National Capacity for Surveillance, Prevention, and Control of West Nile Virus and Other Arbovirus Infections - United States, 2004 and 2012

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: James L. Hadler, Yale University; Dhara Patel, Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists; Kristy Bradley, Oklahoma Department of Health; James M Hughes, Emory University; Carina Blackmore, Florida Department of Health; Paul Etkind, National Association of City and County Health Officials; Lilly Kan, National Association of City and County Health Officials; Jane Getchell, Association of Public Health Laboratories; James Blumenstock, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials; Jeffrey Engel, Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists
• Language: English
• Date: 2014-04-04
• Publisher: CENTER DISEASE CONTROL & PREVENTION
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: All material in the MMWR Series is in the public domain and may be used and reprinted without permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated.
• Final Published Version (URL): https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6313a2.htm
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report
• ISSN: 0149-2195
• Volume: 63
• Issue: 13
• Start Page: 281
• End Page: 284
• Keywords: Science & Technology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health; Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery

Abstract

In the first 5 years after its introduction in the United States in 1999, West Nile virus (WNV) spread to the 48 contiguous states, resulting in 667 reported deaths. To establish detection and response capacity, WNV surveillance and prevention was supported through CDC Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) cooperative agreements with all 50 states and six large cities/counties. In 2005, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) conducted an assessment of ELC recipients and determined that, since 1999, all had developed WNV surveillance and control programs, resulting in a national arboviral surveillance infrastructure. From 2004 to 2012, ELC funding for WNV surveillance decreased by 61%. In 2012, the United States had its most severe WNV season since 2003, prompting a follow-up assessment of the capacity of ELC-supported WNV programs. Since the first assessment, 22% of jurisdictions had stopped conducting active human surveillance, 13% had stopped mosquito surveillance, 70% had reduced mosquito trapping and testing, and 64% had eliminated avian mortality surveillance. Reduction in early detection capacity compromises local and national ability to rapidly detect changes in WNV and other arboviral activity and to initiate prevention measures. Each jurisdiction is encouraged to review its current surveillance systems in light of the local threat of WNV and emerging arboviruses (e.g., dengue and chikungunya) and ensure it is able to rapidly detect and respond to critical changes in arbovirus activity.