Syndromic Surveillance, An Article for The Encyclopedia for Quantitative Risk Assessment
Abstract
Syndromic surveillance is the regular collection, analysis, and
interpretation of real-time and near-real-time indicators of diseases and other
outbreaks by public health organizations. Motivated by the threat of bioterrorism,
syndromic surveillance systems are being developed and implemented around the
world. In a 2004 systematic review of publicly available information, 115
surveillance systems were identified, of which 29 were found that were designed
specifically for detecting bioterrorism. In spite of their development, it is unknown
how effective these systems will be at quickly detecting a bioterrorism attack.
However, under the rubric of electronic biosurveillance, the goal of some of these
systems has recently been expanded to include both early event detection and
situational awareness, so that the focus is not simply on detection, but also on
response and consequence management. Regardless of their utility for detecting
bioterrorism, there seems to be consensus that these biosurveillance systems are
likely to be useful for detecting and responding to natural disease outbreaks such as
seasonal and pandemic flu, and thus they have the potential to significantly advance
and modernize the practice of public health surveillance.
Description
in Encyclopedia of Quantitative Risk Analysis and Assessment, Melnick, E., and Everitt, B. (eds.), John Wiley & Sons Ltd., 1743-1752.
Rights
defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.Collections
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Biosurveillance: Detecting, Tracking, and Mitigating the Effects of Natural Disease and Bioterrorism
Fricker, Ronald D. Jr. (2010-06);Biosurveillance is the regular collection, analysis, and interpretation of health and health related data for indicators of diseases and other outbreaks by public health organizations. Motivated by the threat of bioterrorism, ... -
Biological terrorism preparedness evaluating the performance of the Early Aberration Reporting System (EARS) syndromic surveillance algorithms
Hegler, Benjamin L. (Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, 2007-06);After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, questions developed over how quickly the country could respond if a bioterrorism attack was to occur. "Syndromic surveillance" systems are a relatively new concept that ... -
Homeland Security Affairs Journal, Supplement - 2012: IEEE 2011 Conference on Technology for Homeland Security: Best Papers
Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) (Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate SchoolCenter for Homeland Defense and Security, 2012);IEEE Supplement 2012. Supplement: IEEE 2011 Conference on Technology for Homeland Security: Best Papers. As the field of homeland defense and security expands and matures, the contributions from various disciplines become ...