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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Kashmira A. Date, MBBS, MPH, Epidemiology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Nebraska Health and Human Services System, 301 Centennial Mall South, Lincoln, NE 68509, 402-326-4648, kashmira.date@hhss.ne.gov

Background Nebraska implemented CDC's National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NEDSS) in January 2003. By December 2005, the system was fully functional for notifiable disease surveillance. Starting January 2006, Nebraska's neighboring state, Iowa, reported one of the largest outbreaks of mumps, following which, several cases were reported within Nebraska. Anticipating the need for rapid monitoring, Nebraska Health and Human Services (NHHSS) deployed the system to track the outbreak and guide prevention/intervention efforts.

Methods The data collection module was re-designed to collect information on case classification and risk factors, and was deployed to 20 local health departments along with online training/documentation for prompt data entry. A detailed mumps dataset was extracted from the reporting database using SAS. Summary data were updated every 15 minutes for a real time estimate. The information was presented in the form of reports/charts/maps on the NHHSS website. The system also received electronic laboratory reports further facilitating surveillance.

Results & Discussion From 01Jan2006–03July2006, the surveillance system captured 360 mumps cases (92 cases met the confirmed case definition). Cases were detected in 47 of 92 counties with most cases reported in the 18–24 years age group.

Conclusion Our experience of deploying the system on an ad-hoc basis to monitor this outbreak was efficient in assisting health departments track the outbreak on an almost real time basis. It helped identify priority populations for guiding prevention/control efforts. Several challenges faced during this experience will enhance our ability to use the system on a more competent basis in future situations.

Learning Objectives: