There is growing recognition that an inability to access timely health indicators can hamper both the design and the effective implementation of infectious diseases control interventions. In malaria control, the global use of standard interventions has driven down the burden of disease in many regions. Further gains in high transmission areas and elimination in lower transmission settings, however, will require an enhanced understanding of malaria epidemiology, population characteristics, and efficacy of clinical and public health programs at the local level.

To meet the long-term needs of public health and social development of China, it is in urgency to establish a comprehensive response system and crisis management mechanism for public health emergencies. Syndromic surveillance system has great advantages in promoting early detection of epidemics and reducing the burden of disease outbreak confirmation. The effective method to set up the syndromic surveillance system is to modify existing case report system, improve the organizational structures and integrate new function with the traditional system.

Secure and confidential exchange of information is the cornerstone of public health practice. Often, this exchange has to occur between public health agencies across jurisdictions. Examples include notification of reportable diseases when the testing and residence of the patient are in different counties. The cross-jurisdictional issues become exaggerated in times of communicable disease outbreaks or events of interest that are not yet classified as outbreaks.

The Office of the Medical Examiner (OME) is a statewide system for investigation of sudden and unexpected death in Utah. OME, in the Utah Department of Health (UDOH), certified over 2000 of the 13,920 deaths in Utah in 2008.