Communicable Disease Control in Emergencies: A Field Manual

This field manual, produced by the World Health Organization (WHO), is intended to help health professionals and public health coordinators working in emergency situations to prevent, detect, and control communicable diseases in affected populations. It aims to promote effective, coordinated action towards the prevention and control of communicable diseases in emergencies.

The manual deals with five fundamental principles of communicable disease control in emergencies:

• Rapid Assessment to identify the communicable disease threats faced by the emergency-affected population, including those with epidemic potential, and define the health status of the population
• Prevention to prevent communicable disease by maintaining a healthy physical environment and good general living conditions
• Surveillance to set up or strengthen a disease surveillance system with an early warning mechanism to ensure the early reporting of cases, to monitor disease trends, and to facilitate prompt detection and response to outbreaks
• Outbreak Control to ensure outbreaks are rapidly detected and controlled through adequate preparedness (i.e. stockpiles, standard treatment protocols, and staff training) and rapid response (i.e. confirmation, investigation, and implementation of control measures)
• Disease Management to diagnose and treat cases promptly with trained staff using effective treatment and standard protocols at all health facilities

The chapter on surveillance outlines the importance of the systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of data in order to plan, implement, and evaluate public health interventions. Public health surveillance classically comprises six core activities (detection, registration, confirmation, reporting, analysis, and feedback) that are made possible through four support activities (communication, training, supervision, and resource provision).

The manual also provides suggestions for further reading, with references to relevant background material, guidelines, and reviews.