BackgroundTimely but accurate data collection is needed during health emergencies to inform publi... more BackgroundTimely but accurate data collection is needed during health emergencies to inform public health responses. Often, an abundance of data is collected but not used. When outbreaks and other health events occur in remote and complex settings, operatives on the ground are often required to cover multiple tasks whilst working with limited resources. Tools that facilitate the collection of essential data during the early investigations of a potential public health event can support effective public health decision-making. We proposed to define the minimum set of quantitative information to collect whilst using electronic device or not. Here we present the process used to select the minimum information required to describe an outbreak of any cause during its initial stages and occurring in remote settings.MethodsA working group of epidemiologists took part in two rounds of a Delphi process to categorise the variables to be included in an initial outbreak investigation form. This t...
Ibution) for overall Germany, November 2004 (n = 412)<b>Copyright information:</b>Tak... more Ibution) for overall Germany, November 2004 (n = 412)<b>Copyright information:</b>Taken from "Viral hepatitis in Germany: poor vaccination coverage and little knowledge about transmission in target groups"http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/8/132BMC Public Health 2008;8():132-132.Published online 23 Apr 2008PMCID:PMC2387145.
A collection of files that underpin the analysis outlined in "Electronic data collection, ma... more A collection of files that underpin the analysis outlined in "Electronic data collection, management and analysis tools used for outbreak response in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and stakeholder survey". It consists of (1)a document that outlines the search strategies applied; (2) a list of definitions used for data extraction; (3) a data dictionary of the online Enketo Stakeholder survey on electronic data collection, management and analysis tools; (4) a dataset outlining studies excluded from the systematic review and the reasons for exclusion; (5) a documentation outlining number and percentage of respondents to the stakeholder survey per responding organisation; (6) a dataset that lists electronic tools reported by organisations with at least two respondents to the survey; (7) a dataset that lists electronic tools identified and their reported uses from the systematic review (2010–2020 and/or stakeholder survey; (8) a dataset that lists technic...
Additional file 6. List of electronic tools reported by organisations with at least two responden... more Additional file 6. List of electronic tools reported by organisations with at least two respondents to the survey. Table shows number of stakeholder survey respondents per organisation (where at least 2 respondents from the same organisation responded) and the data collection, management and analysis tools used per organisation.
Additional file 5. Number and percentage of respondents to the stakeholder survey per responding ... more Additional file 5. Number and percentage of respondents to the stakeholder survey per responding organisation. Table shows the number and percentages of respondents per organisation that responded to the stakeholder survey.
BACKGROUND Gaining oversight into the rapidly growing number of mobile health tools for surveilla... more BACKGROUND Gaining oversight into the rapidly growing number of mobile health tools for surveillance or outbreak management in Africa has become a challenge. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to map the functional portfolio of mobile health tools used for surveillance or outbreak management of communicable diseases in Africa. METHODS We conducted a scoping review by combining data from a systematic review of the literature and a telephone survey of experts. We applied the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines by searching for articles published between January 2010 and December 2020. In addition, we used the respondent-driven sampling method and conducted a telephone survey from October 2019 to February 2020 among representatives from national public health institutes from all African countries. We combined the findings and used a hierarchical clustering method to group the tools based on their functionalities (attributes). RESULTS W...
Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin, 2006
Germany will be hosting the upcoming 2006 Football World Cup, scheduled to take place from June 9... more Germany will be hosting the upcoming 2006 Football World Cup, scheduled to take place from June 9 to July 9. The games are expected to draw 3.2 million fans from within Germany, as well as many other countries.
La copa mundial de futbol 2006 de la FIFA tuvo lugar en 12 ciudades alemanas entre el 9 de junio ... more La copa mundial de futbol 2006 de la FIFA tuvo lugar en 12 ciudades alemanas entre el 9 de junio y el 9 de julio de 2006 . Se identifico la necesidad de hacer mas reactivo y sensible el sistema de vigilancia de las enfermedades infecciosas existente, para detectar a tiempo los eventos de salud que ocurriesen durante la copa mundial. En las 12 ciudades que acogian el campeonato, entre el 7 de junio y el 11 de julio de 2006, se llevo a cabo una vigilancia reforzada, basada en el sistema existente de notificacion obligatoria : transmision electronica diaria, en vez de semanal, de datos sobre los casos de enfermedades de declaracion obligatoria (de acuerdo a definiciones de caso) , y declaracion de todas las infecciones, independientemente de las definiciones de caso. Ademas, fueron examinadas la prensa especializada y general, y se reforzo la comunicacion entre los participantes y el sistema de vigilancia. El retraso mediano para la transmision de datos de notificacion desde la comunid...
BackgroundUse of electronic data collection, management and analysis tools to support outbreak re... more BackgroundUse of electronic data collection, management and analysis tools to support outbreak response is limited, especially in low income countries. This can hamper timely decision-making during outbreak response. Identifying available tools and assessing their functions in the context of outbreak response would support appropriate selection and use, and likely more timely data-driven decision-making during outbreaks.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review and a stakeholder survey of the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network and other partners to identify and describe the use of, and technical characteristics of, electronic data tools used for outbreak response in low- and middle-income countries. Databases included were MEDLINE, EMBASE, Global Health, Web of Science and CINAHL with publications related to tools for outbreak response included from January 2010–May 2020. Software tool websites of identified tools were also reviewed. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were appli...
Background Timely but accurate data collection is needed during health emergencies to inform publ... more Background Timely but accurate data collection is needed during health emergencies to inform public health responses. Often, an abundance of data is collected but not used. When outbreaks and other health events occur in remote and complex settings, operatives on the ground are often required to cover multiple tasks whilst working with limited resources. Tools that facilitate the collection of essential data during the early investigations of a potential public health event can support effective public health decision-making. We proposed to define the minimum set of quantitative information to collect whilst using electronic device or not. Here we present the process used to select the minimum information required to describe an outbreak of any cause during its initial stages and occurring in remote settings. Methods A working group of epidemiologists took part in two rounds of a Delphi process to categorise the variables to be included in an initial outbreak investigation form. Thi...
BackgroundThe International Health Regulations require member states to establish “capacity to de... more BackgroundThe International Health Regulations require member states to establish “capacity to detect, assess, notify and report events”. Event-based surveillance (EBS) can contribute to rapid detection of acute public health events. This is particularly relevant in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) which may have poor public health infrastructure. To identify best practices, we reviewed the literature on the implementation of EBS in LMICs to describe EBS structures and to evaluate EBS systems.MethodsWe conducted a systematic literature search of six databases to identify articles that evaluated EBS in LMICs and additionally searched for grey literature. We used a framework approach to facilitate qualitative data synthesis and exploration of patterns across and within articles.ResultsWe identified 778 records, of which we included 15 studies concerning 13 different EBS systems. The 13 EBS systems were set up as community-based surveillance, health facility-based surveil...
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was held in 12 German cities between 9 June and 9 July 2006. We identifie... more The 2006 FIFA World Cup was held in 12 German cities between 9 June and 9 July 2006. We identified a need to accelerate and sensitise the pre-existing surveillance system for infectious diseases in order to timely detect adverse health events during the World Cup. Enhanced surveillance, based on Germany’s pre-existing system of mandatory notifications was conducted between 7 June and 11July 2006 in the 12 World Cup cities by: accelerating frequency of electronic data transmission of case-definition based notifiable diseases from weekly to daily transmission, additional reporting of non-case definition-based infectious disease events, lay and expert press screening and intensifying communication between all stakeholders of the surveillance system. Median delay of notification data transmission from the community to the federal level was reduced from three days to one day. The enhanced reporting system detected a norovirus outbreak in the International Broadcast Centre in Munich with ...
Since 2015 a significant increase in tuberculosis cases is notified in Germany, mostly due to ris... more Since 2015 a significant increase in tuberculosis cases is notified in Germany, mostly due to rising numbers of migrants connected to the recent refugee crisis. Because of the low incidence in previous years, knowledge on tuberculosis is more and more limited to specialized centers. However, lung specialist and healthcare workers of other fields have contact to an increasing number of tuberculosis patients. In this situation, guidance for the management of standard therapy and especially for uncommon situations will be essential. This new guideline on tuberculosis in adults gives recommendations on diagnosis, treatment, prevention and prophylaxis. It provides a comprehensive overview over the current knowledge, adapted to the specific situation in Germany. The German Central Committee against Tuberculosis (DZK e. V.) realized this guideline on behalf of the German Respiratory Society (DGP). A specific guideline for tuberculosis in the pediatrics field will be published separately. C...
SUMMARYEnhanced surveillance for infectious disease events, with accelerated routine reporting an... more SUMMARYEnhanced surveillance for infectious disease events, with accelerated routine reporting and daily supplementary reports, was undertaken during the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. We evaluated the surveillance outputs, reporting intervals and detection of World Cup-relevant events for the enhanced system. Outbreak numbers for measles, Norovirus and Campylobacter were significantly higher than in previous years, but all increases were explained by prior trends. The median interval (disease onset to receipt at national centre) fell from 17 days in 2005 to 12 days in 2006. Detection of World Cup-relevant events was 44% (8/18) in the routine system and 77% (14/18) in supplementary reports. We did not identify any significant effect on infectious disease epidemiology relating to the FIFA 2006 World Cup. Daily reporting improved timeliness, and supplementary reporting improved relevant event detection. Enhancing existing systems, without the addition of syndromic surveillance, can b...
BackgroundTimely but accurate data collection is needed during health emergencies to inform publi... more BackgroundTimely but accurate data collection is needed during health emergencies to inform public health responses. Often, an abundance of data is collected but not used. When outbreaks and other health events occur in remote and complex settings, operatives on the ground are often required to cover multiple tasks whilst working with limited resources. Tools that facilitate the collection of essential data during the early investigations of a potential public health event can support effective public health decision-making. We proposed to define the minimum set of quantitative information to collect whilst using electronic device or not. Here we present the process used to select the minimum information required to describe an outbreak of any cause during its initial stages and occurring in remote settings.MethodsA working group of epidemiologists took part in two rounds of a Delphi process to categorise the variables to be included in an initial outbreak investigation form. This t...
Ibution) for overall Germany, November 2004 (n = 412)<b>Copyright information:</b>Tak... more Ibution) for overall Germany, November 2004 (n = 412)<b>Copyright information:</b>Taken from "Viral hepatitis in Germany: poor vaccination coverage and little knowledge about transmission in target groups"http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/8/132BMC Public Health 2008;8():132-132.Published online 23 Apr 2008PMCID:PMC2387145.
A collection of files that underpin the analysis outlined in "Electronic data collection, ma... more A collection of files that underpin the analysis outlined in "Electronic data collection, management and analysis tools used for outbreak response in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and stakeholder survey". It consists of (1)a document that outlines the search strategies applied; (2) a list of definitions used for data extraction; (3) a data dictionary of the online Enketo Stakeholder survey on electronic data collection, management and analysis tools; (4) a dataset outlining studies excluded from the systematic review and the reasons for exclusion; (5) a documentation outlining number and percentage of respondents to the stakeholder survey per responding organisation; (6) a dataset that lists electronic tools reported by organisations with at least two respondents to the survey; (7) a dataset that lists electronic tools identified and their reported uses from the systematic review (2010–2020 and/or stakeholder survey; (8) a dataset that lists technic...
Additional file 6. List of electronic tools reported by organisations with at least two responden... more Additional file 6. List of electronic tools reported by organisations with at least two respondents to the survey. Table shows number of stakeholder survey respondents per organisation (where at least 2 respondents from the same organisation responded) and the data collection, management and analysis tools used per organisation.
Additional file 5. Number and percentage of respondents to the stakeholder survey per responding ... more Additional file 5. Number and percentage of respondents to the stakeholder survey per responding organisation. Table shows the number and percentages of respondents per organisation that responded to the stakeholder survey.
BACKGROUND Gaining oversight into the rapidly growing number of mobile health tools for surveilla... more BACKGROUND Gaining oversight into the rapidly growing number of mobile health tools for surveillance or outbreak management in Africa has become a challenge. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to map the functional portfolio of mobile health tools used for surveillance or outbreak management of communicable diseases in Africa. METHODS We conducted a scoping review by combining data from a systematic review of the literature and a telephone survey of experts. We applied the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines by searching for articles published between January 2010 and December 2020. In addition, we used the respondent-driven sampling method and conducted a telephone survey from October 2019 to February 2020 among representatives from national public health institutes from all African countries. We combined the findings and used a hierarchical clustering method to group the tools based on their functionalities (attributes). RESULTS W...
Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin, 2006
Germany will be hosting the upcoming 2006 Football World Cup, scheduled to take place from June 9... more Germany will be hosting the upcoming 2006 Football World Cup, scheduled to take place from June 9 to July 9. The games are expected to draw 3.2 million fans from within Germany, as well as many other countries.
La copa mundial de futbol 2006 de la FIFA tuvo lugar en 12 ciudades alemanas entre el 9 de junio ... more La copa mundial de futbol 2006 de la FIFA tuvo lugar en 12 ciudades alemanas entre el 9 de junio y el 9 de julio de 2006 . Se identifico la necesidad de hacer mas reactivo y sensible el sistema de vigilancia de las enfermedades infecciosas existente, para detectar a tiempo los eventos de salud que ocurriesen durante la copa mundial. En las 12 ciudades que acogian el campeonato, entre el 7 de junio y el 11 de julio de 2006, se llevo a cabo una vigilancia reforzada, basada en el sistema existente de notificacion obligatoria : transmision electronica diaria, en vez de semanal, de datos sobre los casos de enfermedades de declaracion obligatoria (de acuerdo a definiciones de caso) , y declaracion de todas las infecciones, independientemente de las definiciones de caso. Ademas, fueron examinadas la prensa especializada y general, y se reforzo la comunicacion entre los participantes y el sistema de vigilancia. El retraso mediano para la transmision de datos de notificacion desde la comunid...
BackgroundUse of electronic data collection, management and analysis tools to support outbreak re... more BackgroundUse of electronic data collection, management and analysis tools to support outbreak response is limited, especially in low income countries. This can hamper timely decision-making during outbreak response. Identifying available tools and assessing their functions in the context of outbreak response would support appropriate selection and use, and likely more timely data-driven decision-making during outbreaks.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review and a stakeholder survey of the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network and other partners to identify and describe the use of, and technical characteristics of, electronic data tools used for outbreak response in low- and middle-income countries. Databases included were MEDLINE, EMBASE, Global Health, Web of Science and CINAHL with publications related to tools for outbreak response included from January 2010–May 2020. Software tool websites of identified tools were also reviewed. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were appli...
Background Timely but accurate data collection is needed during health emergencies to inform publ... more Background Timely but accurate data collection is needed during health emergencies to inform public health responses. Often, an abundance of data is collected but not used. When outbreaks and other health events occur in remote and complex settings, operatives on the ground are often required to cover multiple tasks whilst working with limited resources. Tools that facilitate the collection of essential data during the early investigations of a potential public health event can support effective public health decision-making. We proposed to define the minimum set of quantitative information to collect whilst using electronic device or not. Here we present the process used to select the minimum information required to describe an outbreak of any cause during its initial stages and occurring in remote settings. Methods A working group of epidemiologists took part in two rounds of a Delphi process to categorise the variables to be included in an initial outbreak investigation form. Thi...
BackgroundThe International Health Regulations require member states to establish “capacity to de... more BackgroundThe International Health Regulations require member states to establish “capacity to detect, assess, notify and report events”. Event-based surveillance (EBS) can contribute to rapid detection of acute public health events. This is particularly relevant in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) which may have poor public health infrastructure. To identify best practices, we reviewed the literature on the implementation of EBS in LMICs to describe EBS structures and to evaluate EBS systems.MethodsWe conducted a systematic literature search of six databases to identify articles that evaluated EBS in LMICs and additionally searched for grey literature. We used a framework approach to facilitate qualitative data synthesis and exploration of patterns across and within articles.ResultsWe identified 778 records, of which we included 15 studies concerning 13 different EBS systems. The 13 EBS systems were set up as community-based surveillance, health facility-based surveil...
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was held in 12 German cities between 9 June and 9 July 2006. We identifie... more The 2006 FIFA World Cup was held in 12 German cities between 9 June and 9 July 2006. We identified a need to accelerate and sensitise the pre-existing surveillance system for infectious diseases in order to timely detect adverse health events during the World Cup. Enhanced surveillance, based on Germany’s pre-existing system of mandatory notifications was conducted between 7 June and 11July 2006 in the 12 World Cup cities by: accelerating frequency of electronic data transmission of case-definition based notifiable diseases from weekly to daily transmission, additional reporting of non-case definition-based infectious disease events, lay and expert press screening and intensifying communication between all stakeholders of the surveillance system. Median delay of notification data transmission from the community to the federal level was reduced from three days to one day. The enhanced reporting system detected a norovirus outbreak in the International Broadcast Centre in Munich with ...
Since 2015 a significant increase in tuberculosis cases is notified in Germany, mostly due to ris... more Since 2015 a significant increase in tuberculosis cases is notified in Germany, mostly due to rising numbers of migrants connected to the recent refugee crisis. Because of the low incidence in previous years, knowledge on tuberculosis is more and more limited to specialized centers. However, lung specialist and healthcare workers of other fields have contact to an increasing number of tuberculosis patients. In this situation, guidance for the management of standard therapy and especially for uncommon situations will be essential. This new guideline on tuberculosis in adults gives recommendations on diagnosis, treatment, prevention and prophylaxis. It provides a comprehensive overview over the current knowledge, adapted to the specific situation in Germany. The German Central Committee against Tuberculosis (DZK e. V.) realized this guideline on behalf of the German Respiratory Society (DGP). A specific guideline for tuberculosis in the pediatrics field will be published separately. C...
SUMMARYEnhanced surveillance for infectious disease events, with accelerated routine reporting an... more SUMMARYEnhanced surveillance for infectious disease events, with accelerated routine reporting and daily supplementary reports, was undertaken during the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. We evaluated the surveillance outputs, reporting intervals and detection of World Cup-relevant events for the enhanced system. Outbreak numbers for measles, Norovirus and Campylobacter were significantly higher than in previous years, but all increases were explained by prior trends. The median interval (disease onset to receipt at national centre) fell from 17 days in 2005 to 12 days in 2006. Detection of World Cup-relevant events was 44% (8/18) in the routine system and 77% (14/18) in supplementary reports. We did not identify any significant effect on infectious disease epidemiology relating to the FIFA 2006 World Cup. Daily reporting improved timeliness, and supplementary reporting improved relevant event detection. Enhancing existing systems, without the addition of syndromic surveillance, can b...
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