Strengthening the Early-Warning Function of the Surveillance System: The Macedonian Experience

2010 ◽  
pp. 45-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisaveta Stikova ◽  
Dragan Gjorgjev ◽  
Zarko Karadzovski
Keyword(s):  
Early Warning ◽  
Surveillance System

scholarly journals Towards an integrated animal health surveillance system in Tanzania: making better use of existing and potential data sources for early warning surveillance

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Janeth George ◽  
Barbara Häsler ◽  
Erick Komba ◽  
Calvin Sindato ◽  
Mark Rweyemamu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Warning ◽  
Surveillance System ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Health Surveillance ◽  
Surveillance Data ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Traceability System ◽  
Spatial Coverage

Abstract Background Effective animal health surveillance systems require reliable, high-quality, and timely data for decision making. In Tanzania, the animal health surveillance system has been relying on a few data sources, which suffer from delays in reporting, underreporting, and high cost of data collection and transmission. The integration of data from multiple sources can enhance early detection and response to animal diseases and facilitate the early control of outbreaks. This study aimed to identify and assess existing and potential data sources for the animal health surveillance system in Tanzania and how they can be better used for early warning surveillance. The study used a mixed-method design to identify and assess data sources. Data were collected through document reviews, internet search, cross-sectional survey, key informant interviews, site visits, and non-participant observation. The assessment was done using pre-defined criteria. Results A total of 13 data sources were identified and assessed. Most surveillance data came from livestock farmers, slaughter facilities, and livestock markets; while animal dip sites were the least used sources. Commercial farms and veterinary shops, electronic surveillance tools like AfyaData and Event Mobile Application (EMA-i) and information systems such as the Tanzania National Livestock Identification and Traceability System (TANLITS) and Agricultural Routine Data System (ARDS) show potential to generate relevant data for the national animal health surveillance system. The common variables found across most sources were: the name of the place (12/13), animal type/species (12/13), syndromes (10/13) and number of affected animals (8/13). The majority of the sources had good surveillance data contents and were accessible with medium to maximum spatial coverage. However, there was significant variation in terms of data frequency, accuracy and cost. There were limited integration and coordination of data flow from the identified sources with minimum to non-existing automated data entry and transmission. Conclusion The study demonstrated how the available data sources have great potential for early warning surveillance in Tanzania. Both existing and potential data sources had complementary strengths and weaknesses; a multi-source surveillance system would be best placed to harness these different strengths.

scholarly journals Early warning epidemic surveillance in the Pacific island nations: an evaluation of the Pacific syndromic surveillance system

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 917-927 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam T. Craig ◽  
Mike Kama ◽  
Marcus Samo ◽  
Saine Vaai ◽  
Jane Matanaicake ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Warning ◽  
Surveillance System ◽  
Syndromic Surveillance ◽  
Pacific Island ◽  
Syndromic Surveillance System ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Pacific Island Nations

scholarly journals A Novel Hotel-based Syndromic Surveillance System for the Caribbean Region

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Edwin ◽  
Lisa Indar
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Early Warning ◽  
Surveillance System ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Regional Health ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Real Time Data ◽  
The Caribbean

ObjectiveTo describe the Caribbean Public Health Agency’s (CARPHA)Tourism and Health Information System (THiS), a web-basedsyndromic surveillance system to increase the capacity of Caribbeancountries to monitor the health of visitors and staff in hotels, anddetect potential infectious disease outbreaks for early and coordinatedpublic health response.IntroductionThe tourism industry is highly vulnerable to Health, Safety, andEnvironmental Sanitation (HSE) threats. The Caribbean is the mosttourism dependent region in the world, with over 54.2 million stay-over and cruise ship arrivals in 2015, generating revenues of $US29.6billion and contributing to 15% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)and 2,255,000 jobs [1]. Tourists and staff are at an increased risk ofacquiring infectious diseases, given the mass-gathering of individualswith varying levels of susceptibility and often times in close quartersin hotels and cruise ships. To prevent the spread of infectious diseasesin these settings, early warning and response to potential publichealth threats is essential. To increase the capacity of countries in theCaribbean monitor and protect the health of tourists and staff in theirhotel establishments, THiS was designed as an early warning systemfor infectious disease outbreaks.MethodsCARPHA launched the Regional Tourism Health Information,Monitoring and Response System in 2016 with donor fundingreceived from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Theoverall objective of THMRS project from 2016-2018 is to improveparticipating country’s capacity to provide cost-effective and qualityhealth, food safety and environmental solutions to HSE threats.As part of the THMRS project, the development of a hotel-basedsyndromic surveillance system for early warning and response toinfectious diseases was developed.THiS was developed in collaboration with six participating IDBcountries: Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidadand Tobago. The implementation plan (2016-2018) with each countryinvolved three stages:1) Project Operations, Coordination, Management (includingAdvocacy, and Endorsement)2) Development of the project outputs: gap analysis and bestpractices; development of surveillance guidelines and trainingmodules, HSE Standards3) Implementation in participating countries (i.e. technical visits,ongoing technical coordination): Preparation, Buy-in, Training andLaunchThe web-based design of THiS enables the collection of real-time data which will inform health service delivery decisions/policies, strengthen national and regional health monitoring efforts,and trigger a rapid coordinated response to outbreaks, and preventescalation of tourism HSE incidents. The system involves a web-based questionnaire with a series of 11 short questions that ask theuser for basic non-identifiable demographic information as well assymptoms. The reported symptoms are used by the system to generatesix syndromes: Gastroenteritis, Undifferentiated Fever, HemorrhagicFever, Fever with Neurologic symptoms. Fever with Respiratorysymptoms, Fever with Rash.Data entry persons include hotel staff, physicians, and the case.Access to anlaytic dashboards of the aggregated data is limited toregistered hotel staff (i.e. Managers), the Ministry of Health of thecountry where the hotel reporting is located, and CARPHA.The limited level of baseline data for syndromes in the Caribbeanregion means that statistical aberration detection mechanisms formost syndromes will not be available until THiS collects at least oneyear’s worth of data. However, for acute gastroenteritis, until a moreaccurate threshold can be generated, a cut-off of 3% ill (staff andguests) will be used for alerting potential outbreaks. This is scheduledto be live and functional beginning in hotel facilities in Trinidad andTobago at the beginning of October 2016.By the end of 2016, THiS will be operating in facilities in all sixparticipating countries, allowing for the collection of baseline data forsyndromes occurring among tourists and staff in hotel-settings, andproviding a mechanism to detect and response to emerging publichealth threats early and efficiently.ConclusionsEstablishing this system is critical to improving countries’capacities to support the overall health surveillance system of thetourism-dependent Caribbean economies, enabling countries tocollect real-time data which will inform health service deliverydecisions/policies, strengthen national and regional health monitoringefforts to trigger a rapid coordinated response to outbreaks and othercrises and thus prevent tourism HSE incidents.

scholarly journals Can syndromic surveillance data detect local outbreaks of communicable disease? A model using a historical cryptosporidiosis outbreak

2005 ◽  
Vol 134 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. COOPER ◽  
N. Q. VERLANDER ◽  
G. E. SMITH ◽  
A. CHARLETT ◽  
E. GERARD ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Warning ◽  
Surveillance System ◽  
Syndromic Surveillance ◽  
Communicable Disease ◽  
Terrorist Attack ◽  
Syndromic Surveillance System ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Team ◽  
Nhs Direct ◽  
Common Infection

SUMMARYA national UK surveillance system currently uses data from a health helpline (NHS Direct) in an attempt to provide early warning of a bio-terrorist attack, or an outbreak caused by a more common infection. To test this syndromic surveillance system we superimposed data from a historical outbreak of cryptosporidiosis onto a statistical model of NHS Direct call data. We modelled whether calls about diarrhoea (a proxy for cryptosporidiosis) exceeded a statistical threshold, thus alerting the surveillance team to the outbreak. On the date that the public health team were first notified of the outbreak our model predicted a 4% chance of detection when we assumed that one-twentieth of cryptosporidiosis cases telephoned the helpline. This rose to a 72% chance when we assumed nine-tenths of cases telephoned. The NHS Direct surveillance system is currently unlikely to detect an event similar to the cryptosporidiosis outbreak used here and may be most suited to detecting more widespread rises in syndromes in the community, as previously demonstrated. However, the expected rise in NHS Direct call rates, should improve early warning of outbreaks using call data.

scholarly journals Evaluation and Extension of the Cusum Technique with an Application to Salmonella Surveillance

2002 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 211-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. E. Carpenter
Keyword(s):  
Early Warning ◽  
Simulation Modeling ◽  
Surveillance System ◽  
Disease Surveillance ◽  
False Alarms ◽  
Laboratory System ◽  
Cumulative Sum ◽  
Diagnostic Laboratory ◽  
Disease Surveillance System ◽  
Using Data

The cumulative sum (cusum) technique was examined for its use in a disease surveillance system for detecting temporal clusters of events. Optimal technique parameters were derived for scenarios not previously considered. Simulation modeling produced results that evaluated deviations from predefined rate increases. The cusum technique was less prone to false alarms and more efficient at detecting large rate increases than previously reported. As demonstrated using data obtained from a Salmonella surveillance system operated by a state animal diagnostic laboratory system, the cusum technique could provide early warning of an epidemic problem.

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