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Friday, July 16, 2004 |
This
Week in the News |
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"The reason for collecting, analyzing and disseminating information on a
disease is to control that disease. Collection and analysis should not be
allowed to consume resources if action does not follow."
Foege, WH.,
et al., |
►Comparison of
the Syndromic Tracking and Reporting System and the Florida Influenza
Sentinel Physician Surveillance Network in the Reporting of Respiratory
Illnesses in Pinellas County |
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►Government
Announces New Safeguards Against BSE In a joint announcement, the federal HHS and Agriculture secretaries described three specific actions which will strengthen existing safeguards that protect the public against bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease. |
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►Laboratories
Receive Reference Guides |
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Epi Update Managing Staff: |
►July
Grand Rounds Explores Increasing Varicella Outbreaks Many new cases this year in public schools prompted this look into the status of varicella as a reportable disease. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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John Agwunobi, MD, MBA, MPH, Secretary, Department of Health |
►Bureau
Fills Administrator Position The bureau's Surveillance and Reporting Section has a new administrator, and if her name sounds familiar, it may be because she worked with you in her former position as an EIS Fellow. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Landis Crockett,
MD, MPH, Director, Division of Disease Control |
►This
Week on EpiCom If you haven't logged on recently, you may be missing important information you could use. This week, a health department is offering excess IG vaccines, and almonds are again on the recall list. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Don Ward, Acting Bureau Chief, Epi Update Managing Editor |
►Mosquito-borne
Disease Update A report outlining activities for the week July 4 - 10, 2004 for confirmed cases. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Jaime Forth, Copy Editor / Writer |
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A R T I C L E S |
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| Suzanne DeKay, MSPH, Epidemiologist, Office of Public Health Preparedness, Pinellas County CHD |
Comparison of the
Syndromic Tracking and Reporting System and the Florida Influenza
Sentinel Physician Surveillance Network in the Reporting of Respiratory
Illnesses in Pinellas County Each year, influenza and pneumonia cause significant morbidity and mortality in the state of Florida, with over 3, 200 deaths reported in 2002. Certain people are at increased risk for serious complications from influenza. This group includes people age 65 years and older and people of any age with chronic medical conditions. Pregnant women and children between 6 and 23 months of age are also at increased risk from influenza complications. Influenza is important to track because of the rapidity with which epidemics evolve, the widespread morbidity and the seriousness of complications. There are two systems in place in Pinellas County that monitor influenza and other respiratory illnesses and the systems were compared to determine whether they report the same outcome. If so, one system could be used to verify the results of the other, strengthening the validity of each system. The data for the period October 2003 through January 2004 were compiled for each system and compared using Epi Info 6 to determine whether the proportion of respiratory cases reported by each system was statistically significantly similar. The Syndromic Tracking and Reporting System (STARS) data were retrieved from the worksheets used for the monthly QA reports and the Florida Influenza Sentinel Physician Surveillance Network (FISPSN) data were received from the coordinator of the program, who keeps a record of the information received via email each week. Statistical analysis revealed that the percentage of respiratory cases reported by each system was statistically significantly different for three out of the four months, with the percentage statistically significantly similar in January. It is important to maintain both surveillance systems because the information collected from each can be valuable for public health decision making. The STARS data are reviewed daily while the FISPSN data are reviewed weekly. Any increased in cases may be more quickly identified using the STARS data, while the accuracy of the FISPSN data may make it a more reliable tool for public action. The opportunity in
Pinellas County to conduct respiratory illness surveillance using two
separate systems may be unique. This study shows that neither system can
replace the other and that both contribute in different ways to generate
an overall picture of the health of the county’s residents and visitors. |
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Jaime Forth, Copy Editor
/ Writer, Bureau of Epidemiology
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Government Announces
New Safeguards Against BSE In a joint press conference last week, Housing and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson and Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman outlined three new measures the federal government intends to implement to strengthen existing safeguards that protect consumers of U.S.-raised beef against BSE, or mad cow disease.
The three actions are: 2. A recordkeeping rule which requires manufacturers and processors of human food, dietary supplements and cosmetics that are manufactured from, processed with, or contain material from cattle to keep records of the actions. Comments on this rule will be accepted for 30 days. Go to http://www.fda/gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/04n-0257-npr0001.pdf to comment. 3. A rule proposing advance notice requesting comments or scientific information on additional measures to help prevent the spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. The site for comments is http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/2004/NEW01084.html.
To view the complete press release on these
measures, go to the FDA Website at
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/2004/NEW01084.html. |
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| Melanie Black, MSW, Professional Training Coordinator, Bureau of Epidemiology |
Laboratories Receive
Reference Guides
The 2004
Bioterrorism Agents and Diseases State of Florida Lab Reference Guide
was developed by the Bureau of Epidemiology in conjunction with the
Bureau of Laboratories and the Florida Infectious Disease Institute at
the University of Florida to assist health care professionals with
concise information on specimen collection, labeling samples, transport
and storage of specimens to the laboratory, sentinel (level A)
laboratory tests, confirmation testing and shipping requirements. To
date, the guide has been shipped to over 600 health care facilities
around the state. If you would like
to receive a copy of the guide or additional copies for your facility,
please email your request to
Melanie_Black@doh.state.fl.us |
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| Joann Schulte, DO, MPH, Medical Epidemiologist, Bureau of Epidemiology |
July Grand Rounds
Explores Increasing Varicella Outbreaks
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| Jaime Forth, Copy Editor / Writer, Bureau of Epidemiology |
Bureau
Fills Administrator Position The responsibility for programmatic aspects of the Merlin surveillance and reporting system was conferred upon Carmela Mancini, MPH, who assumed the position earlier this month. As administrator of the Surveillance and Reporting Section, Carmela will oversee the planning, management and evaluation of programs for surveillance of communicable diseases in Florida. She'll also provide short and long term program and project planning for the section. Report timeliness, quality control and analytical evaluations of epidemiologic trends in Florida's surveillance data are other areas Carmela will oversee.
Carmela, who previously
lived in Tallahassee as an undergraduate student while earning her
Bachelor of Science degree (magna cum laude) in biology from Florida
State University, has a Masters degree in public health, epidemiology
from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. Her thesis
was entitled The association between binge drinking and delivering an
infant small for gestational age. |
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| Pete Garner, Surveillance Systems Manager, Bureau of Epidemiology |
The Bureau of Epidemiology encourages Epi
Update readers to not only register on the EpiCom system at https://www.epicomfl.net
but to
browse EpiCom frequently and contribute public health observations
related to any suspicious or unusual occurrences or circumstances, as
appropriate. EpiCom is the primary method of communication between the
Bureau of Epidemiology and other state medical agencies during emergency
situations. |
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| Arbovirus Surveillance Team: Samantha Rivers, MS, Caroline Collins, Kristen Payne, Calvin DeSouza, and Carina Blackmore, MS Vet. Med., PhD., State Public Health Veterinarian |
Mosquito-Borne
Disease Update Miami-Dade County was placed under medical alert. A resident of Miami-Dade County was confirmed with West Nile illness this week. Due to the locally-acquired human case as well as increased dead bird reporting, Miami-Dade County is the first Florida County to be placed under medical alert for mosquito-borne disease. Mosquito populations are increasing in many areas of the state. People are urged to take precautions against mosquito bites. West Nile (WN) Virus activity: There were four seroconversions to WN virus in sentinel chickens from Hillsborough County (6/08, 6/15 x3). So far this year, 21 counties have reported WN activity. St. Louis Encephalitis (SLE) Virus activity: None this week. Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis (EEE) Virus activity: There were four seroconversions to EEE virus in sentinel chickens from Flagler (6/28 x2) and Orange (6/28 x2) counties. In addition, a non-vaccinated Marion County horse with onset of 6/28 was reported with EEE infection this week. So far this year, 19 counties have reported EEE activity. Highlands J (HJ) Virus activity: There were eight seroconversions to HJ virus in sentinel chickens from Flagler (6/21), Hillsborough (6/08, 6/15, 6/22), Marion (6/10), Nassau (6/07) and Orange (6/07 x2) counties. To date, eight counties have reported HJ activity.
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