Alabama public health officials are standing down, as they have determined that the cluster of respiratory illness was normally occurring and there is no longer a need for enhanced surveillance. For more information, please see their Press Release
Download PDF (JEMS, May MCI Issue, 2013) To monitor health-related threats, New Orleans turned to the FirstWatch Realtime Situational Awareness System, which is used by systems throughout the world. The sophisticated system tracks information entered into computer-aided dispatch (CAD) systems in real-time, and immediately sends an alert via email or text message to designated public health and safety officials if it detects certain symptoms or trends of concern.
Download PDF Alabama public health officials are investigating a cluster of severe respiratory infections with an unknown cause around the Dothan area. Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) said in a press release yesterday that seven people were hospitalized with similar symptoms of cough, fever and shortness of breath. There has been no evidence that the cases traveled to either China or the Middle East where H7N9 influenza virus or the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) are...
Download PDF There are no cases of either in the U.S. or even North America. Both viruses have high case fatality rates; currently 25% for H7N9 and 55% for nCoV.There are currently too many unknowns surrounding these viruses, so keeping a careful watch for updates is prudent. It is also be a good time for agencies and individuals to assure that their Pandemic Flu Plans are updated and ready for use should the need ever arise.
Download PDF The GlobalTimes reported today that China has downgraded the response to H7N9. There continues to be no evidence of human-to-human transmission. Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome – Coronavirus has now unofficially entered an eighth country with news coming from the Kuwait News Agency of potential victims in Tunisia. To date there have been no reports of either of these viruses in the US, and the risk of human to human exposure is very low. However, EMS...
Download PDF There continue to be more cases of people with diagnosed H7N9 infection in multiple Provinces of China clustered in the same region. One additional case has been reported in Taiwan. As of April 24, the WHO reported 108 confirmed cases and 22 deaths with a case fatality rate of 20%.
Download PDF Chinese health & government authorities continue to update WHO (World Health Organization), with other public health authorities and agencies, such as the CDC andECDC, participating in the investigation of the virus, including known and potential animal hosts. Although there are limited human cases infected with this virus (as of April 7, there have been 21 cases with six deaths; three more cases are listed as mild while twelve others are considered severe).
Download PDF Reports of influenza activity in the United States continued to decline in diagnosed influenza throughout the U.S, although levels are still elevated.Influenza-like illness levels improved again with 6 of 10 regions at or above expected baseline levels (previously 7 of 10 regions were). Deaths related to flu remained above the epidemic threshold.
Download PDF The CDC has been monitoring the development of a new strain of Coronavirus that has been seen in just a few cases on the Arabian Peninsula and in the United Kingdom.
Download PDF Reports of influenza activity in the U.S. continued to decline in both diagnosed influenza and influenza-like illness, although levels are still elevated. Even fewer states reported “widespread” flu activity (9) than last week (22). Puerto Rico plus 28 states reported “regional” activity, and Wash., D.C., plus 13 states had “local” activity reported.
Download PDF (Best Practices in Emergency Services, February 2013)FirstWatch was on-hand at the Republican and Democratic National Conventions to monitor health-related threats and keep attendees safe.
Download PDF According to the CDC, at the end of Week 8 (2/23/13), reports of influenza activity in the United States continued to decline in both diagnosed influenza and influenza-like-illness throughout the U.S. Even fewer states reported "widespread" flu activity (12) than last week (22). There were increases in "regional" and "local" activity reported with 28 states plus Puerto Rico and Wash., D.C. plus 7 states, respectively. Three (3) states reported "sporadic". Influenza-like illness levels improved again with 8 of...
Download PDF (San Diego Business Journal, Volume 34, Number 7) The San Diego Business Journal features FirstWatch for Innovation in Technology: Safety, Fire, Disease Among Uses for Incident Tracking.
Download PDF According to the CDC, at the end of Week 7 (2/16/13), reports of influenza activity in the United States continued to be elevated although there were continued declines in both diagnosed influenza and influenza-like-illness throughout the U.S. Even fewer states reported "widespread" flu activity (22) than last week (31). There were increases in "regional" and "local" activity reported with 21 states plus Puerto Rico and Wash., D.C. plus 6 states, respectively. One state reported "sporadic". Influenza-like illness...
Download PDF According to the CDC, at the end of Week 6 (2/9/13), reports of influenza activity in the United States continued to be elevated although there were continued declines in both diagnosed influenza and influenza-like-illness throughout the U.S. Even fewer states reported "widespread" flu activity (31) than last week. There were increases in "regional" and "local" activity reported with 14 states plus Puerto Rico and Wash., D.C. and 4 states, respectively. One state and Guam reported "sporadic". Influenza-like illness continued...
Download PDF According to the CDC, at the end of Week 5 (2/2/13), reports of influenza activity in the United States continued to be elevated although continued declines in diagnosed influenza and influenza-like-illness throughout the U.S. were noted. Less states reported "widespread" activity (38); nine reported "regional" activity. Two states, and Wash., D.C. and Puerto Rico reported only “local” activity and one with "sporadic". Influenza-like illness continued above the expected average in all regions and deaths related to flu remained...
The Democratic and Republican National Conventions are two of the United States’ most important and highest stakes gatherings. As thousands of elected officials, delegates, and media representatives descended on the respective host cities, public health and safety officials from the local, state, and federal levels worked with FirstWatch to prepare for threats—manmade or natural—that could disrupt the events.
Download PDF According to the CDC, at the end of Week 3 (1/19/13), reports of influenza activity in the United States continued to be above epidemic levels although some areas of the US reported less flu. One less state is reporting "widespread" activity (47) and two are reporting "regional" activity. One state and Wash., D.C. reported only “local” activity. No state reported limited or no activity. There was less flu noted in the Southeast, Northeast, South, and Midwest but...
With huge crowds expected to descend on New Orleans for Mardi Gras and Super Bowl XLVII this winter, public safety and public health officials are deploying FirstWatch to make sure they have up-to-the minute information on potential safety threats. Read the release.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSqdFqs2WYI Public Safety, Homeland Security and Public Health teams in New Orleans use FirstWatch every day for real-time situational awareness & data surveillance. FirstWatch is especially helpful during high-profile special events like the 2013 Super Bowl, Mardi Gras, Sugar Bowl or NCAA Final Four. FirstWatch analyzes 9-1-1 emergency call data (in real-time) to provide Public Safety & other authorized stakeholder groups with secure web based data views, tools & automated alerts related to trends, patterns or geographic clusters of potentially concerning...
