Regional event-based surveillance in WHO’s Western Pacific Region

Abstract@#In the Western Pacific Region, event-based surveillance has been conducted for over a decade for rapid detection and assessment of acute public health events. This report describes the establishment and evolution of the Western Pacific regional event-based surveillance system and presents an analysis of public health events in the Region. Between July 2008 and June 2017 there was a total of 2396 events reported in the Western Pacific Region (average of 266 events per year). Events related to infectious diseases in humans account for the largest proportion of events recorded (49%). Maintaining this well-established system is critical in supporting rapid detection, assessment and response to acute public health events, to maintain regional health security.

La vigilancia epidemiológica internacional en Cuba 2009-2011 / International epidemiologic surveillance in Cuba, 2009-2011

Introducción: el incremento de los riesgos para la salud pública que se constata en las últimas décadas y la puesta en vigor del nuevo Reglamento Sanitario Internacional 2005, refuerzan el papel de la vigilancia de la salud pública y de los mecanismos de notificación y respuesta oportunas. La vigilancia epidemiológica internacional es uno de los componentes de la vigilancia en salud del Sistema Nacional cubano. Objetivo: analizar el comportamiento de la vigilancia epidemiológica internacional en Cuba entre el 2009 y el 2011. Métodos: Se realizó el análisis a partir del reconocimiento de los principales eventos de salud pública compilados en el boletín Situación Epidemiológica Internacional que edita la Dirección Nacional de Epidemiología y sus fuentes de información fundamentales. Resultados: durante los años 2009 a 2011 se publicaron en el boletín 3 092 artículos, de ellos, la mayoría se relacionó con enfermedades transmisibles y sobre la situación epidemiológica tras la ocurrencia de desastres naturales. Los principales temas abordados fueron los brotes de dengue, cólera, influenza A (H1N1) y sarampión, fundamentalmente en países latinoamericanos y africanos, lo que coincidió con los principales riesgos en Cuba por el intenso intercambio de colaboración, económico y comercial con estos países. La vigilancia tuvo como fuentes de información fundamentales los agregadores de noticias, servicios de alerta en Internet y fuentes institucionales en Internet. Conclusiones: los principales eventos de salud vigilados reflejan la cambiante situación epidemiológica internacional producida entre 2009 y 2011 y la emergencia y reemergencia de enfermedades transmisibles. Los servicios y fuentes de información basados en plataformas web, que recopilan información de medios de prensa, han sido herramientas muy útiles para la vigilancia epidemiológica internacional en el Sistema Nacional de Salud(AU)

Introduction: the increase of risks for the public health in the last few decades and the coming into force of the new International Health Regulation 2005 strengthen the role of public health surveillance and the mechanisms of timely notification and response. The international epidemiological surveillance is one of the health surveillance components in the Cuban system. Objective: to analyze the behavior of the international epidemiologic surveillance in Cuba from 2009 through 2011. Methods: the analysis of the main public health events collected from the International Epidemiological situation bulletin edited by the National Division of Epidemiology and their fundamental sources of information. Results: in this period, 3 092 articles were published and most of them related to communicable diseases. The main topics were dengue, cholera, influenza A(H1N1) and measles outbreaks, fundamentally in Latin American and African nations, a situation that matched up with the main risks faced in Cuba due to the extended economic, educational and trade cooperation with these countries. The fundamental sources of information for surveillance were news aggregators, Internet-based alert services and institutional sources. Conclusions: the main monitored health events showed the changing international epidemiological situation seen from 2009 to 2011 and the emergence and reemergence of communicable diseases. The Web-based information services and sources, which collect information from the media, are very useful tools for the international epidemiologic surveillance in the national health system(AU)

Communicable Disease Outbreak Detection by Using Supplementary Tools to Conventional Surveillance Methods under Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP), India.

Communicable disease control relies on effective response systems and effective response systems rely on effective disease surveillance. Surveillance is first step towards prevention. In addition to conventional routine indicator based surveillance system, countries must develop additional tools in terms of supplementary surveillance system for providing information on early detection nf outbreaks in India so that a timely and an appropriate action can be taken. Presently Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP) at National Centre for Disease Control, DeIhl, India is carrying out country wide surveillance. IDSP has developed four supplementary event reporting tools to strengthen and increase the sensitivity of its routine weekly indicator based surveillance system. These event based reporting tools are Early Warning Signallif Outbreak reporting, Media Surveillance, Toll free number (1075) and Community Based Surveillance. These supplementary tools have proven to be efficient and effective in timely detection nf many public health threats.