The long-term objectives of this proposal are to detect, investigate, control, and prevent emerging infectious diseases. These will be accomplished through an Emerging Infections Program created within the state public-health administration in Oregon, which will 1) conduct active, public-health disease surveillance; 2) conduct applied public-health epidemiologic and laboratory activities; and 3) implement and evaluate pilot prevention and intervention projects. Activities will be conducted in collaboration with other state health departments and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More specifically, active surveillance will be conducted for invasive infection by bacterial pathogens, including groups A and B streptococci, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria meningitidis, and for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; for enteric and foodborne infections caused by various bacteria, viruses, and protozoa; for viral hepatitis; for respiratory illnesses, especially pneumonia in healthcare workers and influenza causing hospitalization of children; for unexplained deaths that appear to be infectious; and for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Active surveillance will include the identification of demographic groups at high risk for disease and trends in disease incidence. This program will conduct epidemiologic research to determine modifiable risk factors for diseases listed above and to evaluate the effectiveness of vaccine programs and other control measures. It will expand public-health capacity for investigation of outbreaks to identify means of transmission of various pathogens. It will expand public-health laboratory capacity for the identification and molecular epidemiologic analysis of bacterial and viral pathogens.
