Epidemiüberwachung

Epidemiüberwachung, also known as epidemiological surveillance, is the continuous systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of health data to detect and describe disease patterns and trends. Its primary goal is to identify and respond to disease outbreaks, monitor the effectiveness of public health interventions, and inform policy decisions. Epidemiological surveillance can be categorized into three main types: passive, active, and syndromic surveillance.

Passive surveillance relies on data that are routinely collected for other purposes, such as hospital discharge records or death certificates. This type of surveillance is often used to monitor the incidence and prevalence of notifiable diseases. Active surveillance involves the systematic collection of data through targeted data collection methods, such as case reports or sentinel surveillance systems. Active surveillance is often used to detect and respond to outbreaks of infectious diseases. Syndromic surveillance, on the other hand, uses data from non-traditional sources, such as emergency department visits, over-the-counter medication sales, or internet search trends, to detect and track the spread of diseases in real-time.

Epidemiological surveillance is a critical component of public health systems, enabling timely and effective responses to disease outbreaks and informing evidence-based policy decisions. It requires the collaboration of various stakeholders, including public health authorities, healthcare providers, and data analysts, to ensure the accuracy, timeliness, and relevance of the data collected.