Global Infectious Disease Surveillance and Detection: Assessing the Challenges—Finding Solutions, Workshop Summary

Excerpt

Early detection is essential to the control of emerging, reemerging, and novel infectious diseases, whether naturally occurring or intentionally introduced. Containing the spread of such diseases in a profoundly interconnected world requires active vigilance for signs of an outbreak, rapid recognition of its presence, and diagnosis of its microbial cause, in addition to strategies and resources for an appropriate and efficient response. Although these actions are often viewed in terms of human public health, they also challenge the plant and animal health communities. The Forum on Microbial Threats of the Institute of Medicine hosted a public workshop in Washington, DC, on December 12 and 13, 2006, to consider the scientific and policy issues—some of them long standing, others more recently arisen—relevant to the practice of disease surveillance and detection. Through invited presentations and discussions, participants examined current and emerging methods and strategies for the surveillance and detection of human, animal, and plant diseases, and assessed the resource needs and opportunities for improving and coordinating infectious disease surveillance, detection, and reporting.