Description
In emergencies, public health agencies must be able to respond to health threats that can affect entire communities. Agency leaders need to achieve situational awareness through the development of flexible, timely, and accurate electronic biosurveillance systems. Drawing on various sources, the North Carolina Preparedness and Emergency Response Research Center (NCPERRC) and Public Health Informatics Institute (PHII) developed recommendations for state and local public health agencies to build or enhance their biosurveillance capabilities.
Objective
To review and summarize best practices of thought leaders and implementers of biosurveillance systems with an emphasis on event-related situational awareness.