DSHS staff, LHD staff, and hospital personnel use ESSENCE. Users have successfully used the system to monitor respiratory illness, and unexpected events such as hurricanes, disease outbreaks, or close contact investigations. We share the experience of these partners to highlight use cases for day-to-day surveillance and to show the importance of syndromic surveillance. Health Department staff and hospital use cases and stories will be added as they become available.

Syndromic Surveillance Activities

• Emergency Room Visits for Respiratory Illness Surveillance
• DSHS Public Health Region 7 – Cold Weather-Related Illness/Injury Surveillance
• DSHS Public Health Region 7 - Heat-Related Illness Surveillance
• COVID-19-Like Illness in Texas Syndromic Surveillance Systems
• 2022 Syndromic Surveillance Sickle Cell Report
• 2020 Sickle Cell Task Force Report
• Houston Health Department - Influenza Surveillance
• Tarrant County Public Health – Total Eclipse Surveillance

Syndromic Surveillance Success Stories

• Syndromic Surveillance for Occupational Health Surveillance Guidance Document and Examples
• Houston Health Department - Hurricane Harvey
• DSHS Public Health Region 2/3 and Tarrant County Public Health - Hurricane Harvey
• DSHS PHR 11 - Close Contact Investigation to a Neisseria meningitidis case

Syndromic Surveillance Posters

• PHR 6/5S
• PHR 8
• PHR 9/10
• Austin Public Health – Hurricane Harvey
• Austin Public Health – Austin Boil Water Notice
• Austin Public Health – Key Word Surveillance
• Tarrant County Public Health

Syndromic Surveillance Use Cases

Use cases will be added when they are available.

Please contact the Texas Syndromic Surveillance program at syndromic.surveillance@dshs.texas.gov if you have questions or you would like to share your syndromic surveillance success story.