HHS · no agency ID · record R0697

AI-Powered web scanner for digital surveillance of rabies-related news articles

Department of Health and Human Services · HHS/CDC

Overview

Development stage: PilotSource: b) Pilot – The use case has been deployed in a limited test or pilot capacity.
High-impact designation: Not high-impactSource: c) Not high-impact
Impact justification: Not reported
Start date: 2025-05 (month precision)Source: May-25
Withheld from public reporting: NoSource: a) No

Mission

Topic area: Health and Medical
Operational functions: No function tag matched Derived by keyword rules; see methodology

Problem the AI is intended to solve

US travelers to international destinations are often exposed to rabies, and in some cases have died upon return to the US. Accurate and early identification of rabies outbreaks can help inform US travelers pre-travel healthcare and vaccine decisions. Unfortunately, surveillance for and transparency of rabies outbreaks in international settings is unreliable and rarely reported through official government channels.

Expected benefits

This scanner offers a low-resource method of scanning media for evidence of rabies outbreaks that jeopardize US traveler's health, faster and more reliably than relying on formal notifications or announcement from foreign governments.

System outputs

Daily automated compilation of news reports with potential outbreaks, high-risk rabies exposures, species involvement, etc.

Technology

AI classification: Agentic AISource: Agentic AI: AI systems that perform tasks or make decisions autonomously with minimal human intervention.
System name(s): Not reported
Custom-developed code: No
Public source code: Not reported

Sourcing

How it was built: Developed in-houseSource: b) Developed in-house
Vendor (as reported): Not reported
Vendors (standardized): None on the standard list

A vendor is the supplier named by the agency. It does not identify the underlying model or AI technology.

Data and privacy

Involves PII: No
Privacy Impact Assessment: Not reported
Authorization to Operate: No
Demographic features: k) None of the above
Training and evaluation data: Not reported
Federal Data Catalog: Not reported

Governance

0 of 8 minimum-practice questions answered. A blank answer means the agency reported nothing; it does not mean the practice is absent.

Pre-deployment testingNo answer reported

AI impact assessmentNo answer reported

Independent reviewNo answer reported

Ongoing monitoringNo answer reported

Operator trainingNo answer reported

Fail-safeNo answer reported

Appeal processNo answer reported

User and public consultationNo answer reported

Potential impacts and how they were identified

Not reported