Active Surveillance
When a health team proactively goes into the community to gather information about current infectious diseases, this is active surveillance. 1
Key Distinguishing Features
Active surveillance is defined by deliberate, organized data collection where trained personnel actively seek out cases and information, rather than waiting for reports to come in. 1 This is the gold standard approach recommended by the World Health Organization because it provides unbiased, systematic data collection that enables timely detection of disease patterns and outbreaks. 1
Why This is NOT the Other Options
Passive Surveillance
- Passive surveillance relies on self-reporting by treating physicians who voluntarily submit reports to health authorities. 1, 2
- The key difference is that passive surveillance involves waiting for healthcare providers to initiate reports as part of their routine practice, whereas the scenario describes a team actively going out to gather information. 2
- Passive surveillance carries significant risk of bias and underreporting precisely because it depends on others to report rather than actively seeking cases. 1
Syndromic Surveillance
- Syndromic surveillance monitors symptom patterns and clinical syndromes before laboratory confirmation, typically through automated data systems. 1, 2
- This approach focuses on tracking symptom patterns (like influenza-like illness) rather than confirmed disease cases, and usually involves electronic monitoring of existing healthcare data. 2, 3
- The scenario describes gathering information about current infectious diseases (not just symptoms), making this syndromic surveillance inappropriate. 1
Sentinel Surveillance
- Sentinel surveillance involves selected reporting sites or populations to monitor disease trends at specific locations. 2
- This differs from the scenario because sentinel surveillance uses predetermined reporting sites rather than a team actively canvassing the community. 2
Clinical Context
Active surveillance is particularly valuable for detecting localized outbreaks, as most diarrheal disease outbreaks and similar events are detected through active surveillance efforts in the community. 1 This approach enables control measures to be implemented promptly and helps identify pathogens and sources of infection. 1