STREAM 5: PROMOTING TOOLS

Overview

This background paper provides information on modern tools for early detection and disease monitoring/surveillance for pandemic, zoonotic and seasonal influenza infection. Often, modern tools are well developed and more finely tuned adaptations of pre-existing tools and strategies for detection, monitoring and surveillance of existing or emerging diseases. This development and adaptation has often been possible because of trial and error and more readily available and applicable technology and communications practices and methodologies.

The goals of public health control of communicable diseases have remained the same over past decades but the operations, responses and expectations have changed. These changes are the results of advancement in technology and the heightened public perception of risks. The purpose of developing early detection tools is to provide support to a rapid global alert and response system for influenza epidemics and other public health emergencies, so that public health authorities can rapidly identify, assess and contain health threats. The longer term goal for early detection of influenza viruses with pandemic potentials is to reduce morbidity and mortality and avoid disruption of trade, travel and society in general.