Overview of the WHO framework for monitoring and evaluating surveillance and response systems for communicable diseases

Overview

With the global momentum to scale up response to communicable diseases, public health practitioners need to review constantly their performance in detecting and responding to communicable diseases. At the same time, they should remain accountable for their activities and policies to a variety of stakeholders. People at different levels of surveillance need to report accurate, timely and reliable data to national authorities, to ensure timely and effective responses to contain communicable disease outbreaks, and also to donors, to secure funding to strengthen surveillance and response activities to communicable diseases. Most importantly, all surveillance levels in countries should be able to utilize the surveillance information locally to address and resolve problems related to control of communicable diseases. The International Health Regulations, currently under revision emphasize the commitment of Member States to the goal of global health security. This will require all Members States to maintain a functional and effective surveillance and response system that is able to detect, investigate and respond to public health emergencies of national and international concern.

Against this background and in response to requests from Member States, WHO, in consultation with technical partners and Member States, has developed a framework for monitoring and evaluating communicable disease surveillance and response systems. This framework aims to strengthen surveillance and response activities and builds on experiences gained by Member States in monitoring and evaluating their surveillance and response systems. The framework contains a list of indicators that is proposed for purposes of monitoring and evaluating surveillance and response systems to communicable diseases.