What is Disease Surveillance?

Disease surveillance is an information-based activity involving the collection, analysis

and interpretation of large volumes of data originating from a variety of sources.

The information collated is then used in a number of ways to:

Ø Evaluate the effectiveness of control and preventative health measures

Ø Monitor changes in infectious agents e.g. trends in development of antimicrobial resistance

Ø Support health planning and the allocation of appropriate resources within the healthcare system.

Ø Identify high risk populations or areas to target interventions

Provide a valuable archive of disease activity for future reference.

To be effective, the collection of surveillance data must be standardized on a national basis and be made available at local, regional and national level. HPSC is an essential communication point in forecasting and responding to disease outbreaks and incidents of regional, national and international significance

Together, the ICGP and the HPSC recruited a total of 60 GP’s throughout the Republic of Ireland, ensuring there would be a balanced comparison countrywide. The data is collated on a weekly basis, and a report is then produced, displaying the present outbreaks, along with comparables from previous seasons.

Health-One programmers have worked closely with the ICGP and the HPSC to make this process easier for its users. As a result of this co-ordinated approach, other information regarding disease surveillance has been possible, such as

Ø Pandemic Planning

Ø Vaccine effectiveness Study

Ø Gastro-enteritis Study

There are currently 60 GP’s recruited, THERE ARE NO VACANCIES AVAILABLE AT PRESENT. However, sometimes vacancies become available, and if you would like to be considered if a vacancy occurs, please discuss your interest in participating with Dr Michael Joyce at mjoyce@iol.ie

Instructions (Click on link to find out how to run the search)

Pandemic Advice (Click to view latest Pandemic Advice and statistics)

Newsletters (Click to view Newsletters from Coordinator)

GP Performance (Click if you are a participant and would like to check your performance)

Archive Files The previous year’s reports