Bioterrorism surveillance systems

This chapter provides a brief overview of systems currently in piace for the detection of biological events, either naturaiiy occurring disease outbreaks or deliberate bioterror events. Basic concepts related to infectious disease epidemiology and surveillance are presented. Different types of surveillance systems, including syndromic surveillance, are described. The roles of the... 

Recognition by routine surveillance systems (local, state, and federal) may be the first indicator of a bioterror event (Institute of Medicine [lOM] National Research Council, 1999). Background data on disease occurrence are needed so that an unusual pattern can be detected above the endemic (i.e., usual noise ) level. Current public health surveillance systems related to bioterrorism preparedness, including syndromic surveillance systems, are discussed in detail in chapter 20. 

In 1999, the University of Pittsburgh s Center for Biomedical Informatics deployed the first automated bioterrorism detection system, called RODS (Real-Time Outbreak Disease Surveillance). RODS is designed to draw collect data from... 

Modem surveillance measures relating to bioterrorism agents must be capable of detecting, investigating and responding to deliberate attacks and also discriminating these from natural outbreaks. Such systems must be consistent, reliable and accurate as well as acceptable to the health workers using them. The features of an effective surveillance system are listed in Boxes 4.6 and 4.7. 

Lober, W. B., Karras, B. T., Wagner, M. M., Overhage, J. M., Davidson, A. J., Fraser, H., et al. (2002). Roundtable on bioterrorism detection Information system-based surveillance [Electronic version]. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 9, 105-115. 

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