Ruth Lynfield

Infectious Disease Surveillance

Ruth Lynfield

This unique book covers many major disease surveillance systems, drawing on the experiences of leading experts from around the world. Beginning with an overview of the newly revised International Health Regulations from the World Health Organization, the book progresses to explore surveillance systems currently in practice. Examples included are as far ranging as surveillance for antimicrobial-resistant foodborne pathogens, vaccine adverse events, influenza and HIV/AIDS, to communicable disease surveillance during complex emergencies in Iraq and Sudan. Infectious Disease Surveillance also covers the use of modern technologies to track infectious diseases, including molecular epidemiologic techniques and electronic means for data collection and distribution. Other chapters discuss evaluation of surveillance methods, ethical considerations and legal issues. The book concludes with a review of historical lessons learned from the application of surveillance in disease control—for smallpox in the 1970s and for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003. A comprehensive resource to improve the tracking of infectious diseases Offers perspectives on best practices through examples of a wide variety of surveillance systems from around the globe Acts as a starting point for design of new surveillance systems Serves as an easy reference for key information Designed for frontline public health practitioners engaged in communicable disease control, epidemiologists, clinical microbiologists, and students of public health and epidemiology, this book portrays both the conceptual framework and the practical aspects of infectious disease surveillance.

Infectious Disease Surveillance

Ruth Lynfield

This fully updated edition of Infectious Disease Surveillance is for frontline public health practitioners, epidemiologists, and clinical microbiologists who are engaged in communicable disease control. It is also a foundational text for trainees in public health, applied epidemiology, postgraduate medicine and nursing programs. The second edition portrays both the conceptual framework and practical aspects of infectious disease surveillance. It is a comprehensive resource designed to improve the tracking of infectious diseases and to serve as a starting point in the development of new surveillance systems. Infectious Disease Surveillance includes over 45 chapters from over 100 contributors, and topics organized into six sections based on major themes. Section One highlights the critical role surveillance plays in public health and it provides an overview of the current International Health Regulations (2005) in addition to successes and challenges in infectious disease eradication. Section Two describes surveillance systems based on logical program areas such as foodborne illnesses, vector-borne diseases, sexually transmitted diseases, viral hepatitis healthcare and transplantation associated infections. Attention is devoted to programs for monitoring unexplained deaths, agents of bioterrorism, mass gatherings, and disease associated with international travel. Sections Three and Four explore the uses of the Internet and wireless technologies to advance infectious disease surveillance in various settings with emphasis on best practices based on deployed systems. They also address molecular laboratory methods, and statistical and geospatial analysis, and evaluation of systems for early epidemic detection. Sections Five and Six discuss legal and ethical considerations, communication strategies and applied epidemiology-training programs. The rest of the chapters offer public-private partnerships, as well lessons from the 2009-2010 H1N1 influenza pandemic and future directions for infectious disease surveillance.