Near Real-Time Surveillance of U.S. Norovirus Outbreaks by the Norovirus Sentinel Testing and Tracking Network — United States, August 2009–July 2015

Abstract

© 2017, Department of Health and Human Services. All rights reserved. What is already known about this topic? Norovirus is the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis in the United States. Norovirus outbreaks are reported to CDC by state and territorial health departments. Reporting lags and incomplete reporting have been limitations to norovirus outbreak surveillance systems. What is added by this report? The initial five sentinel states that participated in the NoroSTAT network (Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, and Wisconsin) during the first 3 years reduced the median reporting interval from 22 days to 2 days for epidemiologic data, and from 21 days to 3 days for laboratory data. These states also had more complete reports that better linked epidemiologic and laboratory data. What are the implications for public health practice? The NoroSTAT network provides near real-time surveillance of norovirus outbreak activity and emerging new strains. Data collected by NoroSTAT-participating states are representative of national trends and can help inform public health response.