The 2017 Solar Eclipse: Implementing Enhanced Syndromic Surveillance on the Path of Totality in Kentucky

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Disaster Med Public Health Prep
• Personal Author:
  Heitzinger, Kristen ; Thoroughman, Douglas A. ; Johnson, Blake D. ; Chandler, Andrew ; Prather, John W. ; Walls, Heather M. ; Robeson, Sara D. ; Porter, Kimberly A.
• Description:
  Objective:
  
  The 2017 solar eclipse was associated with mass gatherings in many of the 14 states along the path of totality. The Kentucky Department for Public Health implemented an enhanced syndromic surveillance system to detect increases in emergency department (ED) visits and other health care needs near Hopkinsville, Kentucky, where the point of greatest eclipse occurred.
  
  Methods:
  
  EDs flagged visits of patients who participated in eclipse events from August 17–22. Data from 14 area emergency medical services and 26 first-aid stations were also monitored to detect health-related events occurring during the eclipse period.
  
  Results:
  
  Forty-four potential eclipse event-related visits were identified, primarily injuries, gastrointestinal illness, and heat-related illness. First-aid stations and emergency medical services commonly attended to patients with pain and heat-related illness.
  
  Conclusions:
  
  Kentucky’s experience during the eclipse demonstrated the value of patient visit flagging to describe the disease burden during a mass gathering and to investigate epidemiological links between cases. A close collaboration between public health authorities within and across jurisdictions, health information exchanges, hospitals, and other first-response care providers will optimize health surveillance activities before, during, and after mass gatherings.
  
  
• Keywords:
  Eclipse Kentucky Mass Gathering Public Health Systems Syndromic Surveillance
• Source:
  Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 15(2):160-163
• Pubmed ID:
  32321613
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC11348993
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  CC999999/ImCDC/Intramural CDC HHSUnited States/ ; U38 OT000143/OT/OSTLTS CDC HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  15
• Issue:
  2
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f073d2285eeb59e6e3549e92c27a1d80ac4367c6884f7a07dca8975622b4d09d21a1fdc4f573f1bc73c72e69753684855cb3b0826f492425c03145d010bf7551
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/160661/cdc_160661_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 491.53 KB ]