Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) Cooperative Agreement Program
Funding Initiated In 2001

FY05 Funding April 1, 2005 through March 31, 2006 - $455,780

Activities Proposed for FY 05

Antimicrobial Resistance, Food Safety; Hepatitis Prevention and Control, Influenza Surveillance and Response, National Electronic Disease Surveillance System, West Nile Virus, and General Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity

Key Performance Indicators

Antimicrobial Resistance

• Updates in methodology and discussions on current events will be presented at CDC's annual conference.

Food Safety

• Monthly laboratory/epidemiology meetings: OEFP staff, IBL staff and, when the subject matter is appropriate, Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) staff meet monthly to discuss epidemiologic and laboratory related topics.
• In order to improve outbreak categorization in Idaho, OEFT epidemiologists and the food safety manager have recently begun the development of some guidelines to help categorize foodborne outbreaks more clearly.
• Public Awareness: Press releases are employed, as needed to alert the public to food safety issues.
• Heighten laboratory surveillance efforts for non-O157 Shiga-Toxin Producing E. coli.

Hepatitis Prevention and Control

• The Hepatitis C Coordinator will participate in monthly status meetings conducted with Office of Epidemiology and food Protection staff and state laboratory staff.
• Evaluation of the effect of introducing confirmatory testing at the Idaho Bureau of Laboratories (IBL) will be performed, including monitoring the percent of screening tests that are confirmed.

Influenza Surveillance and Response

• A total of 200 collection kits have been distributed, free of charge, to healthcare sites across Idaho. Collecting influenza samples to test in the laboratory is an important aspect of influenza surveillance, and has proved problematic in the past because of increased reliance by providers on rapid flu tests.
• 19 sentinel sites have been recruited from almost all seven district health departments for the 2004-2005 influenza seasons.
• An influenza website was developed to educate the public and healthcare providers in 2003 and was updated for the 2004-2005 seasons regarding all aspects of influenza: the disease, high risk groups, vaccine issues including vaccine prioritization in light of the vaccine shortage of 2004-2005, and links to other useful sites. The Idaho site can be accessed through the following web link: http://www.healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/

National Electronic Disease Surveillance System

• Effectiveness will be measured through the enhancement of notifiable condition surveillance and disease control capabilities.

West Nile Virus

• Summary data will be collected into a year end report to be distributed to district health department surveillance partners and other agency partners as needed.
• Dead bird reports will be collected by the district health departments and regional Fish and Game offices and forwarded to OEFP for analysis.

General Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity

• Updates in methodology and discussions on current events will be presented at CDC's annual conference.

Contact Information and Links

Leslie A. Tengelsen, PhD, DVM
Deputy State Epidemiologist
Idaho Department of Health and Welfare
Office of Epidemiology and Food Protection
Epidemiology Services and Bureau of Laboratories
450 W. State St., 4th Floor
Boise, ID 83720-0036

Idaho Department of Health and Welfare: http://www.healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/

Idaho Health: http://www.idahohealth.org/