Summary

In this study session, you have learned that:

• In the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) system, important communicable diseases within a community are integrated and reported to higher levels in the health system, using the usual human and other resources of the health facility.
• The advantages of the IDSR system are that it is cheap and provides a training opportunity for health professionals. It also makes data about all priority diseases available at a central level.
• Priority diseases have been identified in each country to be included in the IDSR system. They are major causes of illness and death in the population, they can easily cause epidemics, they can be controlled and prevented, and they can be identified using standard or community case definitions.
• Priority diseases of public health importance included in the IDSR can be classified as immediately or weekly reportable diseases.
• Immediately reportable diseases should be reported to a higher level immediately, using verbal methods (radio, phone, text), followed by written reports.
• You must keep a close watch for possible cases of priority diseases in your catchment area, and quickly report any suspected or unusual cases or clusters of symptoms for investigation and management.
• Standard case definitions of priority diseases are applied at higher health facilities and hospitals. It is part of your role to educate your community on the community case definitions of priority diseases, so that they can be detected and reported as soon as possible.