South-East Asia Regional Conference on Epidemiology

148 | <strong>South</strong>-<strong>East</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> <strong>Regional</strong> <strong>Conference</strong> on Epidemiology
Surveillance Continuous collection
and systematic analysis
and interpretation of
health data for planning,
implementation and
evaluation of public health
actions
Surveys Assess the severity of the
crisis and identify health
priorities for interventions
(and impact of those that
are ongoing)
Sensitivity.
Prevention
and control of
diseases
Validity and
precision.
Sharpen
interventions
and address
health
priorities
Based on
numerators
most often as
denominators
fluctuate rapidly
during crisis
Susceptible
to biases (e.g.
due to various
reasons -
tools applied,
sampling
methods
used, cultural
differences)
Routine. Ongoing
activities and
protocols are
set; must focus
on major health
problems but
also need to be
flexible to adapt to
fluid situation of
emergencies
Not routine.
Needs to be
organized and
setup
With the issues presented in the table above, there is a need to see the relationships and
complementarities of information/products collected through all three methods. A rapid health
assessment can intensify and sharpen an existing surveillance system. Both rapid health assessments
and surveillance can support the conduct of surveys. They can provide a good starting point for the
focus needed for a survey to be planned or conducted. In turn, a survey can refute or validate the initial
findings of a rapid health assessment and help further calibrate a surveillance system.
Health intelligence: interpreting in context and addressing needs
It is important to take forward information gathered in context so that there can be a solid basis
for decision-making and proper action can be derived. Looking closely at the findings of these
aforementioned methods and linking them with the existing information systems as well as census
data can provide a very good epidemiological base for actions that need to be taken in an emergency.
From all these three methods, the analysis of secondary data — some of which may or may not be
health-related (e.g. socio-political background of the affected area; water and sanitation coverage of
the location of the displaced) — would clarify the context of the situation and provide the basis for
decision-making. These decisions are to be taken by service providers and facilitators of action such
as ministries of health, national and subnational authorities, partners such as WHO and other UN
agencies, NGOs and international donors. A meaningful interpretation of health information gathered
can provide a clear guide on what assistance, if any, they should provide.
A critical aspect of using health information and epidemiology collected in emergencies is also
about interpreting these as needs. It is important to identify and describe needs as follows: 1
• Needs against measured health problems (e.g. potential increase in cases of diarrhoea among
those displaced by a flood);
1 Adapted from James Darcy and Charles-Antoine Hofmann. Humanitarian Needs Assessment and Decision-Making,
Humanitarian Policy Group Briefing. 13 September 2003.