Implementing the Health Early Warning System based on syndromic and event-based surveillance at the 2019 Hajj.
East Mediterr Health J
; 26(12): 1570-1575, 2020 Dec 09.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-995096
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
During the 2019 Hajj, the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia implemented for the first time a health early warning system for rapid detection and response to health threats.AIMS:
This study aimed to describe the early warning findings at the Hajj to highlight the pattern of health risks and the potential benefits of the disease surveillance system.METHODS:
Using syndromic surveillance and event-based surveillance data, the health early warning system generated automated alarms for public health events, triggered alerts for rapid epidemiological investigations and facilitated the monitoring of health events.RESULTS:
During the deployment period (4 July-31 August 2019), a total of 121 automated alarms were generated, of which 2 events (heat-related illnesses and injuries/trauma) were confirmed by the response teams.CONCLUSION:
The surveillance system potentially improved the timeliness and situational awareness for health events, including non-infectious threats. In the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic, a health early warning system could enhance case detection and facilitate monitoring of the disease geographical spread and the effectiveness of control measures.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Public Health Administration
/
Communicable Disease Control
/
Disease Outbreaks
/
Public Health Surveillance
/
COVID-19
/
Islam
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
/
Europa
Language:
English
Journal:
East Mediterr Health J
Journal subject:
Medicine
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Emhj.20.129
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