What does active surveillance often include?

Active surveillance is a proactive approach used in public health to monitor disease occurrences and detect potential outbreaks. This method often includes the deliberate effort to seek out cases of a disease through various means such as interviews, examinations, and other direct interactions with individuals who may be affected. This active involvement ensures that public health officials can gather comprehensive and accurate data about disease prevalence, which is essential for timely intervention and response strategies.

Unlike other methods of surveillance, which may passively rely on reports or data collected from existing records or public reports, active surveillance actively engages healthcare providers and the community. This enhances the accuracy and immediacy of the information obtained, facilitating a more effective public health response. By directly seeking out cases, public health professionals can identify disease patterns and trends that might otherwise go unreported.