ISDS Annual Conference Proceedings 2019. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons 

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Online Journal of Public Health Informatics * ISSN 1947-2579 * http://ojphi.org * 11(1): e328, 2019 

 

ISDS 2019 Conference Abstracts 

Surveillance on Arboviral Infections in Georgia by using One 
Health Approach 

Giorgi Chakhunashvili, David Tsereteli 

Communicable Diseases, National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, Tbilisi, Georgia 

Objective 

Identify cases of West Nile virus in Black Sea region of Georgia through active surveillance. 

Introduction 

Arbovirus infections are causing enormous global burden, while their geographic distribution expands and affects new regions and 
areas. West Nile virus (WNV), one of the most important pathogens among arboviruses, was historically associated with causing 
mild febrile illness, however, after the outbreak occurred in the North America, which caused more severe illness, it has received 
wider recognition. It is believed that the disease can reemerge after a hiatus of several years, and affect new territories, which has 
happened in 2018 in Greece, with 31 dead among 271 infections by the end of September. In Georgia, there is a lack of clinical 
suspicion on WNV because of the low awareness among medical society, and the existent passive surveillance system seems to be  
improved. 

Methods 

In order to assess the situation in Georgia, medical histories and Electronic Integrated Disease Surveillance System (EIDSS) 

database was studied, and active surveillance has been conducted with the following case selection criteria: residence - Black Sea 
region; diagnosis - fever of unknown origin (FUO). 

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed. Mosquitoes were obtained by using light traps and aspirators, and 
are now being studied. Medical personnel was trained on using WNV case definition. 

Results 

Three laboratory positive cases were identified from 36 suspected cases. Two of them were males (66%). Age distribution – 28-35 
y.o. All three cases resided in the city of Batumi in the Adjara region. A total of 572 mosquitoes were obtained. According t o 
preliminary analysis, the species include: Culex pipiens, Aedes albopictus, A. aegypti, A. caspius, A. geniculatus, Anopheles 

claviger. 

Conclusions 

The preliminary data suggests that the burden of WNV in Georgia should be studied with more in-depth approaches and with just 
passive surveillance activities. It is very important to establish coordinated rapid efforts for disease identification by ph ysicians and 
veterinarians; and to provide better harmonization of diagnostic tools and integrated national surveillance syst em. Disease 
transmission risk needs to be assessed for adequate planning of preventive measures. At this stage, no animals were studied, 
however, in order to fulfill the One Health approach, we are planning to study horses in the near future. 

Acknowledgement 

The activities were supported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We thank CDC for providing 

technical and financial assistance. 

 

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