World Field Epidemiology Day: Strengthening health surveillance systems to detect public health threats early

World Field Epidemiology Day: Strengthening health surveillance systems to detect public health threats early

The World Field Epidemiology Day (#WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay) is a global movement to recognize and raise awareness of the vital role of field epidemiologists in protecting the health of populations and advancing global health security, and to advocate for increased investment in field epidemiology training, research, and professionals. It is initiated and organized by TEPHINET(the global network of Field Epidemiology Training Programs).

Why September 7?

On this date in 1854, John Snow took his findings from his now-famous investigation of the Broad Street cholera outbreak to local officials, leading them to take action and remove the handle of the offending water pump.

Key Messages

Key Messages on Field Epidemiology

• As the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated, diseases know no borders. Globally, we are more interconnected and mobile than ever before, making a health threat anywhere a health threat everywhere.
• To safeguard and promote the health of its citizens, every country must have effective field epidemiology capacity.
• Field epi capacity means we can detect, investigate and control health threats; carry out health surveys; conduct disease surveillance; establish/evaluate surveillance systems; perform applied field research, and evaluate prevention/control efforts.
• Field epidemiology (AKA applied, interventional, or “shoe leather” epidemiology) is conducted with the aim of taking action to address a public health problem—linked to human, animal or environmental health—to reduce illness, injury or death.
• Field epidemiology links data to action to design or improve policies and interventions to protect population health, especially in response to unexpected health problems when rapid on-site investigation is necessary.
• The traditional concept of field epidemiology and the roles of field epidemiologists are expanding. More than ever, field epidemiologists are directly involved in developing innovative solutions to public health problems.
• The International Health Regulations (IHR) and the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) call for at least 1 trained field epidemiologist per 200,000 people in every country to detect, respond to, and contain public health emergencies.
• Field epidemiology is key to strengthening epidemiologic and surveillance capacity at all levels of the health system, mitigating public health threats, and leading to reduced mortality and case numbers, epidemic duration, and potential for spread.
• Increased field epidemiology capacity allows for quicker outbreak response, making it possible to break chains of transmission, decrease the number of cases and deaths, and mitigate the socioeconomic consequences.
• Field epidemiology requires a systematic approach to solving problems, enabling effective outbreak management and emergency response.
• Increasing investment in field epidemiology training and technology is crucial to ensuring high-quality health information for strong decision-making and the development of evidence-informed policies. 
• Field epidemiology cuts across public health, environmental health, medicine (human and veterinary), microbiology, laboratory science, anthropology, and communication.
• Increasing investment in multidisciplinary field epidemiology training can have lasting and positive effects on the structure and coordination of health agencies.
• Infectious diseases with pandemic potential can spread more easily due to the effects of climate change, deforestation, and urbanization, including increased human-animal contact due to habitat loss of wild animals.
• Field epidemiology is key to addressing public health problems caused by climate change and the effects of temperature, humidity, and seasonality on infectious disease dynamics and on the multiplication of disease vectors like mosquitoes and ticks.
• Field epidemiology advances global health security by allowing placement of strategies for improvement at all levels of the health system.

#WorldFieldEpidemiologyDay

• Field epidemiology is key to strengthening epidemiologic and surveillance capacity at all levels of the health system, mitigating public health threats, and leading to reduced mortality and case numbers, epidemic duration, and potential for spread.
• Field epidemiology requires a systematic approach to solving problems, enabling effective outbreak management and emergency response.
• Increased field epidemiology capacity allows for quicker outbreak response, making it possible to break chains of transmission, decrease the number of cases and deaths, and mitigate the socioeconomic consequences.
• Increasing investment in field epidemiology training and technology is crucial to ensuring high-quality health information for strong decision-making and the development of evidence-informed policies.
• Field epidemiologists help establish sustainable surveillance systems today to prevent complex health emergencies in the future.
• Surveys and investigations conducted by field epidemiologists have led to improvements in public health service delivery: for example, improvement of sanitation systems and increased vaccination coverage.
• Increasing investment in multidisciplinary field epidemiology training can have lasting and positive effects on the structure and coordination of health agencies.
• To safeguard and promote the health of its citizens, every country must have effective field epidemiology capacity.

Read more: https://www.worldfieldepidemiologyday.org/