title: "Syndromic surveillance within a hospital" for the early detection of a nosocomial outbreak of acute respiratory infection.
abstract: We have performed intra-hospital syndromic surveillance to rapidly detect nosocomial acute respiratory infection outbreaks in both inpatients and health care workers in a hospital. Syndromic surveillance allows the rapid detection of sudden outbreaks, including infections caused by unknown pathogens. This approach depends on the identification of specific "symptoms" as signs of a possible outbreak, with no need for specific diagnoses. Moreover, syndromic surveillance is quick, easy, and inexpensive. Nosocomial infection surveillance is usually performed on inpatients only. However, during the outbreaks of SARS and seasonal influenza, for example, many hospital personnel were infected. In cases of this kind, in order to quickly detect the prevalence of such infections, a surveillance system that includes hospital personnel is essential. This surveillance is promising as a strategy to prepare for re-outbreaks of SARS and the emergence of novel influenza pandemics.
authors.affiliation: International Medical Center of Japan, Tokyo 162-8655, Japan. akawana@imcj.hosp.go.jp
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kawana
authors.forename: Katsuji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Teruya
authors.forename: Teruo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kirikae
authors.forename: Jun-ichiro
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sekiguchi
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Emi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kuroda
authors.forename: Kumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Horii
authors.forename: Sin-ichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohara
authors.forename: Tadatoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuratsuji
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Koichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kudo
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D010564:Personnel, Hospital; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance; D013577:Syndrome