Joseph L. Malone

Telephone survey to assess influenza-like illness, United States, 2006.

This method offers a potentially feasible means to monitor patients at home.

Department of defense global emerging infections surveillance and response system indian ocean tsunami response

The Department of Defense (DoD) Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System (DoD-GEIS) identifies and addresses DoD vulnerabilities to emerging infections through a global network of partners. Following the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 26, 2004, DoD-GEIS facilitated the DoD medical response and coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. DoD-GEIS partners in Southeast Asia (U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit 2, Jakarta, Indonesia; and Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand) rapidly conducted health assessments and established surveillance for communicable diseases that threatened survivors. Preexisting collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and host countries was critical for the DoD-GEIS tsunami response.

A veterinarian's experience of the spring 2004 avian influenza outbreak in Laos.

Since it was first reported in December 2003, the outbreak of avian influenza A/H5N1 has spread to at least nine countries in Asia, affected multiple species of animals, and caused at least 42 human deaths. The magnitude and extent of this zoonotic outbreak are unprecedented, continue to grow, and threaten the start of a global human influenza pandemic. Control of the H5N1 outbreak has required the implementation of integrated human and veterinary health surveillance and response efforts. These efforts have also necessitated an unprecedented level of bilateral and multilateral international communication and cooperation. This report describes the contribution of one public-health veterinarian to the H5N1 outbreak response effort in Laos, and emphasises the value of multidisciplinary approaches to addressing this and future emerging infectious disease outbreaks.

Experience of a global laboratory network in responding to infectious disease epidemics.

The challenge of emerging infections transcends national borders. Influenza A (H5N1) severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and diseases that continue to re-emerge such as cholera drug-resistant malaria and dengue can expand rapidly from local to regional or global threats. We were pleased to see that Georgios Pappas and colleagues in their global review of human brucellosis epidemiology discussed serious problems in tracking and containing the disease which apply to many emerging infections: lack of appropriate diagnostic capabilities in developing countries cross-border disease spread from countries with high incidence and emergence of new endemic foci because of socioeconomic and other changes. Several of us have proposed a network of new broad-based laboratories as a way to address such challenges for emerging infections of international importance. These laboratories would assist host countries in developing surveillance systems and responding to epidemics strengthen global epidemic detection and response efforts of WHO in key regions and form links with specialised institutions worldwide to support these activities. (excerpt)