Disease surveillance
Disease surveillance is an epidemiological practice by which the spread of disease is monitored in order to establish patterns of progression. The main role of disease surveillance is to predict, observe, and minimize the harm caused by outbreak, epidemic, and pandemic situations, as well as increase knowledge about which factors contribute to such circumstances.
A key part of modern disease surveillance is the practice of disease case reporting.
History[edit | edit source]
Disease surveillance was first implemented in France in 1850 by Dr. Louis-René Villermé, who used it to study the correlation between economic status and cholera prevalence.
Types of Surveillance[edit | edit source]
There are several types of disease surveillance including passive surveillance, active surveillance, sentinel surveillance, and syndromic surveillance.
Passive Surveillance[edit | edit source]
In passive surveillance, laboratories and health care providers send reports to a health department on the basis of a set of rules and regulations. While it is low cost, it may underestimate the prevalence of a disease and there may be delays in the notification of health departments.
Active Surveillance[edit | edit source]
In active surveillance, the health department is proactive and contacts health care providers or laboratories requesting information about diseases.
Sentinel Surveillance[edit | edit source]
Sentinel surveillance is used when high-quality data are needed about a particular disease that cannot be obtained through passive surveillance.
Syndromic Surveillance[edit | edit source]
Syndromic surveillance is the analysis of medical data to detect or anticipate disease outbreaks. It is a relatively new type of surveillance that can be used to detect outbreaks of new diseases, as well as to monitor the rate of diseases already present in the population.
Benefits[edit | edit source]
Disease surveillance allows for the monitoring of disease trends over time and the identification of populations or regions at high risk. It also helps in the early detection of outbreaks and in the evaluation of control measures.
Challenges[edit | edit source]
Despite its benefits, disease surveillance faces several challenges including logistical difficulties, lack of resources, and issues related to data management and interpretation.
See Also[edit | edit source]
Disease surveillance Resources | |
---|---|
|
Search WikiMD
Ad.Tired of being Overweight? Try W8MD's physician weight loss program.
Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro / Zepbound) available.
Advertise on WikiMD
WikiMD's Wellness Encyclopedia |
Let Food Be Thy Medicine Medicine Thy Food - Hippocrates |
Translate this page: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
தமிழ்,
తెలుగు,
Urdu,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
বাংলা
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
Greek,
português do Brasil,
polski,
română,
русский,
Nederlands,
norsk,
svenska,
suomi,
Italian
Middle Eastern & African
عربى,
Turkish,
Persian,
Hebrew,
Afrikaans,
isiZulu,
Kiswahili,
Other
Bulgarian,
Hungarian,
Czech,
Swedish,
മലയാളം,
मराठी,
ਪੰਜਾਬੀ,
ગુજરાતી,
Portuguese,
Ukrainian
Medical Disclaimer: WikiMD is not a substitute for professional medical advice. The information on WikiMD is provided as an information resource only, may be incorrect, outdated or misleading, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. WikiMD expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site. By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions, which may from time to time be changed or supplemented by WikiMD. If you do not agree to the foregoing terms and conditions, you should not enter or use this site. See full disclaimer.
Credits:Most images are courtesy of Wikimedia commons, and templates Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY SA or similar.
Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD