title: Strengthening surveillance: confronting infectious diseases in developing countries.
abstract: Effective management and coordination in regions currently lacking surveillance capacity will require significant increases in existing human resources to manage vitally needed expanded national systems. An adequate investment in human resources is essential for ensuring surveillance functions well. This was the experience in the Americas. By taking this path, other benefits to the overall public health of nations will occur. Monitoring deaths will help as an indicator for impending epidemics or other threats. Better equipped labs will detect antigen shifts in virus and circulating bacterial serotypes more rapidly and other earlier changes in patterns of transmission more efficiently. Any strategy must promote and galvanize the commitment of countries to excellence, equity, and access, above all.
authors.affiliation: Pan American Health Organization, 525 23rd Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037, USA. andrusjo@paho.org
authors.forename: Jon Kim
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Andrus
authors.forename: Carlos Castillo
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Solorzano
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.forename: M Carolina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Danovaro-Holliday
authors.forename: Ciro A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: de Quadros
mesh_terms: D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000379:methods*; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003906:Developing Countries; D006801:Humans; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*