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Disaster Surveillance Working Group (DSWG):

Coordinating Morbidity Surveillance Following a


Natural Disaster

Amy Wolkin, MSPH


Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Environmental Health

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Hurricane Katrina
Surveillance Experience

• Data reported by 12 states


• Multiple data sources
• Surveillance forms created in the field
• Data collection varied, unable to
aggregate data

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Disaster Surveillance Working Group
(DSWG)
• DSWG established following Hurricane Katrina
• Cross-organizational work group
• Goals:
• Develop standardized surveillance tools
• Collaborate with states to gain consensus and
awareness of tools
• Evaluate tools
• Provide technical resources to states

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Activities to Date

• Created multiple forms for use in a


variety of settings
• Piloted form to validate variables
• Hosted External Partners’ Meeting
• Responded to 2008 hurricanes

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Available Forms

• Natural Disaster Morbidity Report


Form
• Abbreviated Natural Disaster
Morbidity Form
• Individual Natural Disaster
Morbidity Tally Form
• Aggregate Natural Disaster
Morbidity Form
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DSWG Natural Disaster Morbidity Report
Form
• Patient-level data
• Shelter setting
• Capture clinical
presentations
• Revised version based
on pilot and feedback
from state partners

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External Partners’ Meeting
May 2008
• External Partners:
• State health departments
• CSTE
• American Red Cross
• Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT)
• Requests:
• Ready-to-use Forms
• Multiple settings (e.g., hospital, shelter)
• Multiple formats (e.g., electronic, Excel, Access, EPI Info)
• Bank of questions
• Technical Expertise

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2008 Hurricane Experience
• Hurricane Gustav
• Provided forms to all state health departments
impacted by storm or receiving evacuees
• Received daily aggregate forms from Kentucky
and Arkansas
• Hurricane Ike
• Received multiple requests for surveillance forms
from CDC Public Health Service (PHS) staff
• Surveillance data from Field Medical Stations and
deployed Applied Public Health Teams not shared
with CDC DEOC

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Lessons Learned from 2008
Hurricanes
• Existing relationships extremely helpful
in sharing of data
• Lack of clarity of US PHS deployment
role versus CDC role in response to
hurricane
• Clear need for all deployed teams to
have training and tools to conduct
surveillance
• Medical intake form common request

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Future Activities
• FY09 Budget
• Train all CDC PHS officers on DSWG Tools
• Continue to revise surveillance forms
• Visit state health departments to vet forms
• Address lessons learned during
Hurricanes Gustav and Ike
• Hold after action meeting with Texas
• Continue working with state partners
• Coordinate with US PHS and NDMS to share
surveillance data during a disaster

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Summary

• DSWG tools currently available


http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/surveillance/

• CDC subject matter experts available for


technical assistance

• DSWG Contacts:
Gary Noonan GNoonan@cdc.gov
Amy Wolkin AWolkin@cdc.gov
Rebecca Noe rhn9@cdc.gov

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Thank you

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