Pandemic Influenza Plan - Questar III

Section 2: Surveillance and Laboratory Testing
• Surveillance of contacts of cases infected with a novel influenza virus may be
helpful in early control efforts. When contact identification and management is
indicated, surveillance of contacts will be conducted by LHDs, with assistance
from the NYSDOH as needed (see Section 8: Travel-Related Disease Control and
Community Prevention).
• Quarantine may be employed early during a flu pandemic to slow the spread of
influenza in communities (see Section 8).
NYSDOH Activities:
• Immediately report to the appropriate NYSDOH Regional Office and LHD any
patients meeting the surveillance and reporting criteria that are reported by the
medical provider directly to NYSDOH.
• Wadsworth Center will notify NYSDOH Bureau of Communicable Disease
Control (BCDC) if laboratory specimens are received on patients for whom there
is no HIN ID included with the paperwork. If the case has not been reported on the
HIN, NYSDOH BCDC will notify the appropriate Regional Office and/or LHD
for follow-up.
• Report suspected and confirmed cases of novel influenza infection to the CDC
Emergency Response Hotline to obtain a CDC case ID number. Redacted case
report forms will be faxed to CDC.
IV.
Laboratory Diagnosis of Human Pandemic Influenza
The following describes the procedures for submitting samples to the Virus Reference
and Surveillance Laboratory at the Wadsworth Center. Submitters should also familiarize
themselves with the testing capability of their local laboratory and utilize that facility
when appropriate services are available. It should be noted that the laboratory procedures
used for testing may change depending on the characteristics of the pandemic strain. The
Wadsworth Center will communicate with the CDC and forward samples and isolates for
confirmatory testing when appropriate. During the early phase of the pandemic, prior to
release of positive RT-PCR results obtained by commercial and hospital laboratories, the
result should be confirmed either by the Wadsworth Center or CDC.
• Samples for testing and surveillance
The Wadsworth Center laboratory receives samples for testing for respiratory viruses
from multiple sources.
o Sentinel surveillance program. Physicians participating in the CDC Influenza
Sentinel Physician Network are asked to send six specimens per season to the
Wadsworth Center for detection and typing. In the 2003-2004 respiratory season,
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