Cáceres Victor M, Goodell Jessica, Shaffner Julie, Turner Alezandria, Jacobs-Wingo Jasmine, Koirala Samir, Molina Monica, Leidig Robynn, Celaya Martín, McGinnis Pilote Kara, Garrett-Cherry Tiana, Carney Jhetari, Johnson Kym, Daley W Randolph
Division of State and Local Readiness, Center for Preparedness and Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
SAGE Open Med. 2019 May 16;7:2050312119850726. doi: 10.1177/2050312119850726. eCollection 2019.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched the Temporary Epidemiology Field Assignee (TEFA) Program to help state and local jurisdictions respond to the risk of Ebola virus importation during the 2014-2016 Ebola Outbreak in West Africa. We describe steps taken to launch the 2-year program, its outcomes and lessons learned.
State and local health departments submitted proposals for a TEFA to strengthen local capacity in four key public health preparedness areas: 1) epidemiology and surveillance, 2) health systems preparedness, 3) health communications, and 4) incident management. TEFAs and jurisdictions were selected through a competitive process. Descriptions of TEFA activities in their quarterly reports were reviewed to select illustrative examples for each preparedness area.
Eleven TEFAs began in the fall of 2015, assigned to 7 states, 2 cities, 1 county and the District of Columbia. TEFAs strengthened epidemiologic capacity, investigating routine and major outbreaks in addition to implementing event-based and syndromic surveillance systems. They supported improvements in health communications, strengthened healthcare coalitions, and enhanced collaboration between local epidemiology and emergency preparedness units. Several TEFAs deployed to United States territories for the 2016 Zika Outbreak response.
TEFAs made important contributions to their jurisdictions' preparedness. We believe the TEFA model can be a significant component of a national strategy for surging state and local capacity in future high-consequence events.
美国疾病控制与预防中心启动了临时流行病学现场指派人员（TEFA）项目，以帮助州和地方司法管辖区应对2014 - 2016年西非埃博拉疫情期间埃博拉病毒输入的风险。我们描述了启动这个为期两年项目所采取的步骤、其成果以及经验教训。
州和地方卫生部门提交了关于TEFA的提案，以加强四个关键公共卫生应急准备领域的地方能力：1）流行病学与监测，2）卫生系统应急准备，3）卫生通信，以及4）事件管理。TEFA人员和司法管辖区通过竞争程序选定。审查了他们季度报告中关于TEFA活动的描述，为每个应急准备领域挑选了说明性示例。
11名TEFA人员于2015年秋季开始工作，被分配到7个州、2个城市、1个县和哥伦比亚特区。TEFA人员加强了流行病学能力，除了实施基于事件和症状的监测系统外，还对常规和重大疫情进行调查。他们支持改善卫生通信，加强医疗联盟，并加强地方流行病学与应急准备单位之间的合作。几名TEFA人员被派往美国领土应对2016年寨卡疫情。
TEFA人员为其司法管辖区的应急准备做出了重要贡献。我们认为，TEFA模式可以成为国家战略的一个重要组成部分，以在未来高影响事件中迅速提升州和地方的能力。
