Setting up a surveillance programme

Question 1

What is infection surveillance?

Answer 1

Checking apparently healthy people for infections

Monitor for an increase case in infections -
- so that you can act sooner on those results and identify outbreaks in timely manner
- monitor trends in infection rates
- evaluate impact of IPC activities
- evaluate for any HAI

Question 2

When setting up a surveillance service for a new infection, what factors need to be considered?

Answer 2

Selection of target organism - this should be evidence based, e.g higher mortality/ morbidity

Who to be targeted - e.g respiratory infections in A&E. Define how you will select patients for screening

consider finances available - IPC budget including staff/ IT/ testing

Propose a case definition

protocol in place for managing positive and negative results

Question 3

National infection surveillance

Virology lab sends all sorts of data to national centres.

What are examples of this?

Answer 3

Anonymised data of positive results e.g HBV
The Second Generation Surveillance System (SGSS)

Notifiable diseases e.g HEV

Question 4

There is a potential norovirus outbreak on the geriatric ward.

What steps should be taken?

Answer 4

Confirm outbreak - check lab data e.g all new cases within alst 48 hours

Immediate management of cases -
- move to side room
- screen symptomatic patients

Convene meeting with key stakeholders
Director of Infection Prevention and Control - DIPSI
Microbiology/ virology
IPC
Admin
Medical director

Investigate - review current processes

Implement measures to address issues

Ongoing meetings/ surveillance until outbreak over