Early Warning Infectious Disease Surveillance: Cross Border Surveillance with Canada and Mexico

In 2003 the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) designated $5 million per year to be allocated to the northern and southern states bordering Canada and Mexico for the Early Warning Infectious Disease Surveillance System. The existing Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response Cooperative Agreement is the funding mechanism for the nineteen states that have chosen to participate. The states could choose to participate in proposed activities, which are focused on expanding laboratory and epidemiology capacity. However, states decided to expand beyond laboratory and epidemiology issues to include working on cross border memorandum of understandings (MOU), Pandemic Flu tabletop exercises, expanding the Health Alert Net work (HAN) into Canada and cross training in laboratory procedures. The southern border states, who have had the opportunity to work with Mexico for several years through another funding source, are currently working on cross border protocols for outbreaks. There are many issues surrounding working with countries on our borders including stockpiling prophalaxis, quarantine and movement of documented workers in the event of a pandemic. The presentation will explore these issues and current activity progress.