NSSP Update – September 2021
A Technical Newsletter for the NSSP Community of Practice | September 2021
The National Syndromic Surveillance Program issues NSSP Update monthly to share the latest Community of Practice activities, technical and program updates, and ways in which syndromic surveillance is improving public health.
CDC HEALTH ADVISORY
Syndromic surveillance data from emergency departments participating in CDC’s NSSP show an increase in visits with a mention of delta-8 THC or some variation in the chief complaint text in recent months.
MMWR
Syndromic Data Show Value of Community Vaccination on Pediatrics
Community vaccination, in coordination with testing strategies and other prevention measures, is critical to protecting pediatric populations from SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
MMWR
Syndromic Data Identify Exposure to Harmful Algal Bloom
Syndromic data identified 321 emergency department visits related to harmful algal bloom exposure during 2017–2019.
COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
An All-Hazards Approach to Syndromic Surveillance
The NSSP Community of Practice discusses severe weather surveillance, modification of COVID-19-like illness query for local use, and syndromic surveillance of heat-related illness among homebound and mobile home residents.
NSSP-AUTHORED PUBLICATIONS
NSSP Team Contributes to Research and Education
The NSSP team promotes syndromic surveillance and educates others by publishing in journals and books on public health.
TECHNICAL TIPS AND TRAINING
Here’s how to use RStudio with ESSENCE application programming interfaces (APIs), run queries in RStudio Pro, share a project in RStudio, and use ESSENCE APIs with the new Rnssp Package.
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.
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.
| September 21 | NSSP Community of Practice Call (Monthly); 3:00–4:30 PM ET |
| September 21 | NSSP Vendor Patches (Testing and Development); 12:00–8:00 AM ET |
| September 23 | NSSP Vendor Patches (Onboarding and Production); 12:00–8:00 AM ET |
| September 23 | NSSP–ESSENCE User Group (Monthly); 3:00–4:00 PM ET |
| October 1 | Syndromic Surveillance and Public Health Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Subcommittee Call (Monthly); 2:00–2:45 PM ET |
| October 6 | Syndrome Definition Subcommittee Call (Monthly); 1:00–2:00 PM ET |
| October 8 | Data Quality Subcommittee Call (Monthly); 12:00–1:00 PM ET |
| October 11 | NSSP Community of Practice Core Committee Call (Monthly); 1:00–2:30 PM ET |
| October 12 | NSSP R User Group Call; 2:00–3:00 PM ET |
| October 13 | Race and Ethnicity Data Quality Improvement Workgroup (Monthly); 3:00–4:00 PM ET |
| October 19 | NSSP Community of Practice Call (Monthly); 3:00–4:30 PM ET |
| October 19 | NSSP Vendor Patches (Testing and Development); 12:00–8:00 AM ET |
| October 21 | NSSP Vendor Patches (Onboarding and Production); 12:00–8:00 AM ET |
| October 28 | NSSP–ESSENCE User Group (Monthly); 3:00–4:00 PM ET |
View more calendar details at the NSSP Community of Practice.
