Abstract
Infectious disease surveillance, timely detection and early warning of outbreaks present a complex challenge to health authorities in India. Approaches based on the use of unexplored data sources, like emergency medical services (EMS) data, can contribute to the further advancement of public health surveillance capacities in India and support and strengthen the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) strategy. This research followed a mixed method approach including a series of semi-structured interviews and fever data analysis of the EMS operating dispatch system in Andra Pradesh, India. In this paper, we explore whether routinely collected EMS health data can improve sustainable infectious disease surveillance and early warning capacity. The result highlights the need for improved surveillance systems for early warning of infectious diseases in India. The data availability at the EMS dispatch centre includes patient data and spatial information and can be used for near real-time analysis. Routine data relevant for health surveillance can be extracted to provide timely health information that supplements and enhances more traditional surveillance mechanisms and thus provides a cost-efficient, near real-time early warning system for the operating states. The designed intervention is sustainable and can improve infectious disease surveillance to potentially help the government officials to appropriately prioritize timely interventions to prevent infectious disease spread.
Highlights
Infectious Disease Surveillance in IndiaThe emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases like plague, SARS, H1N1, avian influenza and most recently the outbreak of Ebola and ZIKA viruses highlight the importance and urgent need for rapid outbreak detection and early warning
The National Commission on Macroeconomics and Health summarized the needs of the Indian public health system as follows: India urgently needs to “establish good surveillance system and develop validated data ( . . . ) the data gaps need to be bridged, high priority accorded to operational research and adequate resources allocated” [22]
The need to build up a sustainable infectious disease surveillance system to detect disease outbreaks earlier and with clear geographic location is paramount to comply with the International Health Regulations (IHRs) requirements
Summary
Infectious Disease Surveillance in IndiaThe emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases like plague, SARS, H1N1, avian influenza and most recently the outbreak of Ebola and ZIKA viruses highlight the importance and urgent need for rapid outbreak detection and early warning. The revised IHRs of 2005 bind all 194 WHO member countries to provide sufficient and adequate trained human resources, money and material to implement the regulations for limiting the spread of public health emergencies of international concern [4,5]. This requires the reporting of health emergencies with potential of international concern even if the disease cause is unknown [6]. The 68th World Health Assembly (2015) re-emphasized the need for nondelayed IHR 2005 implementation and the respective public health capacity-building as a continuous process that is integrated in and linked with the health system development to ensure lasting and sustainable solutions [7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
