Disease surveillance

Question 1

Definition of public health surveillance?

Answer 1

The ongoing, collection, analysis, & interpretation of health-related data essential to planning, implementation, & evaluation of public health practice, closely integrated w/ the timely dissemination of these data to those responsible for prevention & control

Question 2

What is surveillance used to monitor?

Answer 2

Traditional:

• Infectious diseases
• Non-communicable diseases
• Environmental hazards

now also for:

• health service uptake
• Injuries

Question 3

What does surveillance allow us to do?

Answer 3

• Detect sudden changes in disease occurrence and distribution
• Monitor changes in disease prevalence over time
• Monitor changes in health behaviours
• Identify priorities
• Inform programmes and policies

Question 4

Steps in surveillance?

Answer 4

• Detect - usually in a hospital or clinic
• Code - store data
• Analyse
• Disseminate
• Action

Question 5

Definition of incidence?

Answer 5

The rate of occurrence of new cases

Question 6

Definition of prevalence?

Answer 6

the proportion of cases in the population at a given time

Question 7

Definition of mortality rate?

Answer 7

a measure of the frequency of occurrence of death in

a defined population during a specified interval.

Question 8

Definition of case fatality rate?

Answer 8

a measure of deaths assigned to a specific cause

during a given time interval, relative to the total number of cases.

Question 9

Definition of endemic?

Answer 9

The habitual presence of a disease w/in a given geographical area

Question 10

Definition of epidemic?

Answer 10

A serious outbreak in a single community, population or region

Question 11

Definition of pandemic?

Answer 11

an epidemic which is spreading around world affecting hundreds/ thousands of people across may countries

Question 12

Definition of outbreak?

Answer 12

A sudden increase in occurrences of disease

Question 13

Definition of epidemic curve?

Answer 13

A graphical representation of the number of cases that occur over time.

Question 14

How to measure health of population?

Answer 14

• Incidence & prevalence
• Mortality rate (prematernal, perinatal, infant etc) & case fatality rate – data collected from death certificates
• Births – birth certificate
• Life expectancy
• Quality of life

Question 15

What is international classification of disease?

Answer 15

• A standard set of codes used to record the diagnosis of a condition or injuries.
• Each condition has a different code, but the same code is used by all health professionals globally.
• Enables us to monitor the global prevalence of disease.
• Provides health authorities with the reasons why people get sick and die.

Question 16

What is global burden of disease?

Answer 16

It gives a picture of the health status of the world at a global, regional, national & local level.
- 140 nations to quantify what makes us ill.

Helps to answer 3 questions:

- What are the world's major health problems?
- How well is society addressing those problems?
- How do we best allocate resources to maximise health improvements?

It helps to:

- prioritise government spending
- influence policy decisions
- inspiring new areas of health research

Socially - gives the people the evidence to demand political commitment to health.

Economically - investing in health helps drive GDP - the GBD health work out which are the best health investments.

Politically - encourages action by politicians