Editorial: Platform Surveillance

Editorial: Surveillance and Mobilities

The editorial introduces the pieces in this special issue on surveillance and mobilities. It draws out the key themes of the issue, asking: what is meant by ‘mobility’ and why it deserves such a focus; what are the goals and purposes of the surveillance of mobilities; and finally, what are the consequences. It proposes a simple typology of mobilities: ‘what moves’ (body, transactions, and artef...

Editorial Fragmentation poses challenges for market surveillance

Editorial: towards improving influenza surveillance in Australia.

the article by Watts and Kelly is timely in highlighting significant deficiencies in the surveillance of influenza in Australia. Watts and Kelly conducted a telephone survey of sentinel practice schemes in August 2001 and found that sentinel influenza surveillance schemes vary in their definition of influenza-like illness (ILI) and in their access to laboratory support. The impact of this is il...

Editorial: Molecules Balancing Immunological Surveillance against Cancer and Autoimmune Diseases

The innate and the adaptive immune systems work in concert to deal with pathologies introduced by internal and external factors (e.g., viruses, bacteria, and fungi) – some of which may be associated with the development of autoimmune and cancerous cells. Mechanistically, there are internal factors that are responsible for the hypo-and hyperfunction of immune tolerance apparatus. Consequently, i...

Guest Editorial: Strengthening NCD prevention through risk factor surveillance

T he burden of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCD), especially heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory disease, is rising in low and middle-income countries, particularly in Asia (1). NCD deaths account for 60% of all deaths in the world and one in two deaths in the Asian region. Prevention programmes and policies are in their infancy in this region (2)...