Local, national, and global infectious disease surveillance systems have been implemented to meet the demands of monitoring, detecting, and reporting disease outbreaks and prevalence. Varying surveillance goals and geographic reach have led to multiple and disparate systems, each using unique combinations of data streams to meet surveillance criteria. In order to assess the utility and effectiveness of different data streams for global disease surveillance, a comprehensive survey of current human, animal, plant, and marine surveillance systems and data streams was undertaken. Information regarding surveillance systems and data streams has been (and continues to be) systematically culled from websites, peer-reviewed literature, government documents, and subject-matter expert consultations.
Objective:
The goal of this project is to identify systems and data streams relevant for infectious disease biosurveillance. This effort is part of a larger project evaluating existing and potential data streams for use in local, national, and international infectious disease surveillance systems with the intent of developing tools to provide decision-makers with timely information to predict, prepare for, and mitigate the spread of disease.