INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Behind the Scenes, APHL is a Key Partner
and Driving Force in Influenza Surveillance
by Kim Krisberg, writer
APHL’s most recent influenza efforts
date back to when it began work with
CDC to help shift public health influenza
diagnostics from the conventional
virus culture to the much quicker,
more accurate molecular assay. Since
then, APHL has continued its work to
expand, hone and streamline influenza
surveillance at home and globally.
“Seasonal or pandemic, influenza is
always a dangerous threat, as we saw
during last year’s particularly bad flu
season,” Wroblewski said. “Our goal at
APHL is to help laboratories strengthen
and sustain the flu surveillance systems
they’ve built and stay ready in their role
as first responders.”
An APHL Priority Abroad…
H1N1 influenza
In 2009, within two weeks of confirming the first case of H1N1 influenza,
the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was ready
with a new laboratory test for quickly and accurately identifying the
pandemic virus. A couple weeks after that, 40 state public health
laboratories, having proved they could use the molecular assay to
consistently get reliable results, were ready to deploy it on the ground.
The laboratories began churning out
close to real-time data on H1N1 activity,
which gave first responders the best
opportunity to get ahead of the virus
and stop its spread. In fact, the H1N1
effort is often described as a pivotal point
in laboratory response and its use of
molecular diagnostics, as well as a clear
demonstration of the benefits of investing
in public health influenza surveillance
in the US and abroad. It was also the
culmination of years of work, exercise
and collaboration between CDC, state
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LAB MATTERS Fall 2018
and local public health laboratories, and
partners such as APHL.
“Flu surveillance and pandemic readiness
are some of a public health laboratory’s
most critical functions,” said Kelly
Wroblewski, MPH, director of APHL’s
Infectious Diseases Program. “Enhancing
and sustaining those capacities not only
boosts overall laboratory capacity, it keeps
the public health system’s readiness on
par with a viral threat that’s constantly
changing.”
The 2009 pandemic—which killed
upwards of half a million people
worldwide, including more than 12,400
people in the US—was a grim reminder of
the critical importance of having effective
influenza surveillance systems around
the world.
APHL was a key partner in the H1N1
response, acting as a conduit between
CDC and public health laboratories in
all 50 states, pushing out updates and
guidance on implementing the new
H1N1 assay and shifting into emergency
response gear. Today, much of APHL’s
influenza work zeros in on expanding
advanced influenza surveillance and
streamlining the system to keep up with a
virus that’s not only always changing, but
that CDC describes as “one of the world’s
greatest infectious disease challenges.”
Back in 2009, in the lull between the
spring and fall pandemic waves, APHL
began working with CDC to develop
an assessment tool that could be used
globally to gauge a laboratory’s influenza
testing capacity and generate critical
data for identifying gaps and needed
improvement in the global surveillance
system. The result is the CDC-APHL
PublicHealthLabs
@APHL
APHL.org