Disease surveillance
Disease Surveillance
Disease surveillance (pronunciation: dih-zeez suhr-vuh-luhns) is a systematic approach to collecting, analyzing, and interpreting health data in order to track disease patterns, identify potential health threats, and guide public health policy and programs.
Etymology
The term "disease surveillance" is derived from the French word surveiller, which means "to watch over". In the context of public health, it refers to the monitoring of disease occurrence and spread.
Definition
Disease surveillance involves the ongoing systematic collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of health data. This information is used to help guide public health action to reduce morbidity and mortality and to improve health.
Types of Disease Surveillance
There are several types of disease surveillance, including:
- Passive surveillance: This is the most common type of surveillance, where health care providers report notifiable diseases to health departments.
- Active surveillance: In this type, health department staff may contact health care providers to seek information about diseases.
- Sentinel surveillance: A system used to monitor disease trends over time in selected population groups.
- Syndromic surveillance: This type uses health-related data that precedes diagnosis to signal a sufficient probability of a case or an outbreak.
Importance of Disease Surveillance
Disease surveillance is crucial for:
- Detecting, verifying, and responding to health threats
- Tracking disease trends and epidemiological changes
- Evaluating and guiding public health interventions and policies
- Providing a factual basis for public health decision-making and planning
Related Terms
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Disease surveillance
- Wikipedia's article - Disease surveillance
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