Praecipio International

Praecipio International

is a non-profit corporation dedicated to providing accurate and actionable information for public health crises and natural disasters, with the intent of promoting well-informed responses to these situations.

Praecipio International was founded by biosurveillance professionals with decades of operational experience. The founding members have developed and operationalized unique, effective methodology for providing forecasting, early warning and tactical coverage of infectious disease activity and emerging biological threats.

Improving Global Health

Praecipio International is a non-profit corporation engaging in operational biosurveillance to improve global health and international security against biological threats. Our team has developed an infectious disease forecasting system, operationalized methodology to provide early warning for emerging public health crises, and continues to provide timely, actionable situational awareness to responders and decision-makers.

An example of recent work is the response by Praecipio International to the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Within hours of the known disaster, Praecipio International operationalized biosurveillance activities for the greater Port-au-Prince area and later created and maintained the Haiti Epidemic Advisory System (HEAS), which is still active today. Praecipio International is currently engaged in similar operational activities to support relief work in Pakistan.

Praecipio International maintains the capability to respond to natural disasters, laboratory accidents and emerging infectious disease crises worldwide. Our forecasting system, early warning methodology and reliable situational awareness continue to promote effective mitigation and response to biological threats globally.

Praecipio International personnel have extensive experience in infectious disease warning and analysis.

Here is a list of highlights from previous work:

• Tracking the emergence of West Nile virus in the mid-Atlantic region. (2002)
• Operational biosurveillance support to the 2004 tsunami disaster response theater.
• Detection of SARS laboratory accident in Taiwan. (2004)
• Detection of Marburg hemorrhagic fever in Angola for the first time in history. (2005)
• Detection of streptococcus suis in swine and humans in China. (2005)
• Detection of PRRS in swine in China with subsequent impact on global heparin production. (2005)
• The spread of H5N1 avian influenza in Asia, Europe, and Africa. (2005 and 2006)
• Detection of Ebola hemorrhagic fever outbreaks in Africa. (2006)
• First forecast and detection of Rift Valley fever in East Africa. (2006)
• Detection of foot-and-mouth disease laboratory accident at Pirbright, UK. (2007)
• Detection of Reston filovirus (and Ebola relative) in the Philippines with subsequent impact on pork futures. (2008)
• First team in the world to detect and warn of the Mexico crisis, later found to be the beginning of the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. (2009)
• First known time of Twitter use to issue warning of an international public health emergency. (2009)
• First known time of online social network (Ozmosis.com) use to alert healthcare providers of an international public health emergency. (2009)
• First known creation of an international critical care physician network to report the progress of an international public health emergency. (2009)
• Provision of operational biosurveillance support to the Haiti disaster response effort. (2010)
• First known time biosurveillance analysts have acted in real-time information fusion and maintenance of a meteorology-inspired warning system for disaster response. (2010)
• First known time biosurveillance analysts have produced Critical Information Requirements to influence reporting of disease in a disaster response theater. (2010)
• First known time biosurveillance analysts have led the configuration of SMS text collection and active disease reporting by the affected public in a disaster response theater. (2010)
• Successful forecasts issued to-date for infectious disease challenges currently observed in the Haiti disaster response theater. (2010)