2021 •
The economics of improving global infectious disease surveillance.
Authors:
Linda de Vries, Marion Koopmans, Alec Morton, Pieter van Baal
Abstract:
### Summary box With the global increase in population density, urbanisation, and global travel and trade, the threat of widespread outbreaks of infectious diseases has increased relentlessly,1 as evidenced by recent examples of COVID-19 and Ebola. Further, although the most important causes of death shifted to non-communicable diseases, in some poorer parts of the world, communicable diseases remain the most important cause of death.2 Crucial in the prevention of and reaction to these threats is early detection, which demands an infectious di (...)
### Summary box With the global increase in population density, urbanisation, and global travel and trade, the threat of widespread outbreaks of infectious diseases has increased relentlessly,1 as evidenced by recent examples of COVID-19 and Ebola. Further, although the most important causes of death shifted to non-communicable diseases, in some poorer parts of the world, communicable diseases remain the most important cause of death.2 Crucial in the prevention of and reaction to these threats is early detection, which demands an infectious disease surveillance system that can signal unusual events. How to set up and improve surveillance and how to prioritise investments are questions that need input from different scientific disciplines. Here, we focus on some economic considerations. The best recognised purpose of disease surveillance is the (early) detection of epidemics and other health threats. New diagnostic tools such as unbiased and targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) are being explored as options to improve surveillance as these allow to determine causes of unexplained disease outbreaks, trace and link sources of disease transmission, and facilitate a better understanding of how viruses and bacteria pass from animal to humans. With NGS, the same platforms and sometimes even the same protocols can be … (Read More)
Linda de Vries, Marion Koopmans, Alec Morton, Pieter van Baal
BMJ Global Health ·
2021
Intensive care medicine |
Environmental health |
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