Analysis of the Korean Emergency Department Syndromic Surveillance System: Mass Type Acute Diarrheal Syndrome

Ahn, Shin; Lee, Jae Ho; Kim, Won; Lim, Kyung Soo

EDSS database is constructed and displayed at Anti-Bioterrorism Information Network website (http://bioterrorism. cdc.go.kr/) after gathering the reports from each emergency departments participating in the syndromic surveillance. We obtained the number of cases and total patients reported as acute diarrheal syndrome (mass type) from June, 2002 to July, 2008. The Korean CDC monitors daily reports from 125 emergency departments nationwide to detect the emergence of 5 syndromes which can be used as bioterrorism attack, and in case of necessity, request the patient's specimen and laboratory analysis. Every morning before 10 a.m., designated emergency departments must report the number of patients of subject syndromes, visited between 9 a.m. the day before and 9 a.m. of the day. In the absence of the reporter, a person in charge or a proxy must report instead, and even though there was no patient of subject syndromes, he or she must report as zero. Especially, in case of acute diarrheal syndrome (mass type), the reporters must notify their emergence immediately, and the Anti-Bioterrorism Information Network indicates the total number of cases, not the number of individual patients. Reports are done through the Anti-Bioterrorism Information Network website. If internet is not available, the reporter must fill out the form and send it to district public health center by fax, and when bioterrorism is highly likely, he must telephone immediately.