• epidemic-intelligence
    epidemic-intelligence
 

 

What is Epidemic Intelligence?

What is known as Epidemic Intelligence (EI) is the cycle of organized and systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of information from all sources to detect, verify and investigate potential health risks. 

Key facts and statistics

Annually, approximately 24,000 signals of potential events are screened by PAHO, with 5,000 of these further analyzed and 160 followed upon (3 per week on average).

The EMS recorded 2,381 events for the Region of the Americas from 2001 to 2022. In 2022 alone, out of 483 events registered by WHO, 131 (27%) were monitored and reported by PAHO, making the Americas Region the WHO Region with the highest number of events recorded.

Of the 131 events recorded in 2022 in the Americas, 108 were substantiated events reported in 33 countries and territories. Of the substantiated events, 91 (84%) were due to infectious diseases, 11 (10%) were product-related, 4 (4%) were undetermined, 1 (1%) was chemical-related, and 1 (1%) was radionuclear-related.

Epidemic Intelligence in the Americas

In the Americas region, epidemic intelligence is carried out by both PAHO/WHO and its Member States.

First, PAHO, WHO, public health authorities and researchers collect data from many sources including Ministries of health, national institutes of public health, WHO collaborating centers, civilian and military laboratories, academic institutes, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Then, analyze all together to detect, assess, characterize, monitor and respond to health conditions, as well as related risk factors.

 

Throughout the process of gathering data and disseminating information, risk assessments are routinely carried out to establish the potential impact of an event on human health, the risk of spread, and the related resource implications for mitigation.

Once a public health risk has been detected, an effective management process is essential to continuously monitor and assess its status, share information, and support response activities when and where needed. WHO’s Event Management System (EMS) is the central electronic system for entering, accessing, and managing information for all potential and substantiated events. The EMS records each event’s details, official communications, WHO assessments and risk analysis, and decisions.

A shared responsibility

To ensure a comprehensive picture of threats and risks to global health security, WHO gathers information from a variety of sources, both formal and informal. Therefore, PAHO’s capacity to provide actionable information and technical advice to national authorities about public health events that could pose a threat to global health security depends on the timely notification by, and transparency of, Member States in sharing information with PAHO as well as on PAHO’s capacity to maintain communication 24/7 with the National Focal Points (NFPs).

 

Member States transparency and PAHO's capacity to maintain communication with National Focal Points are crucial

What PAHO does

 

Epidemic intelligence is a resource-intensive activity (24/7/365) that requires highly qualified and dedicated staff to implement an efficient global early warning system and network.

 

 

As the designated WHO IHR Contact Point for the Region of the Americas, PAHO provides timely and authoritative situation analysis, risk assessment, and response monitoring for acute public health events and emergencies in the Americas, continuously coordinating the strengthening of the systematic detection, verification, and risk assessment of events, including training, coordination, and dissemination of accurate and timely information for all potential public health emergencies of international concern (PHEIC) and acute public health events under the International Health Regulations (IHR), serving as the main liaison for National IHR Focal Points communications under the IHR.

In PAHO, Epidemic Intelligence is carried out by the Health Emergency Information and Risk Assessment (HIM) Unit at the Health Emergencies (PHE) Department, performing specialized tasks through the Mapping team, the Detection, Verification, and Risk Assessment (DVA) team, and the Epidemiological Analytics team.

Learn more about hiM

Detection, Verification and Risk Assessment (DVA)

 

The PAHO Detection, Verification, and Risk Assessment team (DVA) collaborates with WHO headquarters, Regional Offices, PAHO Country Offices and Member States in carrying out event surveillance, risk assessment, and information management and disseminates. It also serves as the WHO International Health Regulations Regional Contact Point, providing support for Member States in establishing and implementing functional integrated early warning and response systems in order to improve early detection and rapid response to epidemic-prone diseases with pandemic potential and other public health emergencies.

Mapping

 

PAHO's mapping team gathers and systematizes epidemiological data on epidemic-prone diseases in the region.

Data gathered by DVA, as well as the Epidemiological Analytics team, and other contributors in the Organization, is analyzed with a spatial-temporal lens utilizing Geographic Information System (GIS) to generate maps, dashboards, and other products that help national authorities understand the dynamics of outbreaks and guide the Organization’s response. Many of these products are available through these public interactive dashboards

 

Epidemiological analytics

 
 
 

Epidemiological information on known epidemic-prone diseases in the region of the Americas is collected by PAHO on a regular basis to maintain updated databases. This information is the basis for internal analytics and reports which inform executive management on decision-making.

With the information collected, the PAHO Epidemiological Analytics team provides epidemiological analysis when an outbreak occurs.     

 

In addition, the team generates tools on modeling for forecasting/nowcasting for COVID-19 and others through user-friendly interfaces. This facilitates one one-on-one training with countries to improve their response capacities to outbreaks.

PAHO is also involved in helping countries implement early warning and alert response systems (EWARS) and thus has provided in-country technical assistance to the Ministry of Health and similar national authority counterparts in the region.

 

 

Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS)

The EIOS initiative is a unique collaboration between various public health stakeholders around the globe. It brings together new and existing initiatives, networks and systems to create a unified all-hazards, One Health approach to early detection, verification, assessment and communication of public health threats using publicly available information. Creating a community of practice for public health intelligence (PHI) that includes Member States, international organizations, research institutes and other partners and collaborators is at the heart of the initiative; saving lives through early detection of threats and subsequent intervention its ultimate goal.

PAHO provides support to Member States in reinforcing surveillance of health risks and threats. The EIOS System training is an integral part of expanding EIOS into Member States and indispensable for proper EIOS implementation.

 

EIOS has been implemented in the following Member States in the Region of the Americas:

2019: Argentina and Brazil (in-person)
2020: Dominica and Saint Lucia (remote training)
2021: Guatemala and Haiti (remote training). Additionally, the implementation of EIOS at the subnational level started in March 2021 in Brazil. As of November 2021, a total of 310 Brazil Ministry of Health professionals have been trained in the use of EIOS and the trainings are scheduled to continue reaching Health Units across the country.

mORE INFO AT WHO EIOS

 

Latest news

Documents

Communication Materials

All

Epidemiological Updates and Alerts

More information