School-based Surveillance System(2013)

School-based Surveillance System(2013)

School children are considered a high risk group for communicable diseases. While they spend a long period of time in schools every day which are usually densely populated, the outbreak of an infectious disease in class can easily reach epidemic proportion. For the purpose of diversifying the methods for monitoring the trends of communicable diseases, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) launched a pilot program for elementary schools to monitor and report infectious diseases in February 2001. Starting out with 20 reporting schools, there are now 674 elementary schools voluntarily taking part in the program that aims to systemically gather communicable disease data among school children for outbreak analysis and interpretation, and as reference for assessment and implementation of disease control measures.