Education or health promotion activities that one might undertake in Sydney
Following the outbreak of measles in Sydney in 2012 with about 200 cases recorded mainly in Western Sydney, the population at risk requires health education and promotion activities. The apparent index case was detected in April. However, the detection of a cluster of secondary cases indicated a possible widespread outbreak. William J. Schneider identified health protection and promotion activities for infectious diseases (Schneider, n.d) for public intervention.
It was imperative to spread relevant information to the affected population through brochures. The brochures had to contain relevant information about measles, such as control measures and the need to seek medical interventions in healthcare facilities for suspected cases. The language used in the brochure matched the local language of the target group. There was also information about immunization programs for children below 15 years of age. Residents were encouraged to call the provided toll-free number for emergency and widespread cases in remote locations.
Outbreak investigation in a low-resource setting
Vital routine health investigation on infectious diseases has been largely unattainable in many developing countries due to inadequate resources and a lack of effective public health training. The major challenge is that low-resource countries must also detect and control measles outbreaks. Consequently, investigators must recognize that measles outbreak investigation in a low-resource setting could be extremely challenging. On this note, they must review their approaches to measles outbreaks in such regions.
Some developing nations encourage the use of early warning outbreak recognition models to promote national surveillance and reporting systems. This should enhance collaboration between the investigators and resource centers in terms of case testing and evaluations. Syndromic surveillance systems facilitate actions on signals enhance rapid testing once signals are received. When there is limited evidence, investigators must evaluate the relevance of syndromic surveillance in measles control by ensuring early detection and tracking suspected cases.
The use of technologies and communication systems has facilitated infectious disease outbreak investigation in resource-limited areas. For instance, investigators have relied on a mobile telephone, text message services or the Internet to facilitate communication and transmit real-time data between different stakeholders.
There should be a method of analyzing surveillance data fast to promote an effective understanding of factors that influence certain measles outbreak trends. The approach should evaluate surveillance information to reduce cases of false-positive data (Institute of Medicine (US) Forum on Microbial Threats, 2007).
Investigators should identify fundamental elements of measles during surveillance in order to enhance the effective utilization of resources.
It is also imperative to have a common lexicon tool to enhance communication and collaboration between field officers and laboratory staff.
In low-resource settings, investigators should have incentives to facilitate investigative processes.
References
Institute of Medicine (US) Forum on Microbial Threats. (2007).Global Infectious Disease Surveillance and Detection: Assessing the Challenges—Finding Solutions. Web.
Schneider, W. J. (n.d). Health Protection and Promotion: Infectious Diseases. Web.