Assessment tools in support of epidemiological investigation of airborne dispersion of pathogens

Authors

  • Ulrik Bo Pedersen, MSc
  • John-Erik Stig Hansen, DMCs

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5055/ajdm.2008.0042

Keywords:

airborne dispersion, dispersion modeling, epidemiolgy, bacteria, contamination

Abstract

Human health threats posed by airborne pathogens are difficult to handle for healthcare responders due to the fact that the contaminated area is not immediately recognizable. By means of wind dispersion modeling, it is possible to estimate the extent and geographical position of hazardous areas and health impact.
Contemporary modeling tools can run on standard PCs, with short processing time and with easy-to-use interfaces. This enables health professionals without modeling experience to assess consequences of dispersion incidents, for example, from accidental releases from industries, shedding of pathogens from infectious animals or humans, as well as intentional releases caused by terrorist activity.
Dispersion assessments can provide response managers with a chance to get on top of events. In the absence of modeling, reliable estimates of hazard areas may not be available until no earlier than the appearance of the first cases or after time-consuming sampling and laboratory analysis.
In this article, the authors describe the concept of using wind dispersion assessments in epidemiological field investigations of naturally occurring disease outbreaks, as well as for bioterror scenarios. They describe the specifications of user friendly and real-time functional wind dispersion modeling systems that can serve as decision support tools during outbreak investigations and outline some of the currently available software packages.

Author Biographies

Ulrik Bo Pedersen, MSc

Associated Research Scientist, Statens Seruminstitut, National Center for Biological Defence, Copenhagen, Denmark.

John-Erik Stig Hansen, DMCs

Section Leader, Statens Seruminstitut, National Center for Biological Defence, Copenhagen, Denmark.

References

Roy CJ, Milton DK: Airborne transmission of communicable infection— The elusive pathway. N Eng J Med. 2004; 350: 1710-1712.

Lee N, Hui D,Wu A, et al.: A major outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in Hong Kong. N Engl J Med. 2003; 348(20): 1986-1994.

WHO: Outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) at Amoy Gardens, Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong. Main findings. Hong Kong, China: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Department of Health, April 17, 2003. Available at www.info. gov.hk/info/sars/pdf/amoy_e.pdf. Accessed September 6, 2008.

Yu ITS, Li Y,Wong TW, et al.: Evidence of airborne transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome virus. N Engl J Med. 2004; 350: 1731-1739.

Chu C-M, Cheng VCC, Hung IFN, et al.: Viral load distribution in SARS Outbreak. Emerg Infect Dis. 2005; 11(12): 882-1886.

Li Y: Multi-zone modelling of probable SARS virus transmission by airflow between flats in block E, Amoy Gardens. Indoor Air. 2004; 15: 96-111.

IBPSA, International Building Performance Simulation Association, Ninth International IBSA Conference, Montréal, Canada,August 15-18, 2005: CDF simulation of interflat air flow for the study of the spread of aerosol transmitted infectious diseases. Available at www.ibpsa.org/proceedings/BS2005/BS05_0853_858.pdf. Accessed September 6, 2008.

MedVetNet: The first outbreak of Q-fever in the Netherlands, 2007. Poster at the 4th Annual Scientific MedVetNet Meeting, Saint Malo, France, June 11th-14th, 2008.

Brouqui P, Badiaga S, Raoult D: Q fever outbreak in homeless shelter. Emerg Infect Dis. 2004; 10(7): 1297-1299.

Carrieri MP, Tissot-Dupont H, Rey D, et al.: Investigation of a slaughterhouse-related outbreak of Q fever in the French Alps. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2002; 21: 17-21.

Gilroy N, Formica N, Beers M, Egan A, et al.: Abattoir-associated Q fever: A Q fever outbreak during a Q fever vaccination program. Aust N Z J Public Health. 2001; 25: 362-367.

Tissot-Dupont H, Torres S, Nezri M, Raouh D. Hyperendemic focus of Q fever related to sheep and wind. Am J Epidemiol. 1999; 150: 67-74.

Dupuis G, Petite J, Peter O, et al.: An important outbreak of human Q fever in a Swiss Alpine Valley. Int J Epidemiol. 1987; 16: 282-287.

Alary M, Joly JR: Risk factors for contamination of domestic hot water systems by legionellae. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1991; 57(8): 2360-2367.

Mahoney FJ, Hoge CW, Farley TA, et al.: Communitywide outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease associated with a grocery store mist machine. J Infect Dis. 1992; 165: 736-369.

Hlady WG, Mullen RC, Mintz CS, et al.: Outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease linked to a decorative fountain by molecular epidemiology. Am J Epidemiol. 1993; 138(8): 555-562.

Nguyen TMN, Ilef D, Jarraud S, et al: A community-wide outbreak of Legionnaires disease linked to industrial cooling towers—How far can contaminated aerosols spread? J Infect Dis. 2006; 193: 102-111.

ICEID, International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases: Use of geographical information system and aerosol dispersion modelling as tools in identifying a new source of an outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease in Norway. Monday, March 20, 2006. Abstract no. 152. Available at www.iceid.org/documents/ AbstractsFinal.pdf. Accessed September 6, 2008.

Furuly JG: Avansert datajakt på smittekilden. Aftenposten net version, May 25, 2005. (Norwegian language). Available at www. aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/article1046510.ece. Accessed September 6, 2008.

Schreurs N: Bruker data mot legionella. IDG Magazines Norge. Net paper. May 26, 2005. (In Norwegian language) Available at www.idg.no/bransje/bransjenyheter/article6626.ece. Accessed September 6, 2008.

Nygaard K,Werner-Johansen Ø, Rønsen S, et al.: An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease caused by long distance spread from an industrial air scrubber, Sarpsborg, Norway, 2005. Clin Infect Dis. 2008; 46(1): 69-81.

Defense Threat Reduction Agency: Fact sheet. Available at www.dtra.mil/newsservices/fact_sheets/display.cfm?fs=HPAC. Accessed September 6, 2008.

DG Health and Consumer Protection, European Commission, Health Threat Unit: Biological incident response and environmental sampling—A European guideline on principals for field investigation. Available at www.ec.europa.eu/health//ph_threats/com/ preparedness/docs/biological.pdf. Accessed September 6, 2008.

National Centre for Biological Defence (NCBD): Biological incident response: Assessment of airborne dispersion. Available at www.ec.europa.eu/health/ph_projects/2003/action2/docs/2003_2_03_ report.pdf. Accessed September 6, 2008.

Takahashi H,Keim P, Kaufmann AF, et al.: Bacillus anthracis incident, Kameido,Tokyo, 1992. Emerg Infect Dis. 2004; 10(1): 117-120.

Gloster J, Champion HJ, Sorensen JH, et al.: Airborne transmission of foot-and-mouth disease virus from Burnside Farm, Heddonon- the-Wall, Northumberland, during the 2001 epidemic in the United Kingdom. Vet Rec. 2003; 152: 525-533.

Mikkelsen T, Alexandersenet S, Astrup P, et al.: Investigation of airborne foot-and-mouth disease virus transmission during lowwind conditions in the early phase of the UK 2001 epidemic. Atmos Chem Phys. 2003; 3: 677-703.

ISPRA, Joint Research Centre: VetMet—An internet-based veterinary decision support system for airborne animal diseases. 3rd Ensemble Technical Workshop, Italy, May 15-17, 2006. Available at www.risoe.dk/rispubl/VEA/veapdf/vea_5_2006.pdf. Accessed September 6, 2008.

Prolog Development Center: ARGOS-CBRN decision support system in emergency management. Available at www.pdc. dk/ARGOS/ARGOS_whitepaper.pdf. Accessed September 6, 2008.

National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center (NARAC): Model development and evaluation. 9th International Conference on Harmonisation within Atmospheric Dispersion Modelling for Regulatory Purposes. 2004: 177-181. Available at: http://ams.confex. com/ams/pdfpapers/73721.pdf. Accessed October 27, 2008.

American Meteorological Society: Operational systems for emergency preparedness and response. Symposium on Planning, Nowcasting, and Forecasting in the Urban Zone: Emergenzy Response, 84th Annual Meeting, January 11-15, 2004. Available at https://narac.llnl.gov/uploads/Sugiyama2004_AMS_UrbanZone_ 155085_cqcdc.pdf. Accessed September 6, 2008.

Soerensen JH, Mackay DKJ, Jensen CØ, et al.: An integrated model to predict the atmospheric spread of foot-and-mouth disease virus. Epidemiol Infect. 2000; 124: 577-590.

Sullivan TJ, Ellis JS, Foster CS, et al.: Atmospheric release advisory capability: Real-time modeling of airborne hazardous material. Bull Am Meteor Soc. 1993; 74(12): 2343-2361.

Downloads

Published

11/01/2008

How to Cite

Pedersen, MSc, U. B., and J.-E. S. Hansen, DMCs. “Assessment Tools in Support of Epidemiological Investigation of Airborne Dispersion of Pathogens”. American Journal of Disaster Medicine, vol. 3, no. 6, Nov. 2008, pp. 327-33, doi:10.5055/ajdm.2008.0042.