BioSense

BioSense is an epidemiological surveillance system managed by the CDC whose goals are to “establish near real-time electronic transmission of data to local, state, and federal public health agencies from national, regional, and local health data sources (e.g., clinical laboratories, hospital systems, ambulatory care sites, health plans, U.S. Department of Defense and Veterans Administration medical treatment facilities, and pharmacy chains).”

Establishment and design

The program was established in 2003 and was redesigned in 2007 in order to be more efficient. BioSense is meant to aid in early detection of bioterror threats and to facilitate sharing information between and among various levels of the United State’s health care system. Information gathered from local level sources is compiled into charts and graphs indicating symptomatic frequencies by geographic region. The data are analyzed by the CDC, where scientists determine if the presence of certain symptomatic factors indicates the possibility of the bioterror threat. At this point, the “anomaly” is turned over to local or state health officials for further investigation.

Use and criticism

BioSense is meant to be used along with the BioWatch program to identify biological threats in a timely manner by compiling data from multiple sources. However, there has been criticism of the system. There is difficulty determining which anomalies are indicative of bioterror events. This task usually falls upon local health officials to determine, without help from the CDC. Additionally, the system has been criticized by the assistant commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as “poorly planned” and lacking qualified data analaysts to deal with the complicated medical issues addressed by the system.