Surveillance Flashcards
What are the major surveillance methods?
Mandatory reports of certain diseases by clinicians; reports by laboratories; sentinel surveillance systems; periodic prevalence surveys; vital records; secondary analysis of data sets collected for other purposes
Eyes and ears of public health
Surveillance
Why is it difficult to obtain vital records?
Not all deaths are seen/ reported/ witnessed by a doctor; incorrect records of underlying cause of death
What are the key elements of surveillance systems?
Detection and notification of health event; investigation and confirmation; collection of data; analysis and interpretation of data; feedback and dissemination of results; response - actions for prevention and control
What are the considerations in planning public health surveys?
Measure of disease’s seriousness; current burden on society; potential burden on society; preventability
What is a “case” in terms of surveillance?
Depend on clinical diagnosis, laboratory results, demographic information, or any other agreed attribute; can be defined with different degrees of certainty; must be standardized
Case compatible with the clinical description
Suspected disease
Case compatible with clinical description and is confirmed by laboratory test
Confirmed case
Case compatible with clinical description and with supportive serology
Probable case
Criteria for disease selection
High disease impact; significant epidemic potential; specific target of a national, regional or international control program; obtained information will lead to lead to significant public health action
Give uses of surveillance
To monitor incidence and case fatality rate; to detect outbreak; to measure effectiveness of program; to identify specific species of infectious disease; to know services to be offered;
A hospital-based information system that monitors occurrence of 14 infectious disease with outbreak potential
National epidemic sentinel surveillance system
What are the diseases under surveillance?
Cholera, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, malaria, typhoid fever
Who are at risk of HIV?
Long distance truck drivers; police workers
What are the risk factors of HIV?
Multiple sex partners; IDU; STI; sharing of needles
