Pandemics, Bioterrorism and International Security

The post of today is about one discussion carried out yesterday in the LinkedIn group called "Pandemics, Bioterrorism and International Security", where Ruth Mclure has sent me several and useful information about maps in the way we are researching currently.

The origin of this topic is one new appeared in Yahoo.com where is alerted about 15 children died due to the new strain of flu (H3N2) (you can read it here: http://yhoo.it/14mQcq8), and it is explained how each case is reported and how they are "counted" in order to stablish the boundary of a epidemics.

The sequence of the discussion' post can be read here http://linkd.in/1BHdFx0 but I am go to copy it here:

Me: "So interesenting new. But I have a "naïf" question that I'm sure you can answer: how are counted the cases and what is the procedure in order to report new cases in this kind of outbreak?? There is some kind of biosurveillance? and, in this case... how it works? 

Thanks in advanced."

Ruth Mclure: "Hi Enrique, you live in Spain, so things may be different there than here in the USA. 

When the Physicians or other Health practitioners Diagnose this Influenza Virus in Children and in Adults, forms are made out and forward to their local Health Departments for Case Counting and then those Cases are then forward to the State Health Departments, then the State Health Departments, Shares that information to the CDC (Communicable Disease Center) that is located in Atlanta, Georgia. There use to be Formal Cards made out with Patient Data on them, so the data of certain needed information on these patients actually will be counted as a case. One Person is equal to a case of Flu. Local Health Departments have an Epidemiology Department where these workers go into the fields, and do various functions on a broad base of Different Diseases, and keeps tallies (counts) on many of the Infectious Diseases. The Field Epidemiologists on the ground in South Africa are doing the same thing with Case finding, but with the Flu, these cases are all ready diagnosed, so you have the REPORTING side of this Flu Season. 

There are two different links that I will give to you, and I will give to you the first one that takes you over the the Flu Section of the CDC on the Internet Web. 

Here is the first Link of the Flu Department/Section on the Flu in CDC 

Title of the Link is Influenza (Flu) 

htp://www.cdc.gov/flu/index.htm 

if this above does not go through then just put this in your Search Bar cdc.gov/flu to see if you will be taken over to that Flu Site, or a page that will give you information about the present Flu. 

The next title is Situation Summary on Influenza A (H3N2) Variant Viruses ("H3N2v") 

Again if my Link below does not take you over than put the title of this Section into your Search Bar 

htp://www.cdc.gov/flu/swineflu/h3n2v-situation.htm 

or just put in cdc.gov/flu/swineflu "

Me: "Highly interesting what you say, Ruth. Thanks a lot, tomorrow I'll check the links you've posted. 

I have asked it because in my research group we are finding out how current maps of diseases with arrows and illustrated vectors between countries are built. Here in Europe (at least in Spain) we cannot find epidemiological stations as you said or sentinel sites... and this is tough in relation with the ebola outbreak, for instance."

Ruth Mclure: "Enrique, you may find this Link, if it will go through, something that might work for you in your Research Class.

http://apps.who.int/ithmap/

That map has never diseases on it. I do not have the name of he map.

Check to see if the link will go through."

The last question I have is how "risk" is defined in this map, a term that I guess is defined similarly by other epidemics experts and physicians. But if you have some to say or a definition of risk, your contribution will be welcome!

Finally, I want to thank to Ruth Mclure their explanations and contributions. She is a writer and editor about several topics, including epidemics and outbreaks.

Photo Credit: Flickr, user Stéfan.