Disease Surveillance - Answers Information-based process involving collection, analysis, and
interpretation of extensive data for determining effectiveness of health measures.
Disease Surveillance in the US (Networks) - Answers Involves Public Health Laboratories, oversight by
Dept. of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control, Association of Public Health
Laboratories, Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories, oversight by Dept. of Agriculture, Animal Plant Health
Inspection Service, National Animal Health Laboratory Network.
Ideal Surveillance System - Answers Simple, timely, representative, flexible, sensitive, strong predictive
value, acceptable, public, cost-effective.
Practical uses of an effective disease surveillance system - Answers Estimate magnitude of the problem,
determine geographic distribution of illness, portray natural history of the disease, detect epidemics,
evaluate control measures, monitor changes in infectious agents, detect changes in health practices,
facilitate planning.
National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (NNDSS) - Answers System for reporting infectious and
non-infectious diseases, cancer, blood lead levels, pesticide related illness, with case definitions for
surveillance and findings published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
State participation for reporting - Answers Voluntary at state level, mandated by legislation or
regulation, reportable disease list may vary between states.
National Animal Health Reporting System (NAHRS) - Answers Comprehensive reporting system for World
Organization for Animal Health, lists Case Definitions, Notifiable disease reporting contacts, State
veterinarians, Area-Veterinarians-in-Charge contact information, FAD Hotline for reporting.
Disease Surveillance (Limitations) - Answers Includes incomplete data, overwhelming volumes of data,
uneven application of information technology, timeliness, reporting burden, and completeness.
Failure to Report - Answers Unaware of legal requirement, listed reportable conditions, how or whom to
provide report, assumption that others will detect and report, intentional failure to protect patient
privacy, insufficient reward or penalty for reporting.
3 Main types of public health surveillance - Answers Passive surveillance, Active surveillance, Syndromic
surveillance.
Syndromic Surveillance - Answers Systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of real-time
indicators for disease for the purpose of early detection.
Limitation of Syndromic Surveillance - Answers Inadequate specificity, inadequate sensitivity, outbreak is
too small, population disperses after exposure.
ProMED - Answers International Society for Infectious Diseases.