Emerging disease syndromic surveillance for Hurricane Katrina evacuees seeking shelter in Houston's Astrodome and Reliant Park Complex.
Transmission of infectious diseases became an immediate public health concern when approximately 27,000 New Orleans-area residents evacuated to Houston's Astrodome and Reliant Park Complex following Hurricane Katrina. This article presents a surveillance system that was rapidly developed and implemented for daily tracking of various symptoms in the evacuee population in the Astrodome "megashelter." This system successfully confirmed an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis and became a critical tool in monitoring the course of this outbreak.
Murray
Kristy O
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Division of Epidemiology & Disease Control, Center for Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 1200 Herman Pressler, Room 707, Houston, TX 77030, USA. Kristy.O.Murray@uth.tmc.edu
Kilborn
Cindy
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DesVignes-Kendrick
Mary
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Koers
Erin
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Page
Valda
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Selwyn
Beatrice J
BJ
Shah
Umair A
UA
Palacio
Herminia
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D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055867:Cyclonic Storms; D004190:Disasters; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008875:Middle Aged; D055820:New Orleans; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012036:Refugees; D017751:Safety Management; D013577:Syndrome; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology