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Journal articles on the topic 'Surveillance and investigations'
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Brayne, Sarah. "The Criminal Law and Law Enforcement Implications of Big Data." Annual Review of Law and Social Science 14, no. 1 (October 13, 2018): 293–308. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-lawsocsci-101317-030839.
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Law enforcement agencies increasingly use big data analytics in their daily operations. This review outlines how police departments leverage big data and new surveillant technologies in patrol and investigations. It distinguishes between directed surveillance—which involves the surveillance of individuals and places under suspicion—and dragnet surveillance—which involves suspicionless, unparticularized data collection. Law enforcement's adoption of big data analytics far outpaces legal responses to the new surveillant landscape. Therefore, this review highlights open legal questions about data collection, suspicion requirements, and police discretion. It concludes by offering suggestions for future directions for researchers and practitioners.
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Cecil, Elizabeth, Samantha Wilkinson, Alex Bottle, Aneez Esmail, Charles Vincent, and Paul P. Aylin. "National hospital mortality surveillance system: a descriptive analysis." BMJ Quality & Safety 27, no. 12 (October 8, 2018): 974–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2018-008364.
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ObjectiveTo provide a description of the Imperial College Mortality Surveillance System and subsequent investigations by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in National Health Service (NHS) hospitals receiving mortality alerts.BackgroundThe mortality surveillance system has generated monthly mortality alerts since 2007, on 122 individual diagnosis and surgical procedure groups, using routinely collected hospital administrative data for all English acute NHS hospital trusts. The CQC, the English national regulator, is notified of each alert. This study describes the findings of CQC investigations of alerting trusts.MethodsWe carried out (1) a descriptive analysis of alerts (2007–2016) and (2) an audit of CQC investigations in a subset of alerts (2011–2013).ResultsBetween April 2007 and October 2016, 860 alerts were generated and 76% (654 alerts) were sent to trusts. Alert volumes varied over time (range: 40–101). Septicaemia (except in labour) was the most commonly alerting group (11.5% alerts sent). We reviewed CQC communications in a subset of 204 alerts from 96 trusts. The CQC investigated 75% (154/204) of alerts. In 90% of these pursued alerts, trusts returned evidence of local case note reviews (140/154). These reviews found areas of care that could be improved in 69% (106/154) of alerts. In 25% (38/154) trusts considered that identified failings in care could have impacted on patient outcomes. The CQC investigations resulted in full trust action plans in 77% (118/154) of all pursued alerts.ConclusionThe mortality surveillance system has generated a large number of alerts since 2007. Quality of care problems were found in 69% of alerts with CQC investigations, and one in four trusts reported that failings in care may have an impact on patient outcomes. Identifying whether mortality alerts are the most efficient means to highlight areas of substandard care will require further investigation.
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O’Toole, Áine, Verity Hill, Ben Jackson, Rebecca Dewar, Nikita Sahadeo, Rachel Colquhoun, Stefan Rooke, et al. "Genomics-informed outbreak investigations of SARS-CoV-2 using civet." PLOS Global Public Health 2, no. 12 (December 9, 2022): e0000704. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0000704.
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The scale of data produced during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has been unprecedented, with more than 13 million sequences shared publicly at the time of writing. This wealth of sequence data provides important context for interpreting local outbreaks. However, placing sequences of interest into national and international context is difficult given the size of the global dataset. Often outbreak investigations and genomic surveillance efforts require running similar analyses again and again on the latest dataset and producing reports. We developed civet (cluster investigation and virus epidemiology tool) to aid these routine analyses and facilitate virus outbreak investigation and surveillance. Civet can place sequences of interest in the local context of background diversity, resolving the query into different ’catchments’ and presenting the phylogenetic results alongside metadata in an interactive, distributable report. Civet can be used on a fine scale for clinical outbreak investigation, for local surveillance and cluster discovery, and to routinely summarise the virus diversity circulating on a national level. Civet reports have helped researchers and public health bodies feedback genomic information in the appropriate context within a timeframe that is useful for public health.
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Gates, Kelly. "Media Evidence and Forensic Journalism." Surveillance & Society 18, no. 3 (August 19, 2020): 403–8. http://dx.doi.org/10.24908/ss.v18i3.14090.
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This essay engages with the question of surveillance and evidence by considering the use of media forensics in journalistic storytelling. The use of video evidence and other data derived from surveillance systems to assemble investigative news results in a documentary form of what Thomas Levin (2002) calls surveillant narration—a tendency in cinema to treat surveillance thematically while at the same time incorporating it into the structure of the narration itself. If using surveillance as the structure of journalistic narration seems like a natural fit, it is for its aesthetic effect as much as its evidentiary value. Forensic journalism is emerging as one site where media forensics becomes formalized as a product of popular consumption and sense-making, taking its place alongside forensic-themed reality television and fictional crime dramas like CSI, as much as real forensic investigations and legal proceedings.
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Choi, Bernard C. K. "The Past, Present, and Future of Public Health Surveillance." Scientifica 2012 (2012): 1–26. http://dx.doi.org/10.6064/2012/875253.
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This paper provides a review of the past, present, and future of public health surveillance—the ongoing systematic collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of health data for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health action. Public health surveillance dates back to the first recorded epidemic in 3180 B.C. in Egypt. Hippocrates (460 B.C.–370 B.C.) coined the terms endemic and epidemic, John Graunt (1620–1674) introduced systematic data analysis, Samuel Pepys (1633–1703) started epidemic field investigation, William Farr (1807–1883) founded the modern concept of surveillance, John Snow (1813–1858) linked data to intervention, and Alexander Langmuir (1910–1993) gave the first comprehensive definition of surveillance. Current theories, principles, and practice of public health surveillance are summarized. A number of surveillance dichotomies, such as epidemiologic surveillance versus public health surveillance, are described. Some future scenarios are presented, while current activities that can affect the future are summarized: exploring new frontiers; enhancing computer technology; improving epidemic investigations; improving data collection, analysis, dissemination, and use; building on lessons from the past; building capacity; enhancing global surveillance. It is concluded that learning from the past, reflecting on the present, and planning for the future can further enhance public health surveillance.
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Hedberg, C. "Listeria in Europe: The need for a European surveillance network is growing." Eurosurveillance 11, no. 6 (June 1, 2006): 1–2. http://dx.doi.org/10.2807/esm.11.06.00628-en.
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Four years ago, Henriette de Valk and colleagues determined both the need for and feasibility of a European network on Listeria infections in humans. The network was envisioned as a way to strengthen surveillance in individual countries by harmonising microbiological methods and providing epidemiologic tools for investigations. The results of their survey were clear: respondents felt that such a network would aid in the detection and investigation of outbreaks, and that it could be based on existing national surveillance systems. There has been considerable institutional support for developing a European Listeria network, and in response to planning efforts, Listeria surveillance has improved in several countries. However, the network has yet to be realised.
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Yusman, La Ode, Taswin Taswin, and LM Khairul Razy. "ALUR PENYELIDIKAN SURVEILANS DAN DIAGNOSA DINI COVID-19 DI KOTA BAUBAU." Kampurui Jurnal Kesehatan Masyarakat (The Journal of Public Health) 4, no. 1 (June 30, 2022): 1–11. http://dx.doi.org/10.55340/kjkm.v4i1.625.
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Currently the data on the spread of Covid-19 continues to increase, the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported the number of Covid-19 cases reaching 20,126.45 cases with 737,285 deaths worldwide and there are several health workers who have been reported to have been infected. Indonesia has confirmed cases of Covid-19 on November 25, 2021. Cumulatively, 4,254,443 people have been confirmed positive for COVID-19. Baubau City reported the number of Covid-19 cases on March 23, 2021, which was 10,221 cases. This study aims to determine the Flow of Surveillance Investigations and Early Diagnosis of Covid-19 in Baubau City. The type of research used is quantitative with a descriptive observational research design. The population and sample in this study were surveillance officers, assistant surveillance officers working at the Puskesmas and surveillance officers at the Baubau City Health Office totaling 35 people. The analysis used is univariate analysis. The results of this study indicate that from 35 Puskesmas surveillance officers conducting epidemiological investigations in communities with symptoms, as many as 34 people (100%) and several Puskesmas surveillance officers conducting epidemiological investigations in communities without symptoms, as many as 26 people (76.5%). , Puskesmas surveillance officers who categorize based on people during epidemiological investigations are 32 people (94.1%), Puskesmas surveillance officers who carry out categorization based on places during epidemiological investigations are 26 (76.5%), how to know someone has been exposed to covid -19 health center surveillance officers by looking at the symptoms felt by the patient, by looking at the travel history of the patient from outside/in the area, by looking at the history of direct contact of the patient with someone, by looking at the results of the rapid examination and swab test of the patient, as many as 28 (82.4 %) and all surveillance officers did The treatment is in accordance with the patient's condition, namely 34 people (100%) both those who meet and do not fulfill the DO of patients under supervision in the community who travel (people under supervision) and (patients under supervision). Surveillance activities in terms of data collection at each Baubau City Health Center, namely the type of data collected in the form of data on morbidity, mortality and community demographic data and sources of Covid-19 data obtained are categorized by person, place and time. There are several surveillance officers who do not categorize by person and place only by time, and surveillance data is collected on people who have symptoms and do not have symptoms. It is hoped that surveillance officers at the Baubau City Health Office will maximize ongoing surveillance activities to reduce the incidence of COVID-19 disease in the community
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Jackson Young, Sarah. "Literacies for Surveillance: Social Network Sites and Background Investigations." Media and Communication 3, no. 2 (September 30, 2015): 88–97. http://dx.doi.org/10.17645/mac.v3i2.266.
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In September 2013, civilian contractor Aaron Alexis entered the Washington Navy Yard and murdered twelve people before being fatally shot by police. This incident, together with an incident three months earlier involving Edward Snowden, caused the U.S. government to critically examine their background investigation (BI) process; because both Snowden and Alexis had supposedly slipped through the cracks of their investigations, there must be some flaw in the BI procedure. The U.S. Committee on Oversight and Reform concluded that rules forbidding “background checkers from looking at the Internet or social media when performing checks” was one of the main factors contributing to defective BIs (Report, 2014). Since the report’s release, the Director of National Intelligence has been debating and trialing whether information from the Internet should be used to form a data double for BIs (Kopp, 2014; Rockwell, 2014). Using this conversation as a discussion catalyst, I argue that due to the nature of the data double, if the United States were to adopt the use of social networking sites (SNSs) for security clearance purposes, neglecting to take into account basic principles of SNSs into the process of BIs may lead to misinformation and unfavorable adjudication. Ultimately, being literate about the social practices involved in SNSs and surveillance would benefit not only investigators, but anyone, including academics, looking at individuals in online spaces.
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Young, Sarah. "Slipping through the cracks: Background investigations after Snowden." Surveillance & Society 15, no. 1 (February 28, 2017): 123–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.24908/ss.v15i1.5306.
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Although Edward Snowden set out to expose the extent of the United States (US) government’s surveillance practices so that the public would be aware of the magnitude of the country’s information gathering, Snowden’s actions have actually, at least in the case of background investigations, revealed an inability for the US government to gather all desired information for surveillance purposes. This lack of ability to gain access to information has several major consequences. First, it has created a call for more information to be gathered. It has also affected federal workers’ privacy and whistleblowing capabilities, encouraged a false trust in a fallible system, and has perpetuated the belief that the BI can actually capture the essence or “whole person” of an individual so much that it can tell the future. All of these elements are problematic and help show how surveillance proliferates in modern society.
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Almusayli, Asma, Tanveer Zia, and Emad-ul-Haq Qazi. "Drone Forensics: An Innovative Approach to the Forensic Investigation of Drone Accidents Based on Digital Twin Technology." Technologies 12, no. 1 (January 19, 2024): 11. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/technologies12010011.
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In recent years, drones have become increasingly popular tools in criminal investigations, either as means of committing crimes or as tools to assist in investigations due to their capability to gather evidence and conduct surveillance, which has been effective. However, the increasing use of drones has also brought about new difficulties in the field of digital forensic investigation. This paper aims to contribute to the growing body of research on digital forensic investigations of drone accidents by proposing an innovative approach based on the use of digital twin technology to investigate drone accidents. The simulation is implemented as part of the digital twin solution using Robot Operating System (ROS) and simulated environments such as Gazebo and Rviz, demonstrating the potential of this technology to improve investigation accuracy and efficiency. This research work can contribute to the development of new and innovative investigation techniques.
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Liu, Yen-Yi, Chih-Chieh Chen, Chien-Hua Yang, Hui-Yi Hsieh, Jia-Xin He, Hao-Hsuan Lin, and Chi-Ching Lee. "LmTraceMap: A Listeria monocytogenes fast-tracing platform for global surveillance." PLOS ONE 17, no. 5 (May 9, 2022): e0267972. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267972.
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Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, and people with hypoimmunity such as pregnant women, infants and fetuses are at high risk of invasive infection. Although the incidence of listeriosis is low, the fatality rate is high. Therefore, continual surveillance and rapid epidemiological investigation are crucial for addressing L. monocytogenes. Because of the popularity of next-generation sequencing, obtaining the whole-genome sequence of a bacterium is easy. Several genome-based typing methods are available, and core-genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) is the most recognized methods. Using cgMLST typing to compare L. monocytogenes whole-genome sequences (WGS) with those obtained across distinct regions is beneficial. However, the concern is how to incorporate the powerful cgMLST method into investigations, such as by using source tracing. Herein, we present an easy-to-use web service called–LmTraceMap (http://lmtracemap.cgu.edu.tw/hua_map/test/upload.php; http://120.126.17.192/hua_map/test/upload.php) that can help public-health professionals rapidly trace closely related isolates worldwide and visually inspect them in search results on a world map with labeled epidemiological data. We expect the proposed service to improve the convenience of public health investigations.
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CLARK, C. G., J. FARBER, F. PAGOTTO, N. CIAMPA, K. DORÉ, C. NADON, K. BERNARD, and L. K. NG. "Surveillance forListeria monocytogenesand listeriosis, 1995–2004." Epidemiology and Infection 138, no. 4 (October 12, 2009): 559–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0950268809990914.
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SUMMARYCanadian cases and outbreaks of illness caused byListeria monocytogenesbetween 1995 and 2004 were assessed. Isolates (722 total) were characterized by serotyping, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was performed to provide a means of detecting case clusters. Rates of listeriosis remained fairly consistent during the period of study, and patient characteristics were similar to those seen in studies of other populations. Most isolates were obtained from blood and cerebrospinal fluid, although during some outbreak investigations isolates were also obtained from stools. Serotype 1/2a predominated in isolates from patients in Canada, followed by serotypes 4b and 1/2b. Outbreaks caused byL. monocytogenesthat occurred during the period of study were caused by isolates with serotypes 1/2a and 4b. A retrospective analysis of PFGE data uncovered several clusters that might have represented undetected outbreaks, suggesting that comprehensive prospective PFGE analysis coupled with prompt epidemiological investigations might lead to improved outbreak detection and control.
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Pearson, Meri. "Automation of Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) Areas for Opportunity Through the Use of Technology." Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology 1, S1 (July 2021): s3. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/ash.2021.6.
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Background: A large healthcare system in Georgia implemented an enhanced electronic infection surveillance system that is incorporated into the electronic medical record (EMR). Prior to the implementation of this electronic infection surveillance system, the infection prevention (IP) team performed healthcare-associated infection (HAI) surveillance through a locally created system that did not interface with their EMR. Each HAI identified undergoes a robust analysis for opportunities depending on the infection type by manual abstraction from the EMR, which is stored in a spreadsheet. One disadvantage of this spreadsheet is that only 1 person can enter data at a time. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has presented many challenges for healthcare facilities including shifting resources from HAI prevention programs. These programs include the investigations performed to identify risk factors that can aid in preventing future infections. Due to the necessity to increase efficiency in the current pandemic, the IP team proposed using technology to automate our HAI investigation process. Method: The IP team and the business intelligence (BI) team met to determine whether data completed in the electronic infection surveillance system could flow into an interactive data visualization software that is currently used for other HAI prevention dashboards. The existing spreadsheet was reviewed to select variables essential for HAI investigations and for which the data existed in the EMR. The BI team worked to find the correct data tables within the EMR so that the data could automatically refresh daily in the data visualization software. Result: The BI team was able to correctly identify variables used in the previously manual HAI investigation process within the EMR to interface with the data visualization software. This automation of investigations allows quick analysis of trends and areas of opportunity to prevent future HAIs. Conclusion: This utilization of technology can be applied to other healthcare facilities with similar software systems to streamline IP workflows. The automation of quickly and efficiently recognizing areas of opportunity allows IPs more time to facilitate the prevention of HAIs in other ways.Funding: NoDisclosures: None
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Thulke, Hans-Hermann, Dirk Eisinger, Conrad Freuling, Andreas Fröhlich, Anja Globig, Volker Grimm, Thomas Müller, Thomas Selhorst, Christoph Staubach, and Stephan Zips. "SITUATION-BASED SURVEILLANCE: ADAPTING INVESTIGATIONS TO ACTUAL EPIDEMIC SITUATIONS." Journal of Wildlife Diseases 45, no. 4 (October 2009): 1089–103. http://dx.doi.org/10.7589/0090-3558-45.4.1089.
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Fosgate, Geoffrey T. "Practical Sample Size Calculations for Surveillance and Diagnostic Investigations." Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation 21, no. 1 (January 2009): 3–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/104063870902100102.
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Gastmeier, P., D. Sohr, A. Rath, D. H. Forster, N. Wischnewski, M. Lacour, H. Br ä, F. Daschnerand, and H. R ü. "Repeated prevalence investigations on nosocomial infections for continuous surveillance." Journal of Hospital Infection 45, no. 1 (May 2000): 47–53. http://dx.doi.org/10.1053/jhin.1999.0711.
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Bayerl, Petra Saskia, and Babak Akhgar. "Surveillance and falsification implications for open source intelligence investigations." Communications of the ACM 58, no. 8 (July 23, 2015): 62–69. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2699410.
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Geldenhuys, Marike, Marinda Mortlock, Jonathan H. Epstein, Janusz T. Pawęska, Jacqueline Weyer, and Wanda Markotter. "Overview of Bat and Wildlife Coronavirus Surveillance in Africa: A Framework for Global Investigations." Viruses 13, no. 5 (May 18, 2021): 936. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/v13050936.
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The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had devastating health and socio-economic impacts. Human activities, especially at the wildlife interphase, are at the core of forces driving the emergence of new viral agents. Global surveillance activities have identified bats as the natural hosts of diverse coronaviruses, with other domestic and wildlife animal species possibly acting as intermediate or spillover hosts. The African continent is confronted by several factors that challenge prevention and response to novel disease emergences, such as high species diversity, inadequate health systems, and drastic social and ecosystem changes. We reviewed published animal coronavirus surveillance studies conducted in Africa, specifically summarizing surveillance approaches, species numbers tested, and findings. Far more surveillance has been initiated among bat populations than other wildlife and domestic animals, with nearly 26,000 bat individuals tested. Though coronaviruses have been identified from approximately 7% of the total bats tested, surveillance among other animals identified coronaviruses in less than 1%. In addition to a large undescribed diversity, sequences related to four of the seven human coronaviruses have been reported from African bats. The review highlights research gaps and the disparity in surveillance efforts between different animal groups (particularly potential spillover hosts) and concludes with proposed strategies for improved future biosurveillance.
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Nolan, Michelle L., Hillary V. Kunins, Ramona Lall, and Denise Paone. "Developing Syndromic Surveillance to Monitor and Respond to Adverse Health Events Related to Psychoactive Substance Use: Methods and Applications." Public Health Reports 132, no. 1_suppl (July 2017): 65S—72S. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0033354917718074.
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Introduction: Recent increases in drug overdose deaths, both in New York City and nationally, highlight the need for timely data on psychoactive drug-related morbidity. We developed drug syndrome definitions for syndromic surveillance to monitor drug-related emergency department (ED) visits in real time. Materials and Methods: We used 2012 archived syndromic surveillance data from New York City hospitals to develop definitions for psychoactive drug-related syndromes. The dataset contained ED visit-level information that included patients’ chief complaints, dates of visits, ZIP codes of residence, discharge diagnoses, and dispositions. After manually reviewing chief complaints, we developed a classification scheme comprising 3 categories (overdose, drug mention, and drug abuse/misuse), which we used to define 25 psychoactive drug syndromes. From July 2013 through December 2015, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene performed daily syndromic surveillance of psychoactive drug-related ED visits using the 25 syndrome definitions. Results: Syndromic surveillance triggered 4 public health investigations, supported 8 other public health investigations that had been triggered by other mechanisms, and resulted in the identification of 5 psychoactive drug-related outbreaks. Syndromic surveillance also identified a substantial increase in synthetic cannabinoid-related visits (from an average of 3 per week in January 2014 to >300 per week in July 2015) and an increase in heroin overdose visits (from 80 to 171 in the first 3 quarters of 2012 and 2014, respectively) in a single neighborhood. Practice Implications: Syndromic surveillance using these novel definitions enabled monitoring of trends in psychoactive drug-related morbidity, initiation and support of public health investigations, and targeting of interventions. Health departments can refine these definitions for their jurisdictions using the described methods and integrate them into existing syndromic surveillance systems.
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Miranda, Diana. "Criminal Investigation Through the Eye of the Detective: Technological Innovation and Tradition." Surveillance & Society 13, no. 3/4 (October 26, 2015): 422–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.24908/ss.v13i3/4.5403.
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Technological elements and scientific knowledge are steadily transforming both the traditional image of the detective and the nature of contemporary police work. However, despite the potential utility of scientific methods and new technologies in criminal investigations, there are many barriers surrounding their application. We explore these barriers through a qualitative and comprehensive methodology, utilising a set of semi-structured interviews and informal conversations with criminal investigators.We use theoretical contributions from social studies of science and technology, surveillance studies and policing research to analyse how soft and hard forms of surveillance are applied in the practices of the Portuguese Criminal Investigation Police (Polícia Judiciária). The technological artefacts are both shaped by and shape how criminal investigators work. Consequently, it is necessary to explore how the collectives of human and non-human elements are constituted. By analysing the fusion of traditional methods of criminal investigation (hard surveillance) with new technologies of collection and use of information (soft surveillance) we see a hybrid figure of the contemporary detective emerging; a product of both the past and the present. In a context where innovation is sometimes constrained, traditional methods continue to endure. Nevertheless, the expansion of computerisation and police databases has had significant impact on how police information is collected and recorded.
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Senyonjo, Laura, James Addy, Diana L. Martin, David Agyemang, Dorothy Yeboah-Manu, Sarah Gwyn, Benjamin Marfo, et al. "Surveillance for peri-elimination trachoma recrudescence: Exploratory studies in Ghana." PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 15, no. 9 (September 20, 2021): e0009744. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0009744.
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Introduction To date, eleven countries have been validated as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, including Ghana in 2018. Surveillance for recrudescence is needed both pre- and post-validation but evidence-based guidance on appropriate strategies is lacking. We explored two potential surveillance strategies in Ghana. Methodology/principal findings Amongst randomly-selected communities enrolled in pre-validation on-going surveillance between 2011 and 2015, eight were identified as having had trachomatous-inflammation follicular (TF) prevalence ≥5% in children aged 1–9 years between 2012 and 2014. These eight were re-visited in 2015 and 2016 and neighbouring communities were also added (“TF trigger” investigations). Resident children aged 1–9 years were then examined for trachoma and had a conjunctival swab to test for Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) and a dried blood spot (DBS) taken to test for anti-Pgp3 antibodies. These investigations identified at least one community with evidence of probable recent Ct ocular transmission. However, the approach likely lacks sufficient spatio-temporal power to be reliable. A post-validation surveillance strategy was also evaluated, this reviewed the ocular Ct infection and anti-Pgp3 seroprevalence data from the TF trigger investigations and from the pre-validation surveillance surveys in 2015 and 2016. Three communities identified as having ocular Ct infection >0% and anti-Pgp3 seroprevalence ≥15.0% were identified, and along with three linked communities, were followed-up as part of the surveillance strategy. An additional three communities with a seroprevalence ≥25.0% but no Ct infection were also followed up (“antibody and infection trigger” investigations). DBS were taken from all residents aged ≥1 year and ocular swabs from all children aged 1–9 years. There was evidence of transmission in the group of communities visited in one district (Zabzugu-Tatale). There was no or little evidence of continued transmission in other districts, suggesting previous infection identified was transient or potentially not true ocular Ct infection. Conclusions/significance There is evidence of heterogeneity in Ct transmission dynamics in northern Ghana, even 10 years after wide-scale MDA has stopped. There is added value in monitoring Ct infection and anti-Ct antibodies, using these indicators to interrogate past or present surveillance strategies. This can result in a deeper understanding of transmission dynamics and inform new post-validation surveillance strategies. Opportunities should be explored for integrating PCR and serological-based markers into surveys conducted in trachoma elimination settings.
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GUZEWICH, JOHN J., FRANK L. BRYAN, and EWEN C. D. TODD. "Surveillance of Foodborne Disease I. Purposes and Types of Surveillance Systems and Networks." Journal of Food Protection 60, no. 5 (May 1, 1997): 555–66. http://dx.doi.org/10.4315/0362-028x-60.5.555.
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This is the first part of a four-part series on foodborne disease surveillance. Although these articles are primarily built on expertise gained within North America, the substance is of value to any community or country wishing to initiate or improve its surveillance system. Foodborne disease surveillance is necessary for preventing further spread of foodborne disease and includes identifying and controlling outbreaks at the time they are occurring; gathering data on incidence of these diseases and prevalence of their etiologic agents, vehicles, and reservoirs; identifying factors that led to the outbreaks; providing a data bank for HACCP systems and risk assessments; estimating health and economic impacts of foodborne diseases; and providing information upon which to base rational food safety program goals and priorities. Reports of outbreaks by local health agencies to regional and, then, national agencies responsible for disease surveillance, laboratory isolations of certain foodborne pathogens from human beings, sentinel community studies, and hazard surveillance are the types of foodborne disease surveillance activities that are used to varying extents in Canada and the U.S. In recent years, some national surveillance reports have been collated internationally in Europe and Latin America. Surveillance at local, state/provincial, national, and international levels must be coordinated for effective and rapid transfer of data. Computer software can assist investigation and management of the information submitted through surveillance networks. Information summarized on individual reports usually includes (a) location of the event, (b) clinical data, (c) epidemiologic data, (d) laboratory findings, and (e) results of on-site investigations. Each outbreak report should be subjected to critical review before classifying it into the various categories of surveillance data. Such a review would also be useful when comparing surveillance data from different places and intervals. Highlights of individual reports are tabulated as line listings that are the direct sources of surveillance data, which are the subject of the second and third parts of this series.
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West, Daniel, Lynsey Emmett, Sultan Salimee, and Mark Reacher. "P217 Syphilis on the rise – implementation of enhanced surveillance." Sexually Transmitted Infections 93, Suppl 1 (June 2017): A87.2—A87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/sextrans-2017-053232.259.
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IntroductionDiagnoses of infectious syphilis have risen dramatically in the UK since the late 1990s. This resurgence has been facilitated by a number of outbreaks across the UK, occurring mainly in men who have sex with men but also in heterosexual men and women.In response, a number of enhanced surveillance initiatives have been developed and implemented across England to collect timely demographic, clinical and risk factor information. These run alongside the routine surveillance system for sexually transmitted infections, the quarterly Genitourinary Medicine Clinic Activity Dataset (GUMCADv2). The system in the East of England is described here.MethodsUp to 2016 two paper based forms were utilised. A one page ‘surveillance’ form was completed for every case of infectious syphilis, and a more detailed ‘investigation’ form used if an unusual increase required investigation. During 2016 these two forms were merged and information is now entered into an online form. All forms are completed by the diagnosing clinic.Data collected is used to generate automatic reports, identify and investigate any unusual increases and for audits against GUMCADv2.ResultsEnhanced surveillance has allowed the identification of a number of unusual increases prompting timely and appropriate investigations to be launched; identified opportunities to improve reporting standards. The change to an online system has improved the timeliness and accuracy of reporting and made the system more secure.DiscussionOngoing enhanced surveillance complementing GUMCADv2 is important. This information provides timely intelligence on the epidemiology of infectious syphilis across the region.
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Cowden, J. M., M. O'Mahony, C. L. R. Bartlett, B. Rana, B. Smyth, D. Lynch, H. Tillett, et al. "A national outbreak ofSalmonella typhimuriumDT 124 caused by contaminated salami sticks." Epidemiology and Infection 103, no. 2 (October 1989): 219–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0950268800030569.
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SUMMARYAn outbreak ofSalmonella typhimuriumDT 124 infection which affected 101 people in England in December 1987 and January 1988 was detected through surveillance of laboratory reports from medical microbiology laboratories of the NHS and PHLS. Within 1 week of noting the increase in reports, epidemiological and microbiological investigations identified a small German salami stick as the vehicle of infection and the product was withdrawn from sale. The epidemiological investigation highlighted the occurrence of a long incubation period, bloody diarrhoea. Prompt recognition and investigation of the outbreak prevented further cases of severe infection.
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Kwon, Christie, Abu Mohd Naser, Hallie Eilerts, Georges Reniers, and Solveig Argeseanu Cunningham. "Pregnancy Surveillance Methods within Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems." Gates Open Research 5 (September 13, 2021): 144. http://dx.doi.org/10.12688/gatesopenres.13332.1.
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Background: Pregnancy identification and follow-up surveillance can enhance the reporting of pregnancy outcomes, including stillbirths and perinatal and early postnatal mortality. This paper reviews pregnancy surveillance methods used in Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems (HDSSs) in low- and middle-income countries. Methods: We searched articles containing information about pregnancy identification methods used in HDSSs published between January 2002 and October 2019 using PubMed and Google Scholar. A total of 37 articles were included through literature review and 22 additional articles were identified via manual search of references. We reviewed the gray literature, including websites, online reports, data collection instruments, and HDSS protocols from the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Study (CHAMPS) Network and the International Network for the Demographic Evaluation of Populations and Their Health (INDEPTH). In total, we reviewed information from 52 HDSSs described in 67 sources. Results: Substantial variability exists in pregnancy surveillance approaches across the 52 HDSSs, and surveillance methods are not always clearly documented. 42% of HDSSs applied restrictions based on residency duration to identify who should be included in surveillance. Most commonly, eligible individuals resided in the demographic surveillance area (DSA) for at least three months. 44% of the HDSSs restricted eligibility for pregnancy surveillance based on a woman’s age, with most only monitoring women 15-49 years. 10% had eligibility criteria based on marital status, while 11% explicitly included unmarried women in pregnancy surveillance. 38% allowed proxy respondents to answer questions about a woman’s pregnancy status in her absence. 20% of HDSSs supplemented pregnancy surveillance with investigations by community health workers or key informants and by linking HDSS data with data from antenatal clinics. Conclusions: Methodological guidelines for conducting pregnancy surveillance should be clearly documented and meticulously implemented, as they can have implications for data quality and accurately informing maternal and child health programs.
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Gerlinger, Marco, Janet Matthews, Andy Davies, T. Andrew Lister, Silvia Montoto, and Ama Z. S. Rohatiner. "Active Surveillance Strategies Have Neither Clinical or Survival Benefit Following High-Dose Chemotherapy and Progenitor Cell Rescue in Follicular Lymphoma." Blood 112, no. 11 (November 16, 2008): 3251. http://dx.doi.org/10.1182/blood.v112.11.3251.3251.
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Abstract Introduction: Annual surveillance CT scans and bone marrow (BM) biopsies are frequently performed in follow-up of patients (pts.) receiving high-dose therapy (HDT) with autologous stem cell rescue for recurrent follicular lymphoma (FL). The impact of this active surveillance strategy on the outcome of a homogeneously treated population was analysed. Methods: Ninety-nine consecutive pts. who received HDT (cyclophosphamide and total body irradiation) with autologous stem cell rescue for recurrent FL at St Bartholomew’s Hospital between February 1986 and October 1991 were included. The surveillance policy at that time included an annual CT scan and BM biopsy. Time to relapse, time to next treatment and overall survival (OS) from the time of HDT were calculated and compared, according to whether disease progression had been diagnosed on the basis of surveillance investigations or on clinical grounds. Seventy out of 99 pts. are evaluable, the remainder are not, due to: relapse or death within one year of HDT (20 pts.), follow-up elsewhere (8 pts.) or patient’s wishes (1 pt.). 86% of pts. who commenced surveillance actually had annual CT scans and BM biopsies until disease progression or death. Results: After a median follow-up of 16.7 years (y), progression was documented in 35/70 pts. (50%). It was detected by surveillance alone in 14 pts. and clinically, in 21 pts. (40% and 60% of all recurrences, respectively). The commonest presentations of clinical relapse were peripheral lymphadenopathy (62%), pain (19%) and B-symptoms (10%). Surveillance relapses were diagnosed on the basis of a CT scan in 43% of pts., a BM biopsy in 36% and both in 14%. The median time from HDT to relapse was 2y for pts. with a clinically detected relapse and 2.8y in those with a surveillance relapse but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.2). Treatment was started immediately in 13 of 21 pts. (62%) with a clinical relapse, contrasting with only one of 14 pts. (7%) diagnosed on surveillance. The main reasons for starting treatment were biopsy-proven transformation to diffuse large B-cell pathology (8 of the pts. with a clinical relapse and one with a surveillance relapse) and rapidly progressing lymphadenopathy. All other pts. were managed expectantly (observation). The median time from HDT until clinical progression was 8.2y in the 14 pts. whose relapse was detected by surveillance; 4 of the 14 have not yet developed signs or symptoms of recurrence. Thus, the clinical relapse rate in the cohort under surveillance is 44% (31/70). Six of the pts. with a surveillance relapse have still not started treatment (median follow-up: 13.8y; range: 1.9y–22.1y). Only 2 of the 21 pts. with a clinically detected relapse have not started treatment after 5.6y and 14.3y of follow-up. Thus, the median time from HDT to next treatment was significantly shorter for pts. with a clinical relapse (3.6y) in comparison with those in whom the recurrence was diagnosed by surveillance investigations (11.3y; p=0.0004). Median OS was 5.6y and 13.4y for pts. with a clinical and a surveillance relapse, respectively (p=0.03). Conclusions: In pts. with FL, relapses diagnosed on the basis of surveillance investigations usually have an indolent course and frequently do not require treatment. In contrast, clinically detected relapses have a more aggressive clinical course and treatment is initiated immediately in the majority of cases. Thus, annual surveillance investigations do not help to identify pts. that require treatment and do not improve the outcome of this population. They should therefore be abandoned. Time to relapse based on data from pts. on annual surveillance should be interpreted with caution because of the poor correlation with time to next treatment and OS.
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Parker, Michael, and Maria Bitner-Glindzicz. "Genetic investigations in childhood deafness." Archives of Disease in Childhood 100, no. 3 (October 16, 2014): 271–78. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2014-306099.
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Permanent childhood sensorineural hearing loss, is one of the most common birth defects in developed countries. It is important to identify the aetiology of hearing loss for many reasons, as there may be important health surveillance implications particularly with syndromic causes. Non-syndromic sensorineural hearing loss is a highly heterogeneous genetic condition, meaning that it may be caused by any one of numerous genes, with very few phenotypic distinctions between the different genetic types. This has previously presented significant challenges for genetic testing. However, the introduction of new technologies should enable more comprehensive testing in the future, bringing significant benefits to more affected children and their families.
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Manikantan, Kapila, Raghav C. Dwivedi, Suhail I. Sayed, KA Pathak, and Rehan Kazi. "Current concepts of surveillance and its significance in head and neck cancer." Annals of The Royal College of Surgeons of England 93, no. 8 (November 2011): 576–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.1308/003588411x604794.
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Follow-up in head and neck cancer (HNC) is essential to detect and manage locoregional recurrence or metastases, or second primary tumours at the earliest opportunity. A variety of guidelines and investigations have been published in the literature. This has led to oncologists using different guidelines across the globe. The follow-up protocols may have unnecessary investigations that may cause morbidity or discomfort to the patient and may have significant cost implications. In this evidence-based review we have tried to evaluate and address important issues like the frequency of follow-up visits, clinical and imaging strategies adopted, and biochemical methods used for the purpose. This review summarises strategies for follow-up, imaging modalities and key investigations in the literature published between 1980 and 2009. A set of recommendations is also presented for cost-effective, simple yet efficient surveillance in patients with head and neck cancer.
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Tverdokhlebova, T. I., O. S. Dumbadze, L. A. Ermakova, E. V. Kovalev, A. V. Aleshukina, S. A. Nagorny, K. Kh Bolatchiev, and I. V. Hutoryanina. "SITUATION ON LARVAL HELMINTHOSIS IN THE SOUTH OF RUSSIA AND OPTIMIZATION OF EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SURVEILLANCE FOR THEM." Journal of microbiology epidemiology immunobiology, no. 6 (December 28, 2018): 72–80. http://dx.doi.org/10.36233/0372-9311-2018-6-72-80.
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The article presents the results of the investigations of Rostov Research Institute of Microbiology and Parasitology of Rospotrebnadzor which are directed towards the optimization of epidemiological surveillance of the larval helminthes infestations which are actual for the South of Russia: echinococcosis, trichinosis, dirofilariosis and toxocariasis. The implementation of the improved system of epidemiological surveillance of trichinosis has led to the absence of this disease cases among the population of the South and North-Caucasian federal districts in 2017. The optimization of preventive measures allowed to reduce the echinococcosis morbidity of the population in 2017 in the most unfavourable for echinococcosis region - Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia - twice compared to 2009. The results of sanitary-parasitological investigations - the most important part of epidemiological surveillance - indicate the potential risk of the population's infestation with parasitic pathogens through the objects of the environment in the South of Russia. The work of the researchers of the Institute together with the organizations of Rospotrebnadzor and other departments on the improvement of epidemiological surveillance resulted in the development of 12 standard and methodical and informative and methodical documents for the period of 2013-2018.
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Finn, Jonathan. "Surveillance Studies and Visual Art: An Examination of Jill Magid's Evidence Locker." Surveillance & Society 10, no. 2 (September 4, 2012): 134–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.24908/ss.v10i2.4144.
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It is now commonplace to refer to the contemporary world as a surveillance society. The tremendous proliferation of surveillance over the late twentieth and early twenty-first century has been met by a continually expanding body of scholarly work on the topic. However, such work remains largely based in the social sciences, specifically in the fields of sociology and criminology. While this work has been invaluable in many ways, it tends to emphasize empirical investigations of surveillance programs. By contrast, a growing body of work by artists and activists on surveillance questions the larger, more abstract issues associated with life in a surveillance society. The article examines Jill Magid’s Evidence Locker to argue that analyzing works of visual art not only complements the existing academic literature on surveillance, but that it raises distinctly new questions about citizens’ own roles and responsibilities in a surveillance society.
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Huang, Haifeng, Jingjing Long, Wu Yi, Qinglin Yi, Guodong Zhang, and Bangjun Lei. "A method for using unmanned aerial vehicles for emergency investigation of single geo-hazards and sample applications of this method." Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 17, no. 11 (November 20, 2017): 1961–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/nhess-17-1961-2017.
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Abstract. In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become widely used in emergency investigations of major natural hazards over large areas; however, UAVs are less commonly employed to investigate single geo-hazards. Based on a number of successful investigations in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, China, a complete UAV-based method for performing emergency investigations of single geo-hazards is described. First, a customized UAV system that consists of a multi-rotor UAV subsystem, an aerial photography subsystem, a ground control subsystem and a ground surveillance subsystem is described in detail. The implementation process, which includes four steps, i.e., indoor preparation, site investigation, on-site fast processing and application, and indoor comprehensive processing and application, is then elaborated, and two investigation schemes, automatic and manual, that are used in the site investigation step are put forward. Moreover, some key techniques and methods – e.g., the layout and measurement of ground control points (GCPs), route planning, flight control and image collection, and the Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry processing – are explained. Finally, three applications are given. Experience has shown that using UAVs for emergency investigation of single geo-hazards greatly reduces the time, intensity and risks associated with on-site work and provides valuable, high-accuracy, high-resolution information that supports emergency responses.
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Lamberga, Kristīne, Arvo Viltrop, Imbi Nurmoja, Marius Masiulis, Paulius Bušauskas, Edvīns Oļševskis, Mārtiņš Seržants, Alberto Laddomada, Felix Ardelean, and Klaus Depner. "The Effectiveness of Protection and Surveillance Zones in Detecting Further African Swine Fever Outbreaks in Domestic Pigs—Experience of the Baltic States." Viruses 16, no. 3 (February 22, 2024): 334. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/v16030334.
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In the event of an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in pig farms, the European Union (EU) legislation requires the establishment of a restricted zone, consisting of a protection zone with a radius of at least 3 km and a surveillance zone with a radius of at least 10 km around the outbreak. The main purpose of the restricted zone is to stop the spread of the disease by detecting further outbreaks. We evaluated the effectiveness and necessity of the restricted zone in the Baltic States by looking at how many secondary outbreaks were detected inside and outside the protection and surveillance zones and by what means. Secondary outbreaks are outbreaks with an epidemiological link to a primary outbreak while a primary outbreak is an outbreak that is not epidemiologically linked to any previous outbreak. From 2014 to 2023, a total of 272 outbreaks in domestic pigs were confirmed, where 263 (96.7%) were primary outbreaks and 9 (3.3%) were secondary outbreaks. Eight of the secondary outbreaks were detected by epidemiological enquiry and one by passive surveillance. Epidemiological enquiries are legally required investigations on an outbreak farm to find out when and how the virus entered the farm and to obtain information on contact farms where the ASF virus may have been spread. Of the eight secondary outbreaks detected by epidemiological investigations, six were within the protection zone, one was within the surveillance zone and one outside the restricted zone. Epidemiological investigations were therefore the most effective means of detecting secondary outbreaks, whether inside or outside the restricted zones, while active surveillance was not effective. Active surveillance are legally prescribed activities carried out by the competent authorities in the restricted zones. Furthermore, as ASF is no longer a rare and exotic disease in the EU, it could be listed as a “Category B” disease, which in turn would allow for more flexibility and “tailor-made” control measures, e.g., regarding the size of the restricted zone.
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Yu, Sean C., Albert M. Lai, Justin Smyer, Jennifer Flaherty, Julie E. Mangino, Ann Scheck McAlearney, Po-Yin Yen, Susan Moffatt-Bruce, and Courtney L. Hebert. "Novel Visualization of Clostridium difficile Infections in Intensive Care Units." ACI Open 03, no. 02 (July 2019): e71-e77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/s-0039-1693651.
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Background Accurate and timely surveillance and diagnosis of health care facility onset Clostridium difficile infection (HO-CDI) is vital to controlling infections within the hospital, but there are limited tools to assist with timely outbreak investigations. Objectives The objective of this study was to integrate spatiotemporal factors with HO-CDI cases and to develop a map-based dashboard to support infection preventionists (IPs) in performing surveillance and outbreak investigations for HO-CDI. Methods Clinical laboratory results and Admit-Transfer-Discharge data for admitted patients over 2 years were extracted from the information warehouse of a large academic medical center (AMC) and processed according to the Center for Disease Control National Healthcare Safety Network definitions to classify CDI cases by onset date. Results were validated against the internal infection surveillance database maintained by IPs in Clinical Epidemiology of this AMC. Hospital floor plans were combined with HO-CDI case data, to create a dashboard of intensive care units. Usability testing was performed with a think-aloud session and a survey. Results The simple classification algorithm identified all 265 HO-CDI cases from January 1, 2015 to November 30, 2015 with a positive predictive value (PPV) of 96.3%. When applied to data from 2014, the PPV was 94.6%. All users “strongly agreed” that the dashboard would be a positive addition to Clinical Epidemiology and would enable them to present hospital-acquired infection information to others more efficiently. Conclusion The CDI dashboard demonstrates the feasibility of mapping clinical data to hospital patient care units for more efficient surveillance and potential outbreak investigations.
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Baker, Arthur W., Iulian Ilieş, James C. Benneyan, Yuliya Lokhnygina, Katherine R. Foy, Sarah S. Lewis, Brittain A. Wood, et al. "93. Early Recognition and Response to Increases in Surgical Site Infections (SSI) using Optimized Statistical Process Control (SPC) Charts – the Early 2RIS Trial: A Multicenter Stepped Wedge Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)." Open Forum Infectious Diseases 8, Supplement_1 (November 1, 2021): S59—S60. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofab466.093.
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Abstract Background Traditional approaches for SSI surveillance have deficiencies that can delay detection of SSI outbreaks and other clinically important increases in SSI rates. Optimized SPC methods for SSI surveillance have not been prospectively evaluated. Methods We conducted a prospective multicenter stepped wedge cluster RCT to evaluate the performance of SSI surveillance and feedback performed with optimized SPC plus traditional surveillance methods compared to traditional surveillance alone. We divided 13 common surgical procedures into 6 clusters (Table 1). A cluster of procedures at a single hospital was the unit of randomization and analysis, and 105 total clusters across 29 community hospitals were randomized to 12 groups of 8-10 clusters (Figure 1). After a 12-month baseline observation period (3/2016-2/2017), the SPC surveillance intervention was serially implemented according to stepped wedge assignment over a 36-month intervention period (3/2017-2/2020) until all 12 groups of clusters had received the intervention. The primary outcome was the overall SSI prevalence rate (PR=SSIs/100 procedures), evaluated with a GEE model with Poisson distribution. Table 1 Figure 1 Schematic for stepped wedge design. The 12-month baseline observation period was followed by the 36-month intervention period, comprised of 12 3-month steps. Results Our trial involved prospective surveillance of 237,704 procedures that resulted in 1,952 SSIs (PR=0.82). The overall SSI PR did not differ significantly between clusters of procedures assigned to SPC surveillance (781 SSIs/89,339 procedures; PR=0.87) and those assigned to traditional surveillance (1,171 SSIs/148,365 procedures; PR=0.79; PR ratio=1.10 [95% CI, 0.94–1.30]; P=.25) (Table 2). SPC surveillance identified 104 SSI rate increases that required formal investigations, compared to only 25 investigations generated by traditional surveillance. Among 10 best practices for SSI prevention, 453 of 502 (90%) SSIs analyzed due to SPC detection of SSI rate increases had at least 2 deficiencies (Table 3). Table 2 Poisson regression models comparing surgical site infection (SSI) prevalence rates for procedure clusters receiving statistical process control surveillance to SSI rates for clusters receiving traditional control surveillance. Table 3 Compliance with 10 best practices for surgical site infection (SSI) prevention among 502 SSIs analyzed during SSI investigations generated by statistical process control surveillance. Conclusion SPC methods more frequently detected important SSI rate increases associated with deficiencies in SSI prevention best practices than traditional surveillance; however, feedback of this information did not lead to SSI rate reductions. Further study is indicated to determine the best application of SPC methods to improve adherence to SSI quality measures and prevent SSIs. Disclosures Arthur W. Baker, MD, MPH, Medincell (Advisor or Review Panel member) Susan S. Huang, MD, MPH, Medline (Other Financial or Material Support, Conducted studies in which participating hospitals and nursing homes received contributed antiseptic and cleaning products)Molnlycke (Other Financial or Material Support, Conducted studies in which participating hospitals and nursing homes received contributed antiseptic and cleaning products)Stryker (Sage) (Other Financial or Material Support, Conducted studies in which participating hospitals and nursing homes received contributed antiseptic and cleaning products)Xttrium (Other Financial or Material Support, Conducted studies in which participating hospitals and nursing homes received contributed antiseptic and cleaning products)
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Robertson, S. J., G. Bell, K. A. Punter, and F. Reid. "Cryptosporidium surveillance: investigations on the Loch Katrine water supply to Glasgow." Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technology-Aqua 57, no. 5 (August 2008): 291–305. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2008.172.
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Struelens, Marc J., Yves De Gheldre, and Ariane Deplano. "Comparative and Library Epidemiological Typing Systems: Outbreak Investigations versus Surveillance Systems." Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology 19, no. 8 (August 1998): 565–69. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/30141781.
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Struelens, Marc J., Yves De Gheldre, and Ariane Deplano. "Comparative and Library Epidemiological Typing Systems: Outbreak Investigations versus Surveillance Systems." Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology 19, no. 8 (August 1998): 565–69. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/647874.
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Morgan, Daniel. "Opioid Drug Death Investigations." Academic Forensic Pathology 7, no. 1 (March 2017): 50–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.23907/2017.006.
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Opioid-related deaths have transitioned over the past 15 years, beginning with a steady increase in the incidence of fatal prescription overdoses, followed by a dramatic increase in deaths caused by illicit opioids, namely heroin and fentanyl. These trends in drug-related deaths are identified by medical examiners and coroners who serve an important role in public health surveillance. Medicolegal death investigators, being first responders, often recognize spates of drug-related deaths in real time. While few jurisdictions are unaffected by the epidemic, some medicolegal death investigators may have less experience detecting fatal opioid overdoses. This review will outline many of the medical, behavioral, and physical indicators of a deadly prescription or illicit opioid overdose. All aspects of a thorough medicolegal death investigation will be discussed, including the proper documentation of the scene and evidence handling. Investigative questions and follow-up procedures will also be reviewed.
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Chen, Donald, Moira Quinn, Rita M. Sussner, Teresa Rowland, Georgeta Rinck, Sophie Labrecque, Lynda Mack, et al. "Precision Infection Prevention (PIP) as a New Standard of Practice Within Longitudinal Infection Prevention and Surveillance." Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology 41, S1 (October 2020): s449—s450. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/ice.2020.1119.
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Background: Infection prevention and control (IPC) workflows are often retrospective and manual. New tools, however, have entered the field to facilitate rapid prospective monitoring of infections in hospitals. Although artificial intelligence (AI)–enabled platforms facilitate timely, on-demand integration of clinical data feeds with pathogen whole-genome sequencing (WGS), a standardized workflow to fully harness the power of such tools is lacking. We report a novel, evidence-based workflow that promotes quicker infection surveillance via AI-assisted clinical and WGS data analysis. The algorithm suggests clusters based on a combination of similar minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) data, timing of sample collection, and shared location stays between patients. It helps to proactively guide IPC professionals during investigation of infectious outbreaks and surveillance of multidrug-resistant organisms and healthcare-acquired infections. Methods: Our team established a 1-year workgroup comprised of IPC practitioners, clinical experts, and scientists in the field. We held weekly roundtables to study lessons learned in an ongoing surveillance effort at a tertiary care hospital—utilizing Philips IntelliSpace Epidemiology (ISEpi), an AI-powered system—to understand how such a tool can enhance practice. Based on real-time case discussions and evidence from the literature, a workflow guidance tool and checklist were codified. Results: In our workflow, data-informed clusters posed by ISEpi underwent triage and expert follow-up analysis to assess: (1) likelihood of transmission(s); (2) potential vector(s) identity; (3) need to request WGS; and (4) intervention(s) to be pursued, if warranted. In a representative sample (spanning October 17, 2019, to November 7, 2019) of 67 total isolates suggested for inclusion in 19 unique cluster investigations, we determined that 9 investigations merited follow-up. Collectively, these 9 investigations involved 21 patients and required 115 minutes to review in ISEpi and an additional 70 minutes of review outside of ISEpi. After review, 6 investigations were deemed unlikely to represent a transmission; the other 3 had potential to represent transmission for which interventions would be performed. Conclusions: This study offers an important framework for adaptation of existing infection control workflow strategies to leverage the utility of rapidly integrated clinical and WGS data. This workflow can also facilitate time-sensitive decisions regarding sequencing of specific pathogens given the preponderance of available clinical data supporting investigations. In this regard, our work sets a new standard of practice: precision infection prevention (PIP). Ongoing effort is aimed at development of AI-powered capabilities for enterprise-level quality and safety improvement initiatives.Funding: Philips Healthcare provided support for this study.Disclosures: Alan Doty and Juan Jose Carmona report salary from Philips Healthcare.
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Fong, Kelley. "Getting Eyes in the Home: Child Protective Services Investigations and State Surveillance of Family Life." American Sociological Review 85, no. 4 (August 2020): 610–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0003122420938460.
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Each year, U.S. child protection authorities investigate millions of families, disproportionately poor families and families of color. These investigations involve multiple home visits to collect information across numerous personal domains. How does the state gain such widespread entrée into the intimate, domestic lives of marginalized families? Predominant theories of surveillance offer little insight into this process and its implications. Analyzing observations of child maltreatment investigations in Connecticut and interviews with professionals reporting maltreatment, state investigators, and investigated mothers, this article argues that coupling assistance with coercive authority—a hallmark of contemporary poverty governance—generates an expansive surveillance of U.S. families by attracting referrals from adjacent systems. Educational, medical, and other professionals invite investigations of families far beyond those ultimately deemed maltreating, with the hope that child protection authorities’ dual therapeutic and coercive capacities can rehabilitate families, especially marginalized families. Yet even when investigations close, this arrangement, in which service systems channel families to an entity with coercive power, fosters apprehension among families and thwarts their institutional engagement. These findings demonstrate how, in an era of welfare retrenchment, rehabilitative poverty governance renders marginalized populations hyper-visible to the state in ways that may reinforce inequality and marginality.
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Selvakumari, J., A. Bharathi, S. Manikandan, S. Rajalakshmi, R. L. J. De Britto, P. Philip Samuel, and S. Poopathi. "Entomological investigations on sporadic Japanese encephalitis sero-positivity in Tamil Nadu, India." ENTOMON 45, no. 2 (June 30, 2020): 93–106. http://dx.doi.org/10.33307/entomon.v45i2.517.
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In India, Japanese Encephalitis (JE) continues to be a public health issue in some parts of our country. JE surveillance includes early reporting of clinical cases, sentinel sero-surveys and vector surveillance in the endemic areas. In the present study, JE longitudinal vector surveillance and epidemiological investigations were carried out for the first time during two consecutive years in the endemic district of Tamil Nadu. 22,538 mosquitoes were collected, species identified and screened for JE virus by RT-PCR. Predominant was Culex tritaeniorhynchus (60%) and followed by it Anopheles subpictus (23%), Culex quinquefasciatus (8%) and Culex gelidus (3%). It suggests that Culex tritaeniorhynchus may act as major vector and An. subpictus may act as secondary vector. Monsoon and post-monsoon seasons favour breeding of Cx. tritaeniorhynchus leading to vector abundance. Preferential resting sites for Cx. tritaeniorhynchus were pig and cattle shed. Although clinical cases have been reported seasonally in the three blocks, the presence of virus among field caught mosquitoes could not be established by RT-PCR. It may be due to the low titre value of JE virus in mosquitoes. This is the first report of JE investigations in the endemic district of Tamil Nadu and it helps to formulate the effective control strategies for JE virus transmission.
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Saldanha, J. D., R. M. Garrett, L. Snaddon, M. Longmuir, N. Bradshaw, C. Watt, W. D. George, et al. "Impact of national guidelines on family history breast cancer surveillance." Scottish Medical Journal 56, no. 4 (November 2011): 203–5. http://dx.doi.org/10.1258/smj.2011.011158.
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The breast cancer risk of women already under family history surveillance was accurately assessed according to national guidelines in an attempt to rationalize the service. Women attending two breast units in Glasgow between November 2003 and February 2005 were included. One thousand and five women under annual surveillance were assessed and had their relatives diagnoses verified. Four hundred and ninety-seven women were at significantly increased risk and eligible for follow-up. Five hundred and eight (50%) women attending were not eligible for family history surveillance, and 498 (98%) of these women accepted discharge. In conclusion, national guidelines have helped to more clearly define women who should undergo surveillance. This avoids unnecessary and potentially harmful routine investigations, and the service has been improved.
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Guétin-Poirier, Valentine, Julie Rivière, and Barbara Dufour. "Relative Contribution of Each Component of the French Ante-Mortem Surveillance System for Bovine Tuberculosis in Its Overall Sensitivity." Microorganisms 9, no. 3 (March 19, 2021): 643. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9030643.
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The aim of this study was to assess the contribution to the sensitivity of the French ante-mortem surveillance system for bovine tuberculosis in cattle of each of the system’s components (periodic screening, epidemiological investigations, and screening exchanged animals), on a local scale defined by administrative areas. These components were individually assessed in previous studies by scenario tree modeling. We used scenario tree modeling at the herd level and combined the results to evaluate the overall sensitivity of the ante-mortem surveillance system. The probability to detect at least one infected herd was consistent with the location of the outbreaks detected in 2016. In areas with a high apparent incidence, the probability of an infected herd to be detected was satisfactory (for an infected herd there was a 100% probability to be detected over a two-year period). Periodic screening was the most important component for the overall sensitivity in infected areas. In other areas, where periodic screening had stopped, tracing-on epidemiological investigation was the most sensitive component of the system. Screening exchanged animals had a negligible part in the overall sensitivity of the surveillance system.
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Pimentel, Dayane da Rocha, Rosário Antunes Fonseca Lima, Mirian Domingos Cardoso, Conceição Maria de Oliveira, and Cristine Vieira do Bonfim. "Death surveillance and contributions to an improved definition of the underlying cause of neonatal death." Research, Society and Development 10, no. 13 (October 22, 2021): e571101320391. http://dx.doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v10i13.20391.
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Objective: To analyze the improvement of the definition of the underlying cause of neonatal deaths before and after death surveillance in Recife, Pernambuco. Methods: A descriptive study that used data from medical certificates of death, confidential data sheets, summaries of investigations. The profiles and the relocation of the underlying cause of death were compared before and after the investigation through specific chapters and groups of the Tenth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases. The agreement was analyzed using the Kappa index. Results: Of the total 144 deaths investigated, 95 (66.0%) had their underlying cause redefined. During the general analysis of the neonatal component, a reasonable agreement index was identified (0.311; CI95%: 0.272-0.350). All ill-defined causes were clarified after surveillance. There was an increment of the preventability potential for all neonatal deaths, with an emphasis on early deaths, which reached 100% causes registered as preventable. Conclusion: Death surveillance made it possible to improve the specificity of the underlying causes described in the medical certificate of death and may contribute to the reorientation of the strategies to reduce neonatal mortality from the perspective of preventability.
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Sharova, I. N., E. S. Kazakova, I. G. Karnaukhov, D. A. Shcherbakov, S. A. Shcherbakova, L. V. Samoylova, A. V. Toporkov, and V. V. Kutyrev. "Principles of Organization and Carrying out of Laboratory Diagnostics in the Mobile Indication Laboratory Used for Epizootiological Surveillance over Particularly Dangerous and Other Natural Foci Infections." Problems of Particularly Dangerous Infections, no. 3(113) (June 20, 2012): 94–96. http://dx.doi.org/10.21055/0370-1069-2012-3-94-96.
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Determined are optimal structure and basic principles of organization of work in the mobile indication laboratory for carrying-out of epizootiological surveillance over particularly dangerous and other natural foci infections. Outlined are the requirements to the laboratory itself, to specialists, and organization of investigations too. All the measures mentioned above will allow to entrench the order of laboratory diagnostics conducted in the mobile laboratory in case of epizootiological surveillance over natural foci of particularly dangerous infectious diseases.
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Miller, Kate M., Chris Van Beneden, Malcolm McDonald, Thel K. Hla, William Wong, Helen Pedgrift, David C. Kaslow, et al. "Standardization of Epidemiological Surveillance of Acute Poststreptococcal Glomerulonephritis." Open Forum Infectious Diseases 9, Supplement_1 (September 15, 2022): S57—S64. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac346.
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Abstract Acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis (APSGN) is an immune complex-induced glomerulonephritis that develops as a sequela of streptococcal infections. This article provides guidelines for the surveillance of APSGN due to group A Streptococcus (Strep A). The primary objectives of APSGN surveillance are to monitor trends in age- and sex-specific incidence, describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with APSGN, document accompanying risk factors, then monitor trends in frequency of complications, illness duration, hospitalization rates, and mortality. This document provides surveillance case definitions for APSGN, including clinical and subclinical APSGN based on clinical and laboratory evidence. It also details case classifications that can be used to differentiate between confirmed and probable cases, and it discusses the current investigations used to provide evidence of antecedent Strep A infection. The type of surveillance recommended depends on the burden of APSGN in the community and the objectives of surveillance. Strategies for minimal surveillance and enhanced surveillance of APSGN are provided. Furthermore, a discussion covers the surveillance population and additional APSGN-specific surveillance considerations such as contact testing, active follow up of cases and contacts, frequency of reporting, surveillance visits, period of surveillance, and community engagement. Finally, the document presents core data elements to be collected on case report forms, along with guidance for documenting the course and severity of APSGN.
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Hofmann, Amun G., Fabian R. Klosz, Irene Mlekusch, Georg Wickenhauser, Corinna Walter, Afshin Assadian, and Fadi Taher. "Endoleak Detection after Endovascular Aortic Repair via Coded-Excitation Ultrasound—A Feasibility Study." Journal of Clinical Medicine 12, no. 11 (May 31, 2023): 3775. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jcm12113775.
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Endoleaks are the most common complication after endovascular aortic repair (EVAR). Their correct identification is one of the main objectives of surveillance protocols after EVAR. So far, computed tomography angiography (CTA), contrast-enhanced (CEUS) and Duplex ultrasound (DUS), as well as magnetic resonance angiography, have been investigated for their ability to detect endoleaks. In general, all technologies have distinct benefits and disadvantages, with CTA and CEUS emerging as the reference standard for surveillance after EVAR. However, they are both contrast-enhancer-dependent, and CTA additionally exposes patients to ionizing radiation. In the present study, we investigated B-Flow, a type of coded-excitation ultrasound that was specifically designed to optimize the visualization of blood flow, for its ability to detect endoleaks, and compared its performance to CEUS, CTA, and DUS. In total, 34 patients were included in the analysis that accumulated in 43 distinct B-Flow investigations. They underwent a total of 132 imaging investigations. Agreement between B-Flow and other imaging modalities was high (>80.0%), while inter-method reliability can be interpreted as good. However, with B-Flow, six and one endoleaks would have been missed compared to CEUS and CTA, respectively. Regarding endoleak classification, all metrics were lower but retained an adequate level of comparison. In a subset of patients requiring intervention, B-Flow had 100% accuracy regarding both endoleak detection and classification. Ultrasonography enables endoleak detection and classification without the need for pharmaceutical contrast enhancement or radiation. Ultrasound coded-excitation imaging in the application of B-Flow could further simplify surveillance after EVAR by offering adequate accuracy without requiring intravenous contrast enhancement. Our findings may promote subsequent investigations of coded-excitation imaging for endoleak detection and classification in the surveillance after EVAR.
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Chamberland, Mary. "Surveillance for Bloodborne Infections." Thrombosis and Haemostasis 82, no. 08 (1999): 494–99. http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/s-0037-1615870.
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IntroductionSince blood is a biological product, it is a natural vehicle for transmission of infectious agents, and until an artificial blood substitute is developed, the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections will probably not be eliminated. Three agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services–the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and National Institutes of Health (NIH)–have collaborated with partners in local and state public health departments, academia, industry, and consumers to develop prevention strategies addressing emerging infectious disease threats to public health, including the safety of the U.S. blood supply. Four critical components of these prevention strategies are as follows: surveillance and response capabilities; integration of laboratory science and epidemiology (i.e., “applied research”) to optimize public health practice; prevention and control activities to enhance communication of public health information; and a strengthening of local, state, and federal infrastructures to support these activities.1 As highlighted by the Institute of Medicine, in its series of reports about the ongoing threat to health posed by emerging infectious diseases, surveillance is the critical lynchpin for the public health response to both known and unrecognized pathogenic threats.2 Surveillance data can be used to monitor and track temporal and demographic trends of disease, alert us to outbreaks or unexpected alterations in disease frequency or affected populations, serve as a basis for subsequent epidemiologic and laboratory investigations to describe the natural history of a disease or identify risk factors for its occurrence, and evaluate intervention strategies.2,3 This paper will review programs of surveillance in the U.S. to detect established and emerging infectious risks, with an emphasis on those that address blood safety. In addition, recent examples or case studies that illustrate the responsiveness of U.S. surveillance systems to blood safety issues will be presented.
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Hogue, Simon. "Civilian Surveillance in the War in Ukraine: Mobilizing the Agency of the Observers of War." Surveillance & Society 21, no. 1 (March 16, 2023): 108–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.24908/ss.v21i1.16255.
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The war in Ukraine sees local and foreign civilians play active roles in the conflict, mainly through the participatory gathering and sharing of intelligence and open-source investigations of alleged human rights violations and war crimes. These surveillance practices seen in the war in Ukraine are not novel. Vigilantism campaigns have normalized since the War on Terror, while open-source information is increasingly recognized as a legitimate tool for human rights and international criminal justice investigation. Yet, their importance in the war in Ukraine highlights the agentic power of civilian surveillance. The proliferation of digital technologies empowers civilians to become inevitable actors in all spheres of politics, including war. However, across these practices, I argue that the Ukrainian government and its Western allies harness this agency as operational and narrative weapons. Patriotism and morality are pushed forward to mobilize individuals to participate in the war despite the risks that vigilantes and open-source investigators have to assume: risks of retaliation by Russian forces and lost independence.
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Kadavil, John. "Perspectives on the draft ICH-M10 guidance: an interview with John Kadavil." Bioanalysis 11, no. 22 (November 2019): 2027–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.4155/bio-2019-0228.
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Biography Dr Kadavil received his bachelor's degree in biochemistry from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He then received his PhD in molecular pharmacology and experimental therapeutics from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Medicine. Following his PhD, he joined the US FDA as a pharmacologist. He first worked in the Office of Scientific Investigations – Division of Bioequivalence & Good Laboratory Practice under the Office of Compliance at CDER. During his 8 years at the Office of Scientific Investigations, he conducted foreign and domestic bioanalytical and clinical inspections for bioequivalence, bioavailability, pharmacokinetic and GLP studies. In 2011, he joined the Division of Human Food Safety at CVM as a pharmacologist, where he conducted reviews of residue chemistry studies and directed method trials. In 2014, he returned to CDER to become the team lead for the Collaboration, Risk Evaluation and Surveillance Team under the Office of Study Integrity and Surveillance. In September 2018, he became the Deputy Director for the Division of Generic Drug Bioequivalence Evaluation in Office of Study Integrity and Surveillance. This interview was conducted by Sankeetha Nadarajah, Managing Commissioning Editor of Bioanalysis, at the AAPS ICH-M10 Public Consultation Workshop (MD, USA).