The future of infectious disease surveillance and response

Contents

1 Surveillance and Response to Infectious Diseases: Beyond the Present
2 The Future of Infectious Disease Surveillance and Response

Surveillance and Response to Infectious Diseases: Beyond the Present

Infectious disease surveillance and response have been at the forefront of public health since the very beginnings of recorded history. From ancient Greek attempts at containing plagues to modern disease mapping initiatives, the importance and value of understanding and controlling the spread of deadly viruses and bacteria have long been recognised.

But what lies ahead? What are the future implications and possibilities of improved surveillance and response to infectious diseases?

Enhanced Disease Mapping and Monitoring

Increased public health funding, expanded databases, improved infrastructure and advanced technological capabilities are revolutionising the way we monitor infectious diseases such as COVID-19. This improved surveillance allows us to pinpoint outbreaks quicker, measure the spread of disease more efficiently and accurately, and take actions to mitigate the negative impacts of epidemics and pandemics.

Automation and AI-Enabled Disease Management

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation can help to speed up disease notification and reporting, allowing timely and comprehensive responses. AI-driven screening and diagnostic tools can filter out false alarms, while automated contact tracing helps to trace the source of the infection, enabling preventive measures to step in before it’s too late.

AI-driven trends, models, and early risk assessment systems help to identify potential high-risk areas, alerting health professionals and policy makers to looming threats. In the future, we could even see AI acting as a personal health management companion, warning us of risk or symptoms and suggesting preventative tips.

Data-driven Decision Making

The ability to access high-quality real-time data for analysis and decision making is instrumental in the battle against infectious diseases. Smart-data analysis systems allow public health professionals to identify patterns quickly and accurately, identifying those at risk and improve targeted strategies.

Analytics can be used to track disease incidence and prevalence, monitor risk factors, and even examine the economic, political and social factors that can affect public health.

The Power of the People

The ability to unite for a common cause is one of the most powerful tools that humanity possesses. People power can be used to implement key preventive efforts, such as large-scale immunisation campaigns, promote social distancing, or even to persuade governments to take action.

The level of knowledge and awareness among the public has dramatically increased with the ubiquity of social media and the internet. This can be used to share educational materials, give advice on personal hygiene and preventive measures, or even to raise awareness of a particular health crisis.