ELC Overview

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases (ELC) Program provides epidemiology, laboratory, and health information systems capacity building support to state, large local, and U.S. territory and affiliate health departments through a cooperative agreement. 

These stories highlight successes from frontline health departments as they work to monitor, prevent, and respond to infectious diseases and outbreaks. 

Learn more about CDC’s ELC Program: https://www.cdc.gov/elc/   

 

Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases  

These stories highlight work to improve public health nationally and internationally through the prevention and control of disease, disability, and death caused by foodborne, waterborne, and environmentally transmitted infections. 

Learn more about CDC’s Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases (DFWED): https://www.cdc.gov/ncezid/dfwed/ 

 

A more robust outreach and response to norovirus in Philadelphia
City of Houston averted norovirus outbreak caused by tainted oysters
Increased enteric interview capacity and standardized investigation trainings using lessons learned from COVID-19
Investigation of potential false positivity for Cryptosporidium detected by the BioFire FilmArray Gastrointestinal Panel
Thanksgiving dinner outbreak response results in improvements to local meal delivery service’s policy
The New York City Health Department successfully detected and investigated a cluster of salmonellosis using a wide array of cluster detection tools.
There’s no I in team, but one person can make a difference

Genomic Sequencing (Advanced Molecular Detection)  

These stories highlight work to expand capacity for advanced molecular detection (AMD), which integrates the latest next-generation genomic sequencing technologies with bioinformatics and epidemiology expertise to help us find, track, and stop disease-causing pathogens faster than ever before. 

Learn more about the CDC’s AMD initiative: https://www.cdc.gov/amd/  

    Genomic sequencing – equipment, personnel, and systems enhancements for variant tracking in Rhode Island and nationally
    Identification of a cluster of antibiotic resistant VIM-CRPA cases in Connecticut
    Missouri State Public Health Lab enhances next-gen sequencing capacities
    Seeing the forest past the trees: a holistic approach to utilizing whole-genome sequencing analyses for cluster detection and outbreak response
    The use of viral metagenomic whole genome sequencing to perform Powassan lineage analysis on cerebral spinal fluid
    Using funding from Data Modernization and Enhancing Detection Expansion, the Texas DSHS built a bioinformatics team
    Wisconsin builds bioinformatics team to enhance surveillance of infectious diseases using next-generation sequencing data
    Wisconsin builds cutting-edge molecular testing infrastructure to respond to infectious diseases

    Health Information Systems Capacity 

    Data are foundational to every public health decision and enable the prevention, detection, and response to infectious disease threats. 

    These stories highlight work to improve data systems to get better, faster, actionable insights for decision-making at all levels of public health. 

    Learn more about CDC’s Data Modernization Initiative (DMI): https://www.cdc.gov/surveillance/data-modernization/index.html  

     

    Alaska increases ELR sites, lab reports received via electronic methods
    CDC gives nod to Alabama’s efforts: State’s COVID-19 messages now officially recognized
    ELC funds helped in strengthening Infectious Diseases and Outbreaks Division’s epidemiology workforce
    California eCR hold queue mitigates eICR volume
    California improves reporting on silicosis
    Enhancing a “Mother-Baby” linked surveillance system for improved rapid response in California
    Successful production of epidemiologic summaries of 24 infectious diseases under surveillance in California from 2013-2019 for use by local health departments and the public
    Assessment of vaccine hesitancy among skilled nursing facility staff in Chicago
    Expanding Surveillance Systems in the CNMI (Saipan, Tinian and Rota)
    Connecticut manages astronomical increase in lab results reporting using innovative, efficient solutions
    Guam DPHSS is currently implementing a new integrated Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS)
    Automatic jurisdiction designation within Houston’s electronic disease surveillance system
    Illinois cross-team collaboration identified mpox cases coinfected with HIV
    Establishing epidemiology and public health team and the link between epidemiology and laboratory
    Swimming in the data: Utilizing a data lake for eCR data quality in Minnesota
    Modernizing data systems in Missouri
    Tracking COVID-19 during pregnancy in Missouri
    North Carolina combines case report data, texting to connect people with food box delivery program
    North Dakota increased automation and use of public health data through process enhancements and partnerships

    South Dakota Department of Health’s enhanced geocoding processes improved infectious disease surveillance
    System integration of New Jersey immunization information and communicable disease surveillance systems
    The New York City Health Department successfully detected and investigated a cluster of salmonellosis using a wide array of cluster detection tools.
    The past does not predict the future, but it can inform it
    COVID-19 electronic reporting and data quality in Oklahoma
    Oregon builds a use case for informatics workforce
    Novel use of inpatient syndromic surveillance data to enhance case finding efforts for multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) during the COVID-19 pandemic
    Pennsylvania Department of Health Bureau of Laboratories mobilization of resources to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic
    Tracking the “Tripledemic” in Pennsylvania with syndromic surveillance data
    Development and use of Salesforce as a COVID-19 surveillance system
    Development and use of Salesforce for auto-cluster detection
    Development and use of Salesforce for result look up and COVID-19 survey to complete own interview
    Development and use of spatiotemporal analytics to guide dynamic COVID-19 response activities
    Monitoring travelers’ health during the COVID-19 pandemic in Rhode Island
    Novel approaches to analytics using dashboards
    Rhode Island utilizes novel approaches to analytics including automated data processing
    Assay development improvements at the South Carolina Public Health Laboratory
    Seeing the forest past the trees: a holistic approach to utilizing whole-genome sequencing analyses for cluster detection and outbreak response
    Cross-cutting emerging issues: COVID-19
    Electronic faxing (eFaxing) in Texas
    NEDSS Interoperability and Functional Improvements (NIFI) project
    Texas implements electronic case reporting (eCR)
    Texas State Health Analytics and Reporting Platform (SHARP)
    Texas upload of closed cases
    Using funding from Data Modernization and Enhancing Detection Expansion, the Texas DSHS built a bioinformatics team
    Vermont develops outbreak management tool
    Coordinating COVID-19 outbreak prevention and response in K-12 schools with a setting specific epidemiologist in Washington State
    The WA HEALTH team helped folks locate COVID-19 vaccines online through Vaccinate WA
    Washington public health tackles disease surveillance, intervention issues using new technology and partnerships
    Condition feed splitter for eCR improves systems for eCR evaluation in Wisconsin
    ECR improves case finding for occupational health conditions in Wisconsin
    Wisconsin builds bioinformatics team to enhance surveillance of infectious diseases using next-generation sequencing data
    Wisconsin built, utilized, and improved Self-Reporting application in response to disease outbreaks
    Wisconsin implements flu and RSV surveillance and routine wastewater surveillance

    Healthcare‐associated Infections, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Antibiotic Stewardship 

    These stories highlight work to protect patients and healthcare personnel, as well as promoting safety and equitable quality of care for all people through prevention and containment of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistance (AR). 

    Learn more about CDC’s and Health Departments’ HAI/AR Programs: https://www.cdc.gov/healthcare-associated-infections/programs/  

    A more robust outreach and response to norovirus in Philadelphia
    Academic – practice partnerships: Addressing diverse infection prevention and control needs across Alabama
    Adding capacity for Candida colonization testing at the Texas DSHS laboratory
    Admission screening among high-risk patients in acute care to prevent Candida auris transmission
    Assessing healthcare-associated infections and antibiotic resistance prevention and control capacity in Missouri
    Assessment of vaccine hesitancy among skilled nursing facility staff in Chicago
    Candida auris control program
    Collaboration strengthens infectious disease prevention/response capacity in Vermont nursing homes
    Combating superbugs is a team sport
    Communication and support: LTC-RISE team brings facility back from the brink of disaster through relationship building and training
    Crisis response to COVID-19 pandemic, recovery efforts, and resiliency building for long term care facilities in Pennsylvania
    Enhancing emergency preparedness in long-term care
    Expanding infection prevention consultative visits to dental facilities in Washington State through public health expertise
    Identification of a cluster of antibiotic resistant VIM-CRPA cases in Connecticut
    Improving healthcare facility infection control plan submissions in Pennsylvania
    Increasing the capacity of Delaware’s HAI/AR Program
    Infection prevention escape room training and kits: An engaging, immersive learning experience for frontline healthcare workers
    Infection prevention training for school settings initiative
    Inter-facility approach to Candida auris containment
    Michigan’s Infection Control – Educational Collaborative for Better Health Outcome (MI-ECHO)
    Multi-disciplinary model for disease response: Utilizing resources for a group A Streptococcus outbreak in a long-term care facility
    Multidrug-resistant organism prevention in Iowa – A tale of two facilities
    New initiative allows for critical access to pharmacy partnerships and vaccines across Pennsylvania
    Partnering with an MPH student to document and describe a large multi-regional outbreak of a rare antimicrobial pathogen
    Pennsylvania LTC-RISE supports COVID-19 response and quality improvement at long-term care facility in Northeast Pennsylvania
    Pennsylvania Project Firstline developed a web-based interactive Certified in Infection Control study group
    Project Firstline in Missouri
    Promoting Project Firstline in Texas
    Quality improvement related to infection prevention and control at New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home at Menlo Park
    Southwest RISE brings purpose, direction, and fun to local skilled nursing facilities
    Staffing in long-term care: A contingency staffing plan at the time of an ongoing pandemic for preparedness and continuity of care
    Strengthening and preparing long term care facilities for disease prevention and control
    The New Jersey Project Firstline team expands infection prevention and control training
    Timely information and guidance – COVID-19 assistance for long term care facilities
    Training course for long-term care staff to advance knowledge and skills related to the care of persons living with dementia
    Wisconsin HAI Program expands infection preventionist resources for health care facilities and public health departments

    Other Infectious Diseases  

    These stories highlight work that ELC recipients perform that may not clearly fit in any of the other categories. The stories demonstrate the flexibility and capacity to respond to emerging and diverse public health disease threats. 

    Binational border infectious disease surveillance COVID-19 vaccination program
    Binational communication
    Legionella sampling in single-family residences in New Jersey
    Maricopa County’s Catalyzing Congenital Syphilis Prevention Project
    Maricopa County’s Think Syphilis Campaign to Prevent Maternal and Congenital Syphilis
    Pregnancy connects: Prenatal care for those at risk for syphilis in pregnancy
    Sexual health equity: Improving community understanding of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea using a health equity lens
    South Carolina establishes a new community engagement coordinator position

    Outbreak Response – including COVID-19, Mpox, measles, etc.  

    These stories highlight health departments’ outbreak response work made possible through ELC funding. ELC helps health departments strengthen core capacity needed to respond to a variety of emerging infectious diseases. This includes supplemental awards to enhance epidemiology, laboratory, and health information systems to meet needs during a local, regional, or national infectious disease emergency. 

     

    Addressing barriers to COVID-19 vaccine uptake among staff in long-term care facilities in rural North Central Pennsylvania
    Assessment of vaccine hesitancy among skilled nursing facility staff in Chicago
    Binational border infectious disease surveillance COVID-19 vaccination program
    Binational communication
    Border health surveillance
    Building laboratory capacity for surge testing and pandemic response
    Building relationships and sharing expertise between the Washington State Department of Health and K-12 school nurses
    CDC gives nod to Alabama’s efforts: State’s COVID-19 messages now officially recognized
    Chicago Department of Public Health establishes a Regional Innovative Public Health Laboratory to provide SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequencing
    Chicago Department of Public Health establishes a wastewater surveillance program
    Closing gaps between public health and correctional health in Washington State
    Collaboration strengthens infectious disease prevention/response capacity in Vermont nursing homes
    Connecticut manages astronomical increase in lab results reporting using innovative, efficient solutions
    Continuity of services and organizational operations while prioritizing health, safety, and well-being in Berks County
    COVID-19 and other disease case classification and closeouts
    COVID-19 electronic reporting and data quality in Oklahoma
    COVID-19 response for Arab American communities in Wayne County, Michigan
    COVID-19 response in schools in Wayne County, Michigan
    COVID-19 testing at K-12 schools across Pennsylvania
    COVID-19 wastewater surveillance in Missouri
    Crisis response to COVID-19 pandemic, recovery efforts, and resiliency building for long term care facilities in Pennsylvania
    Cross-cutting emerging issues: COVID-19
    Crush COVID and Vaccinate the Ocean State mini-grants: Working to empower organizations to keep communities safe and well-informed
    Development and use of Salesforce as a COVID-19 surveillance system
    Development and use of Salesforce for auto-cluster detection
    Development and use of Salesforce for result look up and COVID-19 survey to complete own interview
    Development and use of spatiotemporal analytics to guide dynamic COVID-19 response activities
    Engaging and supporting congregate settings in Rhode Island to mitigate COVID-19
    Enhancing emergency preparedness in long-term care
    Enhancing school health capacity in Missouri
    Establishing a COVID-19 isolation facility with supportive services for Rhode Islanders experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity
    Establishing a statewide wastewater surveillance system in Pennsylvania
    Establishing a wastewater surveillance program in Delaware
    Expanding Surveillance Systems in the CNMI (Saipan, Tinian and Rota)
    Guam DPHSS is currently implementing a new integrated Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS)
    Hawaii’s collaborative public health response following the Maui wildfires
    How the Juvenile Rehabilitation agency set up COVID-19 testing at community facilities
    Illinois cross-team collaboration identified mpox cases coinfected with HIV
    Implementing and operating call center technology to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in Rhode Island
    Increased enteric interview capacity and standardized investigation trainings using lessons learned from COVID-19
    Inexpensive interventions to improve ventilation to resident rooms in long-term care facilities
    Initializing wastewater surveillance system to monitor COVID-19 levels in Rhode Island
    Initiative to educate staff on process required to perform point-of-care testing at long-term care facilities leads to sustained testing resiliency
    Mitigating the impact of COVID-19 in Missouri’s populations experiencing homelessness
    Modernizing data systems in Missouri
    Monitoring travelers’ health during the COVID-19 pandemic in Rhode Island
    Mpox rapid response in Wayne County, Michigan
    Mpox wastewater surveillance in California
    New Hampshire wastewater surveillance
    New initiative allows for critical access to pharmacy partnerships and vaccines across Pennsylvania
    New initiative: Changing up testing strategies
    New Jersey establishes a Rapid Response Team to provide timely support for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 related investigations
    North Carolina combines case report data, texting to connect people with food box delivery program
    North Dakota increased automation and use of public health data through process enhancements and partnerships
    Novel approaches to analytics using dashboards
    Novel use of inpatient syndromic surveillance data to enhance case finding efforts for multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) during the COVID-19 pandemic
    Pennsylvania LTC-RISE supports COVID-19 response and quality improvement at long-term care facility in Northeast Pennsylvania
    Pertussis in the Amish community of Maine
    Project Firstline in Missouri
    Quality improvement related to infection prevention and control at New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home at Menlo Park
    Raising COVID-19 awareness among travelers
    SARS-CoV-2 wastewater monitoring in K-12 schools
    Staffing in long-term care: A contingency staffing plan at the time of an ongoing pandemic for preparedness and continuity of care
    Standardizing sample preparation and clarification methods for wastewater surveillance monitoring of SARS-CoV-2
    Sterile laboratory plastic recycling ecosystem
    Sterile laboratory plastic recycling ecosystem
    Supporting confinement facilities to detect and mitigate COVID-19
    Supporting local health departments in Missouri
    System integration of New Jersey immunization information and communicable disease surveillance systems
    Taking COVID-19 in pregnancy data to the community
    The New Jersey School HEPA Distribution Program
    The past does not predict the future, but it can inform it
    The travelers health initiative
    The WA HEALTH team helped folks locate COVID-19 vaccines online through Vaccinate WA
    Tracking COVID-19 during pregnancy in Missouri
    Tracking COVID-19 during pregnancy in Missouri
    Tracking the “Tripledemic” in Pennsylvania with syndromic surveillance data
    Using Community Health Workers in the COVID-19 response
    Vermont develops outbreak management tool
    Vermont’s Corrections and Health Departments establish closer relationship to manage infectious disease in correctional facilities
    Wastewater monitoring supplies data for preventative public health action
    Wastewater office hours for wastewater-based epidemiology partners in California
    Wastewater testing and the pandemic response at the South Carolina Public Health Laboratory
    Wisconsin HAI Program expands infection preventionist resources for health care facilities and public health departments

    Response-ready Epidemiology and/or Laboratory Capacity   

    These stories illustrate examples of health departments utilizing ELC cross-cutting resources to confront rapidly emergent situations and improve capabilities to meet core infectious disease needs. 

    Adding capacity for Candida colonization testing at the Texas DSHS laboratory
    Assay development improvements at the South Carolina Public Health Laboratory
    Border health surveillance
    Building laboratory capacity for surge testing and pandemic response
    Building relationships and sharing expertise between the Washington State Department of Health and K-12 school nurses
    City of Houston averted norovirus outbreak caused by tainted oysters
    Closing gaps between public health and correctional health in Washington State
    Coordinating COVID-19 outbreak prevention and response in K-12 schools with a setting specific epidemiologist in Washington State
    Design and construction of a state-of-the-art facility for the Rhode Island State Health Laboratories
    ELC funds helped in strengthening Infectious Diseases and Outbreaks Division’s epidemiology workforce
    Establishing epidemiology and public health team and the link between epidemiology and laboratory
    Expanded laboratory capability and staff surge improve timeliness of measles PCR testing
    Expedited surveillance efforts to update distribution maps for Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes in Texas
    Guam DPHSS is currently implementing a new integrated Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS)
    Improving Hawaii’s influenza-like illness surveillance network with aloha
    Increased mosquito surveillance testing in response to equine cases of eastern equine encephalitis virus in East Texas
    Investigation of potential false positivity for Cryptosporidium detected by the BioFire FilmArray Gastrointestinal Panel
    Laboratory and epidemiology coordination leads to Timely N. meningitidis outbreak identification
    Oregon builds a use case for informatics workforce
    Pennsylvania Department of Health Bureau of Laboratories mobilization of resources to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic
    Promoting Project Firstline in Texas
    Rhode Island utilizes novel approaches to analytics including automated data processing
    Sterile laboratory plastic recycling ecosystem
    Successful production of epidemiologic summaries of 24 infectious diseases under surveillance in California from 2013-2019 for use by local health departments and the public
    Texas State Health Analytics and Reporting Platform (SHARP)
    Texas upload of closed cases
    Thanksgiving dinner outbreak response results in improvements to local meal delivery service’s policy
    The past does not predict the future, but it can inform it
    The story of collaboration – Reducing the burden of hepatitis C in Calhoun County, Michigan
    Training disease detectives to support local public health in Massachusetts
    Washington public health tackles disease surveillance, intervention issues using new technology and partnerships
    Wisconsin builds cutting-edge molecular testing infrastructure to respond to infectious diseases
    Zoonosis control field training courses

    Vaccine Preventable and Respiratory Diseases    

    These stories highlight efforts to monitor and control vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). These diseases can cause long-term illness, hospitalization, and even death. 

    Assessment of vaccine hesitancy among skilled nursing facility staff in Chicago
    Expanded laboratory capability and staff surge improve timeliness of measles PCR testing
    Improving Hawaii’s influenza-like illness surveillance network with aloha
    Laboratory and epidemiology coordination leads to Timely N. meningitidis outbreak identification
    Legionella sampling in single-family residences in New Jersey
    Pertussis in the Amish community of Maine

    Vector-borne Diseases   

    These stories highlight work to build sustainable, locally relevant programs to identify, prevent, and respond to vector-borne disease threats. This includes maintaining surveillance for human disease and their vectors, improving diagnostics, and implementing and evaluating prevention strategies. 

    Learn more about CDC’s Division of Vector-Borne Diseases (DVBD): https://www.cdc.gov/vector-borne-diseases/  

      

    Developing and implementing a tick safety and Lyme awareness program for Pennsylvania schools
    ELC funds vital for cooperative tick surveillance and public health action in Michigan
    Expedited surveillance efforts to update distribution maps for Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes in Texas
    Fighting the bite: protecting public health by investigating the increase of Lyme disease cases and the expanding range of blacklegged ticks in Ohio
    Increased mosquito surveillance testing in response to equine cases of eastern equine encephalitis virus in East Texas
    Insecticide resistance testing informs integrated mosquito management program decisions at the local level
    The use of viral metagenomic whole genome sequencing to perform Powassan lineage analysis on cerebral spinal fluid
    Zoonosis control field training courses

    Wastewater Surveillance 

    These stories highlight work to build the capacity to track infectious diseases, such as SARS-CoV-2, mpox, and Influenza A and B in wastewater samples. 

    Learn more about CDC’s National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS): https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/wastewater-surveillance.html 

     

    Chicago Department of Public Health establishes a wastewater surveillance program
    COVID-19 wastewater surveillance in Missouri
    Establishing a statewide wastewater surveillance system in Pennsylvania
    Establishing a wastewater surveillance program in Delaware
    Initializing wastewater surveillance system to monitor COVID-19 levels in Rhode Island
    Mpox wastewater surveillance in California
    New Hampshire wastewater surveillance
    SARS-CoV-2 wastewater monitoring in K-12 schools
    Standardizing sample preparation and clarification methods for wastewater surveillance monitoring of SARS-CoV-2
    Wastewater monitoring supplies data for preventative public health action
    Wastewater office hours for wastewater-based epidemiology partners in California
    Wastewater testing and the pandemic response at the South Carolina Public Health Laboratory
    Wisconsin implements flu and RSV surveillance and routine wastewater surveillance