Surveillance System Evaluations Provide Evidence to Improve Public Health Practice

Introduction A simplified syndromic surveillance system, based on early detection and reporting of four core syndromes and immediate reporting of unusual events, was established across PICTs in 2010. An early evaluation of the system was undertaken to make recommendations on improvements(1). The evaluation examined whether the system was meeting its objective of serving as an early warning system and its capacity to investigate and respond to outbreaks. Metrics included system acceptability, data quality, timeliness and level of compliance. The evaluation identified a critical need to better equip local public health officials with the knowledge and skills to rapidly and appropriately respond to suspected infectious disease outbreaks across the Pacific. In response to the evaluation findings, the RAPID (Response and Analysis for Pacific Infectious Diseases) project was implemented to strengthen capacity in surveillance, epidemiology and outbreak response across the PICTs. Principally funded by Australian aid and developed in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Pacific Public Health Surveillance Network (PPHSN), RAPID is an example of a multi-organisational approach to swiftly address identified surveillance issues and strengthen regional surveillance capacity.