The practice of event-based surveillance: concept and methods

Abstract

Event-based surveillance (EBS) is the organised approach to the detection and reporting of ‘signals,’ defined as information that may represent events of public health importance, often through channels outside of routine surveillance systems. Signals can be designed to detect patterns of disease, such as clusters of similar illness in a community, or clusters of disease or death in animals. Signals can also include single cases of suspected high-priority events such a patient with viral haemorrhagic fever. EBS can be a key component of an effective early warning system, which enables countries to be better prepared for endemic and pandemic illness outbreaks. EBS uses an all-hazards approach that includes the principles of One Health. This review covers the concept and process of EBS, different sources for EBS data, and methods to obtain information from these sources. This overview will aid countries in implementing this important form of surveillance.

Keywords

• surveillance
• event-based surveillance
• early warning systems