![[ Visit Client Website ]](images/banner.gif)
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Grand Hall/Exhibit Hall
Background
Hurricane Ike made landfall nearGalveston , Texas on September 13, 2008. To monitor the health effects of the hurricane, BioSense analysts performed enhanced surveillance in Texas and Louisiana during the time period following the evacuation of coastal Texas counties on September 11, 2008 through September 25, 2008. Nationwide, BioSense receives electronic healthcare data from 575 civilian hospitals and >1100 Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense facilities.
Methods
Emergency department chief complaint data from 7 hospitals in Houston/Galveston, 43 hospitals in Dallas, and 5 hospitals in western Louisiana were monitored for 29 disease outcomes. BioSense reported visit counts and rates and the number of facilities with statistically significant increases over baseline. The baseline period was calculated using a 28-day average ending on August 29, 2008, one day prior to mandatory evacuations of coastalLouisiana areas. Daily reports were sent to the CDC Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Results
During the reporting period, the most common reasons for visits were respiratory disease and injuries. The reports detailed eight carbon monoxide exposures in the Houston/Galveston area, a cluster of visits for shortness of breath in Houston, an increase in total visit volume in one hospital in Houston, and one motor vehicle traffic accident cluster inDallas .
Conclusions
Texas public health officials used BioSense reports to monitor for and characterize carbon monoxide poisoning visits, other injuries, and gastrointestinal illness. The data were particularly useful to those departments that were unable to access local health data systems due to power failures. In public health emergencies, surveillance for disaster-related illness and injury is essential in mounting recovery efforts. During emergencies, a national system can monitor for multi-state and trans-border problems, provide reports to the EOC using consistent methods, and provide a back-up system for state/local public health.
Hurricane Ike made landfall near
Methods
Emergency department chief complaint data from 7 hospitals in Houston/Galveston, 43 hospitals in Dallas, and 5 hospitals in western Louisiana were monitored for 29 disease outcomes. BioSense reported visit counts and rates and the number of facilities with statistically significant increases over baseline. The baseline period was calculated using a 28-day average ending on August 29, 2008, one day prior to mandatory evacuations of coastal
Results
During the reporting period, the most common reasons for visits were respiratory disease and injuries. The reports detailed eight carbon monoxide exposures in the Houston/Galveston area, a cluster of visits for shortness of breath in Houston, an increase in total visit volume in one hospital in Houston, and one motor vehicle traffic accident cluster in
Conclusions
Texas public health officials used BioSense reports to monitor for and characterize carbon monoxide poisoning visits, other injuries, and gastrointestinal illness. The data were particularly useful to those departments that were unable to access local health data systems due to power failures. In public health emergencies, surveillance for disaster-related illness and injury is essential in mounting recovery efforts. During emergencies, a national system can monitor for multi-state and trans-border problems, provide reports to the EOC using consistent methods, and provide a back-up system for state/local public health.