Surveillance of communicable diseases is a systematic and ongoing process of collecting information and analyzing data on cases of infectious diseases. It provides relevant information to decision makers for public health priorities and resource allocation. By this process, public health professionals can determine actions that are needed to prevent outbreaks and reduce the burden of communicable diseases. Given below are the surveillance activities operating through EDCD.
Early Warning And Reporting System (EWARS)
Early Warning and Reporting System (EWARS) is a hospital-based sentinel surveillance system currently identified in 118 hospitals covering all 75 districts of Nepal. EWARS is designed to complement the country’s Health Management Information System (HMIS) by providing timely reporting for early detection of selected vector-borne, water and food borne diseases with outbreak potential. It mainly focuses on the weekly reporting of detailed line list of cases and deaths (including "zero" reports) of six priority diseases/syndromes—Malaria, Kala-azar, Dengue, Acute Gastroenteritis (AGE), Cholera and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI), and other epidemic potential diseases/syndromes (like enteric fever, Leptospirosis, Hydrophobia, Chickungunya etc.). It equally focuses on immediate reporting (to be reported as soon as possible within 24 hours of diagnosis) of one confirmed case of Cholera, Kala-azar, severe and complicated Malaria and one suspect/clinical case of Dengue as well as 5 or more cases of AGE and SARI from the same geographical locality in one week period.
EWARS bulletin is produced every week on Sunday and shared to all the medical recorders, EWARS focal persons, rapid response team members, Health Offices, Health directriate, Ministry of Social Development, VBDTRC, all the divisions and centers of Department of Health Services, Director General, DoHS, Secretary, MoHP, , and other supporting stakeholders like WHO, Global Fund through email and uploaded to EDCD official website.
Active surveillance system of Infectious disease
Active surveillance of infectious disease is done if an outbreak occurred or is suspected to keep close track to the number of cases. Designated officer regularly looks for diseases of interest using standard case definition for notifiable diseases and coordinates with other sections for necessary actions.
Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance
EDCD is a secretariat of Water Quality Surveillance Committee. Director of EDCD is the coordinator of the committee. The committee is responsible for following:
