questions?