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Disease surveillance thresholds

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Key points
  • In an emergency, surveillance systems may be underperforming, disrupted or non-existent which may delay the detection of and response to outbreaks
  • Displacement, overcrowding, poor sanitation, lack of access to clean water and disruption of health services increase the risk of diseases transmissions in an emergency
  • A disease outbreak occurs when the number of cases of disease exceeds what would normally be expected in a given community, geographical area, or season
  • Establish a functioning surveillance system to rapidly detect and respond to epidemics and other public health emergencies

Post emergency phase

The above standards apply to both emergency and post emergency phases.

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