Ministry of Health and National Public Health Institute of Liberia National Technical Guidelines for Integrated Disease Surveillance & Response

More than ten years ago, the Ministry of Health (MOH) adapted a generic Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response Technical (IDSR) Guideline supported by World Health Organization-Regional Office for Africa (AFRO) in collaboration with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. The guidelines served as a general reference for surveillance activities across all levels, as a guide for improving early detection and preparedness activities, improved and timely investigation and response and as a resource for developing training, supervision, communication of outbreak (information) and evaluation of surveillance activities. They provided a set of definitions for threshold levels that initiate action for responding to specific diseases.

During the last ten years, many changes have occurred in both Africa’s health status, social, economic, environmental and technical enabling environment. The emergence and reemergence of diseases such as yellow fever, other conditions and events such as climate change, and natural disasters have resulted in the need to review the evolving public health priorities for disease surveillance and response.

These guidelines incorporate priority emerging and re-emerging communicable and noncommunicable diseases identified in 2015. They also address the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) and how to implement the requirements and build capacities to support them for disease surveillance and response. This document reflects national priorities, sets policies and standardsfor data management,setsthresholdsfor public health action and outlines responsibilities at all levels of the health system.

The guidelines are intended to be used by:

• health workers at all levels (including surveillance officers, clinicians and public health workers)

• county and district health teams

• data managers

• IHR National Focal Point (NFP)

• competent authorities at points of entry

• veterinary and wildlife health officers

• environmental health officers

• health training institutions

• media

• supply chain officers

• other public health experts, including NGOs

The guidelines are intended for use as:

• a general reference for surveillance activities at all levels

• a set of standard definitions for threshold levels that initiate action for responding to specific diseases

• a stand-alone reference for level-specific responsibilities

• a resource for developing training, supervision and evaluation of surveillance activities

• a guide for improving early detection of epidemic prone diseases

• a reference for preparedness and response in the event of a disease outbreak

Hon. Jane A. MaCauley, MPH
Director-General
National Public Health Institute of Liberia

Hon. Wilhelmina Jallah, MD, MPH, CHES, FLCCP, FWACP
Minister of Health
Republic of Liberia

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