Biosurveillance

<p>As evidenced by the anthrax attacks in 2001 the SARS outbreak in 2003 and the H1N1 influenza pandemic in 2009 a pathogen does not recognize geographic or national boundaries often leading to devastating consequences. Automated biosurveillance systems have emerged as key solutions for mitigating current and future health-related events. Focusing on this promising public health innovation <strong>Biosurveillance: Methods and Case Studies</strong> discusses how these systems churn through vast amounts of health-related data to support epidemiologists and public health officials in the early identification situation awareness and response management of natural and man-made health-related events.</p><p></p><p>The book follows a natural sequence from theory to application. The initial chapters build a foundation while subsequent chapters present more applied case studies from around the world including China the United States Denmark and the Asia-Pacific region. The contributors share candid first-hand insights on lessons learned and unresolved issues that will help chart the future of biosurveillance.</p><p></p><p>As this book illustrates biosurveillance operates in a complex multidimensional problem space that incorporates varied data. Capturing the progress of modern-day pioneers who are walking in John Snow’s footsteps this volume shows how contemporary information technology can be applied to the age-old challenge of combating the spread of disease and illness.</p>