ABSTRACT
Given its location in the southeastern United States, North Carolina has historically experienced high summertime temperatures. A certain degree of heat is expected in the South and has been dealt with architecturallythrough the use of vaulted ceilings, east-to-west ventilation patterns, and covered outdoor porches-and culturally-through the slower pace of society. Over the latter half of the 20th century, in-migration from other areas of the United States and immigration from other parts of the world have changed these traditional patterns of living and added vast tracks of suburbia in key urban areas of the state. Since 1980, North Carolina’s population has increased by more than 3 million people, or 55% (North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center 2005; U.S. Census Bureau 1995). Over this time, North Carolina has grown more densely populated and more urban, and residents of North Carolina are increasingly transplants from other parts of the United States (North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center 2005). Given the faster pace of modern society, many of the newer generation of transplanted North Carolinians might lack the protective cultural habits
CONTENTS
16.1 Introduction ............................................................................................... 313 16.2 What Is Syndromic Surveillance? ........................................................... 315 16.3 The North Carolina Disease Event Tracking and Epidemiological
Collection Tool ......................................................................................... 317 16.4 “Exactly What You Go to School For” ....................................................318 16.5 Conclusions ................................................................................................ 324 References ............................................................................................................ 325
of older generations, such as slowing down and seeking shelter when the weather is oppressively hot.
