[Electronic transmission of epidemiologic data and monitoring of the chikungunya virus epidemic in Reunion Island, 2006].

Introduction: When the first cases of the 2005-2006 chikungunya epidemic struck Reunion Island, local health authorities set up an island-wide operational epidemiologic surveillance system for these infections. This system relied on vector control teams, which conducted active case-finding around the reported cases, and on a sentinel physician network. In addition, in March 2006, the Sephira and Reunion-Telecom companies, in partnership with the Reunion-Mayotte interregional epidemiology bureau (CIRE), developed an innovative system of epidemiologic monitoring by electronic data transmission.

Nitrate movement in shallow ground water from swine-lagoon-effluent spray fields managed under current application regulations.

Rapid increases in the swine (Sus scrofa domestica) population in the 1990s and associated potential for nitrate N pollution of surface waters led the state of North Carolina to adopt stringent waste management regulations in 1993. Our objectives were to characterize (i) nitrate N movement from waste application fields (WAFs) in shallow ground water, and (ii) soil, hydrologic, and biological factors influencing the amount of nitrate N in the adjacent stream. A ground water monitoring study was conducted for 36 mo on a swine farm managed under new regulations.

Nitrogen availability of anaerobic swine lagoon sludge: sludge source effects.

Increased numbers of swine producers will be removing sludge from their anaerobic waste treatment lagoons in the next few years, due to sludge exceeding designed storage capacity. Information on availability of nitrogen (N) in the sludge is needed to improve application recommendations for crops. The objective of this study was to investigate possible effects of different companies and types of swine operations on the availability of N in sludge from their associated lagoons.