CDC: State public health surveillance capacity increasing

State public health surveillance capacity in 2013 was at its highest level in more than a decade, according to a report released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A total of 2,752 epidemiologists worked for the 50 states and District of Columbia, or 0.87 per 100,000 people, an increase of 25% from 2009 and 10% from 2004. Eight in 10 respondents reported substantial-to-full capacity to monitor health status and solve community health problems, and 90% reported the same capacity to diagnose and investigate health problems and hazards in the community. Ongoing gaps included low levels of epidemiology capacity for occupational and oral health; very low levels of health department involvement in substance abuse and mental health surveillance and epidemiology; and continued lack of key technology and capacity for evaluating effectiveness of prevention efforts and conducting research for new insights and innovative solutions, CDC said. The findings are based on the latest survey of state health departments by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists.