Stella Tsai1, Teresa Hamby1, Alvin Chu1, Jessie A Gleason2, Gabrielle M Goodrow3, Hui Gu1, Edward Lifshitz1, Jerald A Fagliano4. 1. 1Communicable Disease Service,New Jersey Department of Health,Trenton,New Jersey. 2. 2Environmental and Occupational Health Surveillance Program,New Jersey Department of Health,Trenton,New Jersey. 3. 3Brown University,Public Health Program,Providence,Rhode Island. 4. 4Drexel University,Environmental and Occupational Health Program,Dornsife School of Public Health,Philadelphia,Pennsylvania.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Following Hurricane Superstorm Sandy, the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) developed indicators to enhance syndromic surveillance for extreme weather events in EpiCenter, an online system that collects and analyzes real-time chief complaint emergency department (ED) data and classifies each visit by indicator or syndrome. METHODS: These severe weather indicators were finalized by using 2 steps: (1) key word inclusion by review of chief complaints from cases where diagnostic codes met selection criteria and (2) key word exclusion by evaluating cases with key words of interest that lacked selected diagnostic codes. RESULTS: Graphs compared 1-month, 3-month, and 1-year periods of 8 Hurricane Sandy-related severe weather event indicators against the same period in the following year. Spikes in overall ED visits were observed immediately after the hurricane for carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, the 3 disrupted outpatient medical care indicators, asthma, and methadone-related substance use. Zip code level scan statistics indicated clusters of CO poisoning and increased medicine refill needs during the 2 weeks after Hurricane Sandy. CO poisoning clusters were identified in areas with power outages of 4 days or longer. CONCLUSIONS: This endeavor gave the NJDOH a clearer picture of the effects of Hurricane Sandy and yielded valuable state preparation information to monitor the effects of future severe weather events. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:463-471).
OBJECTIVE: Following Hurricane Superstorm Sandy, the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) developed indicators to enhance syndromic surveillance for extreme weather events in EpiCenter, an online system that collects and analyzes real-time chief complaint emergency department (ED) data and classifies each visit by indicator or syndrome. METHODS: These severe weather indicators were finalized by using 2 steps: (1) key word inclusion by review of chief complaints from cases where diagnostic codes met selection criteria and (2) key word exclusion by evaluating cases with key words of interest that lacked selected diagnostic codes. RESULTS: Graphs compared 1-month, 3-month, and 1-year periods of 8 Hurricane Sandy-related severe weather event indicators against the same period in the following year. Spikes in overall ED visits were observed immediately after the hurricane for carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, the 3 disrupted outpatient medical care indicators, asthma, and methadone-related substance use. Zip code level scan statistics indicated clusters of COpoisoning and increased medicine refill needs during the 2 weeks after Hurricane Sandy. COpoisoning clusters were identified in areas with power outages of 4 days or longer. CONCLUSIONS: This endeavor gave the NJDOH a clearer picture of the effects of Hurricane Sandy and yielded valuable state preparation information to monitor the effects of future severe weather events. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:463-471).
Entities:
Keywords:
carbon monoxide poisoning; disrupted outpatient medical care; hurricane; severe weather; syndromic surveillance
Authors: Ramona Lall; Jasmine Abdelnabi; Stephanie Ngai; Hilary B Parton; Kelly Saunders; Jessica Sell; Amanda Wahnich; Don Weiss; Robert W Mathes Journal: Public Health Rep Date: 2017 Jul/Aug Impact factor: 2.792
Authors: Elizabeth G Marshall; Shou-En Lu; Abimbola O Williams; Daniel Lefkowitz; Marija Borjan Journal: Public Health Rep Date: 2018-04-13 Impact factor: 2.792
Authors: Kristen N Cowan; Audrey F Pennington; Kanta Sircar; W Dana Flanders Journal: Disaster Med Public Health Prep Date: 2021-06-21 Impact factor: 1.385
Authors: Mary Fox; Christopher Zuidema; Bridget Bauman; Thomas Burke; Mary Sheehan Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2019-09-04 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Helen E Hughes; Obaghe Edeghere; Sarah J O'Brien; Roberto Vivancos; Alex J Elliot Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2020-12-09 Impact factor: 3.295