Communicable disease Surveillance: Strengthening the national perspective

Abstract

The value of surveillance is easily underestimated when diseases are declining. Berkelman et al, writing about the American experience, recently gave a timely warning that 'False perceptions that such threats had dwindled or disappeared led to complacency and decreased vigilance regarding infectious diseases, resulting in a weakening of surveillance - the foundation for control of infectious diseases'. In Canada the current strengthening of federal infectioous disease surveillance mechanisms through investment must enable data to be collected that are both more timely and representative of the population, provide timely and appropriate analysis to health professionals and policy makers, produce information that is relevant and accessible, and be versatile enough to react to changing needs. To achieve this requires not only appropriate resources but also a high degree of consensus among the major interest groups, both professional and consumer, as to what information is collected, the mechanisms employed to collect it and the use made of it. In this respect LCDC has a responsibility to provide both the environment to encourage consensus and to follow through in the development and maintenance of appropriate programs.