Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Detection and Characterization of Sentinel Enhanced Dengue Surveillance System (SEDSS) Sites to Evaluate the Epidemiology and Prevention of Dengue and other Acute Febrile Illnesses in Puerto Rico Solicitatio | RFA CK 15 00203CONT17

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CK 15 00203CONT17

This funding opportunity is a CDC (Department of Health and Human Services) continuation solicitation focused on maintaining and strengthening the Sentinel Enhanced Dengue Surveillance System (SEDSS) in Puerto Rico. The central purpose is to support ongoing detection and detailed characterization of dengue cases and other acute febrile illnesses through selected sentinel surveillance sites, so CDC and partners can better understand how dengue is spreading, what populations are most affected, how severe disease presents, and how well prevention and control measures are working in real-world settings. In practical terms, the opportunity is designed to keep a network of strategically chosen clinical or health care sites operating at a higher-intensity surveillance level than routine reporting systems, with an emphasis on timely case identification and collection of information that can inform public health action.

The award mechanism is listed as a Cooperative Agreement and Grant, which typically indicates that CDC expects to have substantial involvement in the work, such as providing technical guidance, coordinating protocols, helping standardize data collection, and ensuring results are comparable across sites. The funding activity category is Health, and the CFDA program number is 93.283, aligning the award with CDC public health surveillance and related activities. The opportunity is labeled as “Continuation,” meaning it is intended to extend or continue previously supported work rather than start an entirely new, unrelated project; applicants generally need to be positioned to continue operating or expanding an established surveillance effort consistent with CDC objectives.

The solicitation targets work in Puerto Rico and emphasizes both epidemiology and prevention evaluation. That combination suggests the surveillance is not only meant to count cases, but also to describe patterns over time (such as seasonal trends and geographic distribution), identify risk factors and clinical characteristics, and generate evidence useful for prevention strategies. Because the title explicitly includes “other Acute Febrile Illnesses,” the supported activities likely encompass differential diagnosis and broader fever surveillance to distinguish dengue from other causes of fever, strengthen situational awareness, and reduce misclassification. In a sentinel setting, this often includes systematic enrollment or testing of patients meeting a fever or dengue-like illness definition, collection of demographic and clinical data, and use of laboratory diagnostics to confirm dengue and possibly detect other pathogens.

Eligibility is indicated as “Others,” with a note to consult additional eligibility details in the full announcement. In CDC opportunities, this phrasing commonly means eligibility may include specific institutions such as local governmental entities, public health or academic institutions, hospitals, laboratories, or other organizations with the capacity to conduct surveillance and laboratory-supported case detection. The expectation of multiple awards (10 expected) suggests CDC intended to support several sites or partner organizations, potentially reflecting different geographic areas, health systems, or operational roles (for example, clinical sentinel sites, laboratory partners, or coordinating entities).

Key administrative details provided include the Funding Opportunity Number RFA CK 15 00203CONT17, a creation date of February 9, 2017, and an original closing date of April 24, 2017. The “Award Ceiling” is listed as 0, which usually indicates that the maximum award amount was not specified in the summary record and would need to be confirmed in the full funding announcement or in continuation guidance. The combination of a continuation mechanism, cooperative agreement structure, and a multi-award plan signals an emphasis on sustaining a coordinated surveillance network where CDC can compare data across locations and time, rapidly detect changes in dengue activity, and use findings to guide public health recommendations in Puerto Rico.

Overall, the opportunity supports enhanced, sentinel-based dengue surveillance capacity in Puerto Rico to produce higher-quality, more actionable data than routine systems typically provide. The intended outcome is stronger evidence on dengue epidemiology and the impact of prevention and control approaches, with the added benefit of improving detection and understanding of other fever-causing illnesses that can overlap clinically with dengue and complicate response efforts.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Detection and Characterization of Sentinel Enhanced Dengue Surveillance System (SEDSS) Sites to Evaluate the Epidemiology and Prevention of Dengue and other Acute Febrile Illnesses in Puerto Rico Solicitatio" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.283.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 09, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 24, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for RFA CK 15 00203CONT17

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