Many disease outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics begin with a cluster of unwell people or sudden deaths in a community which are not detected early enough by traditional surveillance systems. Often, the community members are aware of the health threat, but the people who can mobilize response resources receive this information too late to limit the spread of a disease.
Community-based surveillance (CBS) is the systematic detection and reporting of events of public health significance within a community by community members. By using feedback from community volunteers, we can collect, analyse and interpret information on local health risks in order to prevent, detect and respond to disease outbreaks.
CBS can stop disease outbreaks from turning into large scale epidemics and pandemics by enabling a rapid and targeted response from local health or veterinary authorities—ultimately saving lives and reducing harm on communities.
CBS can also be used during emergency response to active disease outbreaks to support early case detection and help minimize further spread.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian network, with more than 16 million active volunteers worldwide. By making tools available for these community volunteers to detect and report on disease risks and other unusual health events, we can ensure that help is provided in the right place at the right time.
Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are well-placed to support community-based surveillance efforts due to their unique auxiliary role to governments, their unparalleled reach into even the remotest of communities, and because they are local, known, and trusted by the populations they serve.