Wednesday, January 15, 2025
1/15/2025
West Virginia Foodborne Illness Rapid Response Team Project Summary/Abstract The primary objective of the West Virginia Foodborne Illness Rapid Response Team (WVRRT) is to provide effective and efficient multi-agency responses to all-hazards as they relate to food and feed emergencies which impact West Virginia. Secondary objectives include continuing to build on existing relationships with other entities. Success in achieving WVRRT’s objectives will be accomplished by training, data sharing/analysis and transparency in communications with our partners at the Federal, State, Local and Industry levels. WVRRT project focuses on maintaining food testing capacities, traceback, and recall response and building relationships and capacities to conduct foodborne illness surveillance within West Virginia communities. The team continues to conduct FDA HAF2E surveillance sampling of Food as requested by WV Department of Agriculture READ Laboratory in partnership with their LFFM plans. During project period 1, WVRRT will work with West Virginia University (WVU) and Marshall University (Marshall) during this project to conduct wastewater sampling for Norovirus during the July 2023 Scout Jamboree in Glen Jean, WV. WVRRT will also be onsite to assist Fayette County Health Department with opening inspections, routine inspections, follow-up inspections and environmental assessments of all permitted facilities onsite. WV Bureau for Public Health Office of Epidemiology and Prevention Services (OEPS) will perform health screening on attendees, monitor syndromic surveillance through the region, and capture illness data collected during the camp and provide health alerts during the Jamboree. This event will also include DHHR Center for Threat Preparedness, the WV National Guard, and the WV Fusion Center. WVRRT will participate in this as part of the ICS system of incident response. Project period 1 will focus on utilizing data collected through epidemiologic surveillance, monitoring foodborne illness risk factors and prevention methods, wastewater sampling surveillance to evaluate predictability of foodborne illness in a community. During project period 2 and 3 WV RRT will continue to work with WVU, Marshall and OEPS to conduct wastewater sampling in communities and to model response and predictive capacities for Foodborne Illness in the State of WV. WVRRT will provide training local health departments to utilize HSCloud System to collect foodborne illness complaint information so that food histories of complainants can be utilized throughout the state to find and track potential foodborne illness outbreaks more efficiently during project period 2. During project period 2 WV RRT will work with OEPS, Local Health Departments, and WV Department of Agriculture to update the Food and Waterborne Illness Outbreak Response Manual.
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