Health surveillance is the ongoingsystematic collection, analysis and interpretation of healthdata essential for planning, implementing, and evaluatingpublic health activities, closely integrated with timelydissemination of the data to enable effective and efficientaction to be taken to prevent and control disease. The scopeof surveillance is broad, from early warning systems forrapid response in the case of communicable diseases toplanned response in the case of non-communicable diseases,where the lag time between exposure and disease is longerthan for communicable diseases. Most countries have laws orregulations on mandatory reporting of a list of conditionsdetermined by each country, primarily communicable diseasessuch as childhood vaccine-preventable diseases (polio,measles, tetanus, and diphtheria), TB, hepatitis,meningitis, and leprosy. Relatively small investments can bevery effective in reducing death, disease, and disability.Surveillance can make the health system more effective andefficient, and better able to control devastating epidemics.It can lead to early detection of local epidemics whencontrol is more effective, less costly, and involves lessloss of life. Surveillance is also important for controllingand preventing endemic diseases that reduce productivity andcan be costly to manage. Good surveillance systems permitearly identification of diseases such as TB and syphilisthat can be cured easily with low-cost treatments, combinedwith other public health actions.
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