PHILIPPINE INTEGRATED DISEASE SURVEILLANCE AND RESPONSE (PIDSR)

PIDSR a bedrock of effective disease surveillance - Secretary Duque

A 2007 article from the Pacific Rim Innovation and Management Exponents, Inc
(PRIMEX) quoted Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III saying By making it (PIDSR)
a bedrock of a more responsive and effective disease surveillance system, we envision
a country adequately protected from the destructive health, economic, and social impact
of diseases through an integrated surveillance network linking all the activities of
governments and multiple stakeholders at all levels.
The PIDSR is a strategy of the country in order to organize and integrate the
different aspects the Philippines disease surveillance system that for the past years
have been uncoordinated thus ineffective.
Source = http://www.primexinc.org/news-PIDSR.bedrock.of.disease.surveillance.php
Disease Surveillance
Disease surveillance is considered as the basis of public health decision making.
The data gained can be used as valuable information by the government for priority
setting, policy decisions, planning, implementation, resource allocation, and prediction
of epidemics in order to prevent an outbreak.
Goals and Objectives
Goal
A functional integrated disease surveillance system that would result in considerable
reduction in morbidity, disability and mortality caused by communicable diseases and other
conditions
General Objectives
1. To provide continuous, timely and accurate disease surveillance information that will
guide response or interventions for all stakeholders, particularly local government
units and national programs
2. To develop, improve and strengthen the capacity for an integrated surveillance and
response at all levels of health system
Specific Objectives
1. To list and prioritize notifiable diseases, syndromes or other conditions as specified in
the IHR and according to consensus developed between local government units and
national programs

2. To design and establish an integrated disease surveillance system that enhances the
use of standard case definitions for notification and case based or event based
reporting of priority diseases, syndromes, conditions or risks
3. To establish or strengthen epidemiology and surveillance units (ESUs) at the regional
and local levels that would serve as focal points for coordinating surveillance and
response activities
4. To strengthen surveillance data management (collection, collation, analysis,
interpretation and dissemination)
5. To ensure use of information or knowledge for police and decision making at all levels
6. To strengthen the capacity and networking of laboratories at the national and local
levels
7. Enforce the involvement of private health care facilities in the surveillance system
8. To strengthen community participation in disease detection, notification and response
to epidemics
9. To prepare national and local health staff to respond effectively to epidemics
10. To establish a national coordinating body that would provide overall coordination of
surveillance operations and the authority to shift priorities and resources according to
changes in surveillance needs
11. To enhance the utilization of information and communication technology for prompt
reporting and data management that would be appropriate at the national and local
levels

Scope
The PIDSR program covers the entire health sector in the country. This includes
both private and public national agencies and LGUs, external development agencies
and the community that is involved in disease surveillance and response activities.
Conceptual Framework
The framework of the PIDSR shows an integrated system that functions from the
community level all the way to the national level. The local government units play an
active role in detecting disease and undertaking response actions while the regional and
national levels will provide the needed support, the policies, guidelines, and the training
as well.

Acronyms:
CESU - City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit
CHO - City Health Office
MESU - Municipal Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit
PESU - Provincial Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit
RESU - Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit

CHD - Center for Health Development

DOH - Department of Health
NEC - National Epidemiology Center
PHO - Provincial Health Office
RHU - Rural Health Unit

Source = http://portal.doh.gov.ph/files/ao2007-0036.pdf
Priority Diseases, Syndromes and Conditions Targeted for Surveillance

The PIDSR has enumerated a number of diseases that they intend to prioritize
on and they have categorized them based on epidemic prone diseases, diseases
targeted for eradication or elimination and other diseases or conditions of public health
importance. The table below shows these priority diseases, syndromes and conditions
targeted for surveillance:
EPIDEMIC PRONE
DISEASES
Acute Bloody Diarrhea
Acute Encephalitis
Acute Hemorrhagic Fever
Syndrome
Acute Viral Hepatatis
Anthrax
Cholera
Dengue
Human Avian Influenza
Influenza-like Illness
Leptospirosis
Malaria
Meningococcal Disease
Paralytic Shellfish
Poisoning
Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome (SARS)
Typhoid and Paratyphoid
Fever

DISEASES TARGETED
FOR ERADICATION OR
ELIMINATION
Poliomyelitis (Acute Flaccid
Paralysis)
Measles
Neonatal Tetanus

OTHER DISEASES OR
CONDITIONS OF PUBLIC
HEALTH IMPORTANCE
Adverse Events Following
Immunization (AEFI)
Diphtheria
Non-Neonatal Tetanus
Pertussis
Rabies

Source = Manual of Procedures for the Philippine Integrated Disease Surveillance and
response, 1st edition. By the Staff of the National Epidemiology Center of the DOH