Global Outreach

Eagle Health Analytics (EHA) provides support for Public Health Emergency Response both domestically and internationally through personnel deployments and remote access. EHA works with the CDC’s Center for Global Health (CGH) via a five-year IDIQ contract vehicle which covers training, digital/print/broadcast communications, and research. Our specialists offer comprehensive public health emergency communication, epidemiology, data science, and diagnostic services for infectious diseases and other public health threats to all countries including West Africa, Puerto Rico, and most recently on a global scale in response to SARS-CoV-2. In 2020, EHA experts are actively working with the CDC’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and the Joint Information Center (JIC) to reduce the impact of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19).

OPIOID OVERDOSE EPIDEMIC

EHA works with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state partners to help combat the national opioid overdose epidemic through Overdose Data to Action (OD2A), a three-year cooperative agreement between the CDC and the health departments of 47 states, Washington DC, two territories, and 16 cities. This initiative involves the collection and analysis of a wide range of data to improve preventative measures and accelerate the response to the epidemic. Our epidemiologists and data scientists support research related to Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) via CDC’s Secure Access Management Services (SAMS) network and through expertise in SAS, Access, and RedCAP; additional areas of focus include prenatal alcohol, opioid, and other substance exposures. EHA also provides communication support, data management support, education support, and contributions that support patient safety including clinical support (e.g., pharmacological, on-site clinic meetings).

PREGNANCY & BIRTH DEFECTS TASK FORCE (PBD) – ZIKA

In response to the public health threat caused by the Zika virus, the CDC activated the Zika Emergency Operations Center (Zika EOC) on January 24, 2016. The Pregnancy and Birth Defects Task Force (PBD) is an operational unit of the Zika EOC which focuses on tracking, understanding, and monitoring the health outcomes of pregnant women and their children who may have been exposed to the virus.

EHA was selected by CDC leadership to internationally deploy public health professionals for the Zika response in Colombia, Puerto Rico, and Brazil.

EHA is uniquely qualified to carry out these essential functions on site on a global scale. We meet and surpass mission requirements by organizing highly specialized teams that expertly navigate foreign work environments to implement public health objectives at the source of the outbreak.

We provided a wide of array of support to the CDC’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Pregnancy and Birth Defects Task Force during Zika response. EHA’s support includes the following:

• IT and Surveillance

• Epidemiology/Data Management

• Field-based Laboratory and Microbiology expertise

• Communication/message development

• Pediatric clinical support

• Bio-statistical support

EBOLA OUTBREAK IN WEST AFRICA (2014-2016)

On March 23, 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in southeastern Guinea, which quickly spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone. The 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic was the largest in history and affected both rural areas and densely population urban centers. The WHO designated the situation in West Africa a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on August 8, 2014, and additional infections were identified in Italy, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

EHA participated in the global, cooperative public health response to EVD in West Africa and domestically. Our public health professionals and scientists provided support to WHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through international deployments to multiple sites in West Africa; EHA personnel also provided remote support on-site at the CDC. EHA support included health communications, laboratory diagnostics, novel point-of-care (POC) testing, program management, and clinical support. The professionals supplied by EHA remained engaged in the fight against EVD through the completion of the task; PHEIC status was lifted on March 29, 2016.

MIDDLE EAST RESPIRATORY SYNDROME (MERS)

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) was first identified in Saudi Arabia in September 2012 and subsequently found to have originated in Jordan in April 2012. MERS is caused by a coronavirus called Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and is a severe respiratory illness with 58% mortality at 90 days. To date, all cases of MERS have been linked through travel to, or residence in, countries in and near the Arabian Peninsula.

EHA personnel worked closely in the CDC’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and in the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine (DGMQ) to address this public health threat. EHA health communication personal accurately drafted and disseminated information. Our scientists and epidemiologists put boots to the ground and deployed to many airport/travel screening locations, met one-on-one with individuals with laboratory-confirmed cases of MERS, and performed thorough contact tracing to identify the pattern of transmission and minimize the international public health burden. Experiences gathered in EHA’s response to MERS were also applied to later epidemic and pandemic responses including our work with SARS-CoV-2.

PRESIDENT'S EMERGENCY PLAN FOR AIDS RELIEF (PEPFAR)

Since 2010, EHA personnel supported CDC’s International Laboratory Branch (ILB) in their mission to address the global HIV/AIDS epidemic and mitigate suffering caused by the disease. The ILB is the sole CDC implementor of PEPFAR internationally. Our work includes HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention, and research, and EHA personnel recently reached the milestone achievement of providing training to all PEPFAR countries in Africa. Since its inception in 2003, PEPFAR is credited with saving approximately 17 million lives with significant success in Sub-Saharan Africa.

TRACKING AND CONTAINING PANDEMICS

The CDC’s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine (DGMQ) works to prevent infectious diseases and other diseases of public health significance from entering and disseminating in the United States. To accomplish this goal, EHA provides a large staff of public health professionals focused on:

• Developing and maintaining infectious disease surveillance systems for immigrant, refugee, and migrant populations coming to the United States;

• Conducting disease surveillance and outbreak investigations;

• Providing leadership and technical assistance in response to outbreaks;

• Disseminating health information on migrants and refugees to state and local public health partners through the Electronic Disease Notification system for follow-up care;

• Overseeing the Migrant Serum Bank, a collection of anonymous immigrant and refugee blood specimens from which samples can be requested for research.