Geosentinel Network and Travel-related Infectious Diseases
Monday, March 9, 1:30-3:30
Phyllis E. Kozarsky, MD, Emory Associate Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) and Director of Travel Well, an International Clinic based at Crawford Long Hospital of Emory University Principal Investigator for CDC-funded Geosentinel program.


March 1998


Media Contacts:Sarah Goodwin, 404/727-3366 - sgoodwi@emory.edu
http://www.emory.edu/WHSC/
Bob Harty, Georgia Tech, 404/894-0870





Travel and Emerging Infections
Over the last 150 years the world's population has grown from less than one billion persons in 1850 to over 6 billion persons projected by the year 2000. In the same period, the time required to circumnavigate the globe has been reduced from 365 days to 72 hours (less than the incubation period for most infectious diseases). International travel has reached unprecedented proportions; commercial airlines now carry 1.4 million persons across international borders each day. The speed and volume of international travel is one of the principal factors contributing to the global emergence of infectious diseases.

Sentinel Provider Networks
Like travelers, emerging infections are moving targets; therefore, a multifaceted strategy is need for surveillance, prevention and control of these diseases. CDC has a multifaceted strategy as outlined in the plan "Addressing Emerging Infectious Disease Threats." Geosentinel, a global network of travel and tropical medicine providers, is one part of that strategy. The network, established by a CDC grant given to the International Society for Travel Medicine, is designed to detect geographic and temporal changes in the occurrence of infectious diseases affecting international travelers. Geosentinel currently has 23 sites participating; 14 sites in the U.S. and six internationally. These sites fax information regarding illnesses afflicting travelers and the geographic areas where these illnesses were acquired; the data from multiple sites are aggregated and analyzed at CDC. In addition, the network serves as one important resource for sharing relevant health information for international travel between CDC and travel medicine providers who are recognized as opinion leaders in this field. The Geosentinel network may also be used to enhance surveillance for potential global infectiouis disease threats like the avian influenza that recently occurred in Hong Kong.

Geosentinel Sites (January, 1998)
  • Atlanta, GA
  • Baltimore, MD
  • Bethesda, MD
  • Birmingham, AL
  • Boston, MA
  • Bronx, NY
  • Honolulu, HI
  • NYC, NY
  • New York, New York
  • Orlando, FL
  • San Antonio, TX
  • San Francisco, CA
  • Seattle, WA
  • Washington, DC
  • International
  • Adelaide, Australia
  • Auckland, New Zealand
  • Kathmandu, Nepal
  • Munich, Germany
  • Toronto, Canada
  • Victoria, Australia
  • ###



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