NSSP Update – May 2021

SYNDROMIC SURVEILLANCE IN ACTION

Syndromic Surveillance Informs Decision to Safely Reopen Alabama Schools and Businesses

Alabama’s dashboard shows multiple metrics simply and is a highly used public health tool for understanding the risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread. Read more.

MMWR

COVID-19 Pandemic-Associated Changes in Emergency Department Visits—United States, December 2020–January 2021

Efforts to ensure public understanding of the importance of seeking guidance and emergency care for acute and mental or behavioral health conditions are necessary. Read the article.

MMWR

COVID-19 and Influenza Discharge Diagnoses as a Percentage of Emergency Department Visits, by Year—United States, June 2018–March 2021

See COVID-19 Stat.

MMWR

Emergency Department Visits for Tick Bites—United States, January 2017–December 2019

A novel query of NSSP data indicated that one out of every 2,000 emergency department visits is for tick bites, with higher incidence during the spring and early summer and in the Northeast. Read the article.

COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE

Community Discusses New ESSENCE
Features ▪ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Proposes Rule to Revise Promoting Interoperability Program

Here’s how your NSSP Community of Practice is advancing syndromic surveillance.

Developing Syndrome Definitions

NSSP works with health departments and CDC programs to develop and improve syndrome definitions. Also see the NSSP Community of Practice Knowledge Repository.

TECHNICAL UPDATES

Lab Tests Compiled into Lookup Table

We’ve enhanced the CDC COVID Data Tracker to reflect improvements to the discharge diagnosis-only query and updated the AMC User Manual and NSSP Data Dictionary. Read more.

NSSP Participation Increases

At least 71% of the nation’s emergency departments contribute data to NSSP. That’s more than 6,000 health care facilities! Here’s the latest map of participating U.S. counties.

Monthly National-level Free-text ESSENCE Queries

Analysts can exercise a high level of customization by using free-text queries. They can quickly code free-text queries and rapidly respond to outbreaks, disasters, and health events that unfold. These word clouds capture free-text queries from a national perspective.