Abstract
An epidemiologic perspective on Ebola
Varsha Vakil, MPH
Houston Health Department, Houston, TX
APHA 2016 Annual Meeting & Expo (Oct. 29 - Nov. 2, 2016)
This introductory presentation will give a brief overview of the public health scenario during a contagious disease epidemic. The Houston Health Department (HHD) epidemiologists were first in line to make a direct contact in Houston with the West African travelers from Ebola affected areas. The epidemiologists triaged all travelers, gauged the worst case scenarios and stayed prepared for any adverse event.
The HHD epidemiologists monitored a total of 186 travelers, 24/7 by phone or in person. Additionally, they engaged in public health outreach activities of meeting with local West African groups and providing educational materials. The HHD epidemiologists crossed silos to coordinate with Public Health Preparedness (PHP) planning partners to develop contingency plans for wrap-around services for travelers and preparation for the possibility of a local case.
A collaborative effort was designed with local hospitals, ambulatory services and local emergency phone services to address any Ebola related issues. While public health practice contemplates integration of various silos for a unified goal it also compels the need for an innovative framework to meet unknown challenges of emerging infectious diseases.
Chronic disease management and prevention Communication and informatics Epidemiology Protection of the public in relation to communicable diseases including prevention or control Public health or related education Public health or related research
Abstract
Prospects for discovery of high affinity native human monoclonal antibodies with strain-independent binding for emerging viruses
Lawrence Kauvar, PhD
Trellis Bioscience, Menlo Park, CA
APHA 2016 Annual Meeting & Expo (Oct. 29 - Nov. 2, 2016)
As humans encroach further into habitats harboring diverse animals, the potential for zoonotic viruses to adapt to infecting humans is increasing. Estimates of the potential threat comprises at least 320,000 viruses, far too many for preventive vaccines to be feasible as the primary containment strategy. Fortunately, the human immune repertoire is capable of producing tens of billions of different antibodies. Accordingly, even for viruses with high lethality, at least some of the infected survivors generate a neutralizing antibody. New technologies enable cloning those rare, optimal antibodies. The properties of the human immune repertoire, and a proven effective technology for discovery of native human antibodies will be presented using specific anti-viral case studies. The challenges will be described for industrialization of such technology to generate a medical countermeasure rapidly enough to contain an emerging epidemic. A case study highlighting those obstacles will focus on efforts to clone a non-human primate antibody with comprehensive binding to the full spectrum of Ebola strains (Zaire, Sudan, Marburg).
Basic medical science applied in public health Chronic disease management and prevention Epidemiology Public health biology Public health or related education
Abstract
Syndromic surveillance: A cross-cutting edge to obtain a quick glimpse of infectious disease activity in a large US city
Raouf Arafat, MD, MPH
Houston Health Department, Houston, TX
APHA 2016 Annual Meeting & Expo (Oct. 29 - Nov. 2, 2016)
Syndromic surveillance is a public health tool that sacrifices precision for speed. When dealing with emerging infectious diseases that are outside the purview of general epidemiology, quickly having actionable information is critical. For a disease like Ebola, waiting on lab tests to confirm the presence of the virus will cost lives. Therefore, it is imperative to rely on tools that can provide near real-time information to a local health department about the presence of viral hemorrhagic fever based on symptoms alone. This will lead to a high type I error rate, but such mistakes are more tolerable than a late diagnosis.
In this panel, I will present on the Houston Health Department’s response to the Ebola crises, especially through our syndromic surveillance system. I will present some of the syndromic surveillance data we saw during the Ebola crisis and how that information was used to change policy and procedures. I will discuss the successes, the limitations, and the lessons learned. In addition, I will argue that strategic planning for addressing emerging infectious diseases can have ancillary benefits to other types of surveillance, such as chronic disease or opioid overdose.
Communication and informatics Epidemiology Public health or related public policy
Abstract
Need for Rapid Diagnostics in Developing Health Resiliency in Outbreak Response
Alan Rudolph, PhD, MBA
Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
APHA 2016 Annual Meeting & Expo (Oct. 29 - Nov. 2, 2016)
We are experiencing increasing outbreaks and epidemics associated with microbial diseases, bacteria and viruses affecting animals, people, food and the environment. Responding to outbreaks from these diseases are costly; the World Health Organization estimated the cost of last year's Ebola epidemic to be $32 billion. These disease outbreaks move quickly across large geographic regions partially because of the rapid transit of material and commerce across state, national and international borders.
Increasing disease outbreaks create opportunities to address how we can establish more resiliency and agility in our public health response. An integrated systems approach to response that crosses government and industry and includes community-based systems and inputs is a critical need. New decision-enabling and information-sharing systems that allow for a more coordinated surveillance and response have been piloted and demonstrate these systems can provide earlier warning to mitigate consequences of new outbreaks. These systems consist of rapid field based diagnostics, data integration leading to earlier warning of health issues and agile production of medical countermeasures. Social media and open sources of information (such as consumer behaviors) are proving in recent outbreaks to contribute to effective data feeds for decision makers. The rapid identification of the presence of new contagions create opportunities to more rapidly develop countermeasures in response including vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, barrier protections and policies and practices to reduce environmental and public health consequences.
Communication and informatics Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs Protection of the public in relation to communicable diseases including prevention or control Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines Social and behavioral sciences