INPPAZ - PAHO - WHO
BIREME - PAHO - WHO

GuiaVETA
Guidelines of Surveillance System for Foodborne Diseases and Investigation of Outbreaks

INTRODUCTION

Surveillance of food-borne diseases (FBD) is the set of activities that contribute to bringing together all the information necessary for discovering the behavior or natural history of diseases, and detecting or predicting changes that may occur because of alterations in determinants, in order to make timely recommendations based on fact, for appropriate measures in efficient prevention and control.

An FBD component should be integrally incorporated into public health surveillance systems. This implies a collaborative approach among epidemiologists, public health officials, clinical physicians, persons in charge of food programs, laboratories, and health workers in general, as well as other extra-sectoral agents involved in the food production chain.

FBD Surveillance activities should be directed by an Intersectoral Technical Committee on FBD, established with input at all levels – local, national and regional – with the functions of each participating agency defined according to its competence and responsibility. The FBD surveillance system thus constitutes a subsystem of the National Surveillance System that countries have at their disposal.

Surveillance comprises: the systematic collection of pertinent information through notification or from investigation, its consolidation, the evaluation and interpretation of the data, recommendation of appropriate measures to be taken, and dissemination within the system and to the general public of the information and recommendations generated. Timely diffusion should be a priority for the organizations responsible for decision-making and action at the different levels of the health system.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that the purpose of surveillance is to recommend, on an objective and scientific basis, short- or long-term measures to control or prevent the problem.

The operational objective of a surveillance system is the provision of an epidemiological definition of disease-related problems, including emergencies, and assessment changes in trends resulting from natural or human action.

One of the first objectives is to define the groups at greatest risk in the population, on whom control and prevention measures may be concentrated. A comparative study of high- and low-risk groups may lead to a better understanding of the interaction of host, agent and environment, as well as of host behavior and the association of these factors with the disease. Ecological study and surveillance should be limited to observing and recording cases; it is also necessary to put a multidisciplinary team in place, comprising: epidemiologists, veterinarians, clinicians, microbiologists, biochemists, ecologists, statisticians, nutritionists, and professionals from other disciplines.

Clearly, no surveillance guide or manual can apply to all cases and situations. The operational section of this guide may be modified to meet the actual needs of each country.

The FBD surveillance system is an integral part of food safety programs, serving as an indicator of the harm that contaminated food can cause to the health of the population, and as a tool to evaluate the program of which it is part.