INTRODUCTION ILI data is collected via an Influenza Sentinel Provider Surveillance Network at the state level. Because participation is voluntary, locations of the sentinel providers may not reflect optimal geographic placement. This study analyzes two different geographic placement schemes – a maximal coverage model (MCM) and a K-median model, two locationallocation models commonly used in geo...

To determine whether environmental surveillance of West Nile Virus-positive dead birds, mosquito pools, equines, and sentinel chickens helped predict human cases in metropolitan Denver, Colorado, during 2003, we analyzed human surveillance data and environmental data. Birds successfully predicted the highest proportion of human cases, followed by mosquito pools, and equines.

BACKGROUND Norovirus (NoV) is a major cause of gastroenteritis during the autumn and winter seasons in Japan as well as in other temperate climate regions. Most outbreaks are thought to occur by secondary attacks through person-to-person infection by fecal-oral route. Severe cases are found in young children or patients with chronic diseases. Clarifying the patterns of epidemic diffusion is imp...

To explore Bangladesh's ability to detect novel influenza, we examined a series of laboratory-confirmed pandemic (H1N1) 2009 cases. During June-July 2009, event-based surveillance identified 30 case-patients (57% travelers); starting July 29, sentinel sites identified 252 case-patients (1% travelers). Surveillance facilitated response weeks before the spread of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 infection to...

During surveillance for pneumonia of unknown etiology and sentinel hospital-based surveillance in Beijing, China, we detected avian influenza A(H7N9) virus infection in 4 persons who had pneumonia, influenza-like illness, or asymptomatic infections. Samples from poultry workers, associated poultry environments, and wild birds suggest that this virus might not be present in Beijing.

introduction: several radiotracers are being used for sentinel node mapping in patients with breast cancer. in the current study, we reported our experience with 99m-tc phytate for sentinel node mapping in mashhad university of medical sciences. methods: all breast cancer patients who underwent sentinel node mapping using 99m-tc phytate were included. all patients received intradermal peri-areo...

Early detection is fundamental for achieving effective control of infectious disease outbreaks. We described the development of a local chief complaint emergency department (ED)-based syndromic surveillance system to improve public health response in Genoa, Italy. The five syndromes under investigation by the syndromic surveillance system were influenza-like illness (ILI), low-respiratory tract...

To the editor: We read with great interest your special issue on the Experiences with the pandemic in Europe (Vol. 15, issue 49, 9 December 2010). The reports in that issue clearly highlight the importance of surveillance and monitoring of both emergence and spread of influenza outbreaks through syndromic and laboratory surveillance networks [1]. We would however like to highlight that, in medi...

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus first isolated in Uganda from a sentinel monkey in 1947. Mosquito and sentinel animal surveillance studies have demonstrated that ZIKV is endemic to Africa and Southeast Asia, yet reported human cases are rare, with <10 cases reported in the literature. In June 2007, an epidemic of fever and rash associated with ZIKV was detected in Yap State, Fe...