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Evaluating The Simplicity And Timeliness Of Sars Surveillance System

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The purpose of SARS-surveillance system includes, early detection and prompt identification of high risk subjects, super spreaders and disease cases and clusters, without intense laboratory testing and complete reporting of potential SARS-CoV transmission and outbreak with contact tracing to contain the disease and prevent the spread. Post epidemic, ongoing surveillance of SARS is useful in preparedness for future outbreaks, due to potential sources of re-emergence like animal reservoirs, humans with persistent infection and laboratory exposures or development of novel coronavirus. [4] The operation is mostly as a syndromic surveillance, which is phased based on the level of epidemic. Due to globalization and increased travelling and …show more content…

[5] The system complex to be executed, as it was based on syndromic surveillance hence, the disease identification was delayed until symptoms are exhibited. The patients were classified as preliminary positive, probable, confirmed or unverifiable [6] with case definition and laboratory testing that took time to give confirmation. Unnecessary travel to and from china was restricted with strict travel advisory and data collection for contact tracing of passengers. A combined force of WHO, GROAN and its partners made up of 115 technical and academic institutions, national health services and individuals; virtual epidemiologist network, public health institutions, ministries of health and laboratory network formed the response team for SARS. [4] The Global SARS surveillance employed the mechanism of daily cases of SARS summary for that country. This in turn was informed to WHO headquarters in Geneva, by national public health authorities as a report containing number of incident cases and deaths since last report, cumulative number of probable cases with the details of their geographical distribution. The local transmission in any area if present was updated on WHO website daily. [4] Hence, the SARS surveillance was complex requiring extensive laboratory reporting, multiple levels of reporting, integration of systems requiring special skills to collect data and perform tests for diagnosis, and required a lot of resources in the form of money

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