A Preparedness Model for Mother-Baby Linked Longitudinal Surveillance for Emerging Threats

Area of Science:

• Public Health Surveillance
• Maternal and Child Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Existing public health infrastructure struggles to track the impact of emergencies on pregnant women and infants.
• Limited national mechanisms exist for linking mother-baby pairs to monitor long-term health effects.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched the Surveillance for Emerging Threats to Mothers and Babies Network (SET-NET) initiative in 2019.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe an expanded surveillance approach for monitoring emerging health threats during pregnancy.
• To leverage and modernize existing surveillance systems for improved data collection.
• To address the impact of health threats on pregnant women and their infants.

Main Methods:

• Mother-baby pairs identified prospectively during pregnancy or retrospectively via infant linkage.
• Data sourced from existing systems including electronic medical records, vital statistics, and laboratory reports.
• Utilizes a structured approach with four relational datasets: maternal, pregnancy/birth, infant/child follow-up, and laboratory testing.

Main Results:

• Selected variables capture maternal demographics, health history, pregnancy/infant outcomes, and laboratory results.
• Includes exposure-specific modules for hepatitis C, syphilis, and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
• Child health outcomes are monitored up to the second birthday.

Conclusions:

• SET-NET establishes population-based, mother-baby linked longitudinal surveillance.
• The system rapidly adapted to COVID-19 surveillance needs.
• Data generated by SET-NET informs clinical guidance, strengthens public health action, and reduces adverse outcomes for mothers and infants.