Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
17
Linking Det
ection to Effective Response
Scott F. Wetterhall, MD, MPH
RTI International
Atlanta, Georgia
Taha A. Kass-Hout, MD, MS
Atlanta, Georgia
David L. Buckeridge, MD, PhD
McGill Clinical and Health Informatics
McGill University
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
CoNTENTS
17.1 Current Operation of the Public Health Response System................. 327
17.2 Current Strengths and Weaknesses of the Public Health
Detection and Response System ......................................................... 331
17.2.1 Physical and Electronic Connectivity .................................... 331
17.2.2 Collaboration across Sectors .................................................... 333
17.2.3 Laboratory Capacity for Rapid Diagnosis ............................. 335
17.2.4 Workforce Capacity................................................................... 337
17.3 Maximizing Linkage between Detection and Response .................... 338
17.3.1 System Objectives Should Drive Design................................ 339
17.3.2 Conducting Surveillance for Emerging Threats................... 341
17.5 Conclusions................................................................................................ 343
References............................................................................................................ 344
17.1 Current operation of the Public
Health Response System
Biosurveillance serves as a cornerstone of epidemiology in public health
practice, while epidemiology—the study of the distribution of diseases and
their determinants in populations—provides the framework for designing
and shaping effective responses to current and emerging health threats that
327
