Rapidly Responding to Human Parvovirus B19
Our team responded to calls from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to investigate a recent human parvovirus B19 outbreak, which impacted mothers and babies in Minnesota and across the nation. Human parvovirus B19 (B19) is a seasonal respiratory virus that typically causes mild, flu-like symptoms. While most people experience mild infections, B19 can cause rare but severe outcomes among fetuses when pregnant individuals are infected in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. Fetal outcomes can include severe anemia, hydrops fetalis, miscarriage, and stillbirth.
In July 2024, MDH was alerted to a potential uptick in severe fetal complications related to parvovirus B19. However, because parvovirus B19 is not a reportable disease, there was little to no data to inform public health decision-making.
“This is excellent work and an incredibly important model of academia working collaboratively with a health department to translate academic modeling and analytics into applied public health action with impact on our communities.” – MDH Epidemiologist
Our Work
MADMC undertook a multi-pronged approach to support MDH and Minnesota health systems by combining electronic health record (EHR) analytics and mathematical scenario modeling to inform our understanding of the B19 outbreak. Our response included:
- Leveraging our partnership with the Minnesota Electronic Health Record Consortium to pull statewide EHR data to verify the recent surge in B19 cases across the state.
- Developing a user-friendly tool to estimate the number of B19 cases among pregnant individuals in local jurisdictions under different epidemiological scenarios.
- Evaluating the potential impact of implementing an EHR-based surveillance system for B19 to better track outbreaks and improve detection of maternal B19 infections.
- Investigating the outcomes of potential clinical interventions, such as routine screening in the first trimester of pregnancy and hypothetical vaccination to prevent B19 infection.
- Collaborating with experts and public health officials at MDH, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, M Health Fairview, University of Minnesota (UMN) School of Public Health, and UMN School of Medicine.
MADMC’s work on B19 kick-started additional collaborative projects with MDH staff who recognized the value of integrating advanced analytics and modeling into traditional public health operations. Our work was presented at the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists 2025 Annual Meeting and the Society for Medical Decision Making 2025 Annual Meeting. Three additional publications are forthcoming in addition to a special issue of the prestigious Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
Related Resources
- Contag S, Dufort EM, Lim S, Winkleman T, Zipprich J, Erickson L, Anacker M, Rai N, Ojo K, Kvasager D, Kunerth H, Dudley A, Gahr P, Bergmann K, Chamberlain A, Martins S, Waring S, Westgard B, Sweet K, Lynfield R. Notes from the Field: Human Parvovirus B19 Infections Among Pregnant Persons — Minnesota, January–September 2024. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2024;73:1087–1089.
- Sivakumar R, Kaufmann M, Wheatley M, Zang X, Erickson L, Dufort E, Lim S, Zipprich J, Duarte H, Kvasager D, Gahr P, Contag S, Sweet K, Enns E, Lynfield R. Human Parvovirus B19 Rapid Response Investigation and Scenario Modeling. Annual Meeting of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. 2025. Grand Rapids, MI.
- Sivakumar R, Wheatley M, Kaufmann M, Zang X, Erickson L, Duarte H, Kvasager D, Dufort E, Lim S, Lynfield R, Gahr P, Zipprich J, Contag S, Sweet K, Enns E. Scenario Modeling to Estimate Burden of Disease of Parvovirus B19 and Impact of EHR Surveillance. Society for Medical Decision Making Annual Meeting. 2025. Ann Arbor, MI.
- Kaufmann M, Sivakumar R, Wheatley M, Zang X, Erickson L, Duarte H, Kvasager D, Dufort E, Lim S, Lynfield R, Gahr P, Zipprich J, Contag S, Sweet K, Enns E. Impact of human parvovirus B19 screening and hypothetical vaccination among pregnant people: a simulation study. Society for Medical Decision Making Annual Meeting. 2025. Ann Arbor, MI.
