Wiley Handbook of Science and Technology for Homeland Security, 4 Volume Set

ESSENCE: A PRACTICAL SYSTEMS FOR BIOSURVEILLANCE

JULIE A. PAVLIN

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland

KENNETH L. COX

USAF, MC, SFS TRICARE Management Activity (TMA), Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs), Falls Church, Virginia

1 BACKGROUND

In 1999, the Department of Defense Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System (DoD-GEIS) piloted a disease surveillance system using data collected at outpatient visits in the national capital area. This system, the electronic surveillance system for the early notification of community-based epidemics (ESSENCE), collected diagnostic information from International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9) codes entered after outpatient and emergency room visits at all military treatment facilities (MTFs) in order to detect and track potential infectious disease outbreaks. With advances in knowledge of the utility of newly available data sources, statistical programs for aberration detection, and visualization techniques, the ESSENCE program has expanded to incorporate medical information from all MTFs worldwide and has developed partnerships with universities and government agencies to coordinate population health information for military and civilian public health agencies across the United States.

Publications before the US anthrax mail attacks in 2001 discussed how public health infrastructure had declined over time and decried our nation’s lack of readiness ...