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Medical surveillance tracks unusual outbreaks

Emergency Management Alert, January 13, 2005

Medical records from the Westchester County hospital emergency rooms in New York make their way into computer each night to help detect any unusual cases, the Journal News reported.

The Community Health Electronic Surveillance System (CHESS) went online in January 2003, but recently connected to all 12 Westchester hospitals. The system catches early outbreaks, whether it's the flu or a bioterrorism attack, to prevent other residents from getting sick.

The computer sorts through the patient's symptoms but deletes names to protect privacy. The county health department then checks to see if there's any unusual numbers of patients complaining of similar symptoms.

"With advance information, we can say the flu outbreak seems to be starting, and we just want to remind people if you're getting sick, you might have the flu-stay home from work, stay home from school, and avoid mass gatherings," Joshua Lipsman, MD, the county health commissioner, told the News. "By doing something like that, what we may be able to do is to reduce the numbers of cases, reduce the severity of the impact of the illness in Westchester."

The Westchester system is only one of a handful of surveillance methods in the country. New York City also has a system which analyzes emergency room visits, as well as 911 calls and purchases at pharmacies, the News reports.

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