1. How can surveillance help to detect and control the disease?

Surveillance can identify unusual increases in dengue-like illnesses, track seasonality, hotspots and high-risk populations for early detection of outbreak.
So that, it can trigger timely vector control interventions (such as fogging, larvicide application and community clean-up), resource allocation and monitoring.

2. Should we conduct active or passive surveillance or both for the disease, why?

We should conduct both types of surveillance for the disease. Because passive surveillance is cost effective, sustainable, wide coverage and good for long term monitoring. Its limitations are covered by active surveillance such as early detection of outbreaks and capture missed cases.

3. Which method should be best to identify cases, why?

a. Cases in medical facilities VS community
Cases in medical facilities are the best to identify because dengue, especially severe dengue, often requires medical attention, making healthcare facilities the most practical and effective source for case identification.

b. Sentinel VS population-based surveillance
Sentinel surveillance is the best because it is cost-efficient and provide high quality detailed data.

c. Case-based VS aggregated surveillance
Case -based surveillance is the best way to identify due to outbreak nature of disease for contact tracing and hotspots mapping.

d. Syndromic VS laboratory-confirmed surveillance
Syndromic is the best to identify the case because it is fast, best for early outbreak detection and most of the cases are diagnosed clinically. Laboratory confirmed surveillance is only required for definitive, accurate diagnosis and disease classification.

4. What dissemination tools will you choose to disseminate monkeypox surveillance information? Why do you choose this/these tools?

Public Health Authority Website/Dashboards: It provides a single, authoritative source for the public and media. Interactive dashboards (showing case counts, geographic distribution, trends) promote transparency and allow for real-time updates.

Epidemiological Reports: These are the primary tools for public health professionals and policymakers. They provide detailed analysis, risk assessments, and recommendations for action, which is necessary for informed decision-making and resource planning.

Press Releases and Social Media Updates: To ensure accurate information reaches the broader public through traditional media channels, broad-reach public communication, especially to target vulnerable or high-risk groups. Social media allows for the quick sharing of simple, graphic-based messages about symptoms, prevention (vaccination, risk reduction), and addressing misinformation and stigma in real-time.

Health Information Exchange Systems (e.g., SMS alerts, closed electronic systems): Crucial for rapid notification to healthcare providers (hospitals, clinics, laboratories) about case definitions, testing protocols, treatment guidelines, and high-priority alerts regarding new clusters. This ensures frontline staff are prepared and follow correct procedures.

1. How can surveillance help to detect and control the disease (Dengue)?

Surveillance plays an essential role in detecting and controlling dengue outbreak by enabling early identification of unusual increases in dengue cases, allowing health authorities to respond quickly (by collaboration with different sectors such as clinical setting, public health setting, environmental health setting) before the disease spreads widely. Through continuous monitoring of disease patterns, surveillance system can track trends in dengue incidence, identify high-risk areas, and detect clusters of infection that signal potential outbreaks.

2. Should we conduct active or passive surveillance or both for the disease (Dengue), why?

We should conduct both passive and active surveillance for Dengue. Passive surveillance collect reports from health facilities, while active surveillance involves targeted investigation and case finding in communities. Conducting both would provide early detection and timely responses on Dengue outbreaks.

3. Which method should be best to identify cases (Dengue), why?
3.1: Cases in medical facilities VS community

Identifying dengue cases through both medical facilities and the community is the best option. However, in resource limited setting, community-based surveillance is more effective for dengue detection. This is because mild dengue cases may not reach hospitals or clinics, and some symptoms may disappear without severe clinical signs and symptoms. Community surveillance helps detect these unreported infections, giving the transmission trend in the area. However, data from health facilities are also important for confirming severe cases and guiding medical response. Therefore, a combined approach ensures early detection and better control of dengue outbreaks.

3.2: Sentinel VS population-based surveillance

For dengue, sentinel surveillance, using selected health facilities or locations, works best in many settings, especially where resources are limited. Sentinel surveillance can provide detailed, high-quality data on trends of the disease without requiring the large effort of population-based surveillance. Although population-based systems give broader coverage, they are costly and need to use extra human resources. Sentinel surveillance, when well chosen in high-risk areas, can offer timely response that helps target prevention and vector control measures more effectively.

3.3: Case-based VS aggregated surveillance

A case-based surveillance is better for dengue detection and control. Collecting data for each individual case, including personal, and geographical information, allows for rapid investigation of clusters, understanding transmission trend, and implementing targeted interventions. Aggregated data, while simpler to manage, lacks the detail needed to trace outbreaks or identify hotspots accurately. As Murray and Cohen (2017) note, case-based surveillance is particularly useful for disease outbreak and require quick public health responses.

3.4: Syndromic VS laboratory-confirmed surveillance

In dengue surveillance, both are important. Syndromic surveillance provides early detection and laboratory confirmation provides disease verification. Since dengue often presents with fever and flu-like symptoms, monitoring these symptoms can provide an early warning before lab confirmation is available. As per Murray & Cohen (2017), combined approach (Syndromic for early detection followed by lab-confirmed surveillance) provides fast and accurate response in managing dengue outbreak.

4. What dissemination tools will you choose to disseminate monkeypox surveillance information? Why do you choose this/these tools?

For disseminating monkeypox surveillance information, I would choose real-time online platforms, along with regular epidemiological reports (such as weekly, bi-weekly, etc.) and communication channel (such as social media, SMS) to the general public. Real-time tools are very important because monkeypox can spread quickly through travel and close contact, so immediate sharing of verified information helps health authorities and the public respond quickly to prevent further transmission. At the same time, regular epidemiological reports provide detailed updates (such as trend analysis, disease data, future plan for disease control, research purpose, etc.) for policymakers and health professionals for decision making. Dissemininating the disease status and alerts to the general public is also essential for their awareness and preventive measures.