Concepts and Methods in Infectious Disease Surveillance (PDF)

Infectious disease surveillance has evolved at an extraordinary
pace during the past several decades, and continues to do so. It is
increasingly used to inform public health practice in addition to
its use as a tool for early detection of epidemics. It is therefore
crucial that students of public health and epidemiology have a
sound understanding of the concepts and principles that underpin
modern surveillance of infectious disease.

Written by leaders in the field, who have vast hands-on
experience in conducting surveillance and teaching applied public
health, Concepts and Methods in Infectious Disease
Surveillance is comprised of four sections. The first section
provides an overview, a description of systems used by public
health jurisdictions in the United States and legal considerations
for surveillance. The second section presents chapters on major
program-area or disease-specific surveillance systems, including
those that monitor bacterial infections, foodborne diseases,
healthcare-associated infections, and HIV/AIDS. The following
section is devoted to methods for conducting surveillance and also
approaches for data analysis. A concluding section summarizes
communication of surveillance findings, including the use of
traditional and social media, in addition to showcasing lessons
learned from the New York City Department of Health's
experience in surveillance and epidemiology training.

This comprehensive new book covers major topics at an introductory
to intermediate level, and will be an excellent resource for
instructors. Suitable for use in graduate level courses in public
health, human and veterinary medicine, and in undergraduate
programs in public-health-oriented disciplines, Concepts and
Methods in Infectious Disease Surveillance is also a useful
primer for frontline public health practitioners, hospital
epidemiologists, infection control practitioners, laboratorians in
public health settings, infectious disease researchers, and medical
and public health informaticians interested in a concise overview
of infectious disease surveillance.