Our Impact
The Division of Health Informatics and Surveillance provides leadership and expertise in data, surveillance, and analytics. We support CDC and our partners with state-of-the-art information systems, capacity building services, and high-quality data to guide public health decisions and actions. Our innovations in case surveillance; syndromic surveillance; and data processing, provisioning, and analytics support the CDC Data Modernization Initiative, health equity, and our critical partners in public health surveillance. Here are some of our stories.
Along with our partners in state, local, and territorial public health departments and disease programs at CDC, DHIS surveillance programs and systems support our nation’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak by helping health departments capture, share, and analyze epidemiologic data.
From national pandemics to foodborne outbreaks to noninfectious health problems like lead poisoning, case surveillance is critical for handling public health problems. The National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS), with our partners across CDC and at state, local, and territorial health departments, uses case notification data to better understand, track, and respond to health threats. Here are some of our stories.
Electronic case reporting (eCR) moves data quickly, securely, and seamlessly from electronic health records in healthcare facilities to state and local public health agencies for disease tracking, case management, and contact tracing. eCR provides timely and more complete data than manual reporting and decreases the burden on both healthcare facilities and public health staff as it securely transfers patient and clinical information. Here are some of our stories.
States and communities use syndromic surveillance data to investigate and respond to potential health threats, sharing data with CDC and the National Syndromic Surveillance Program for action. Read their stories.
The National Electronic Disease Surveillance System Base System (NBS) integrates data from many sources on multiple public health conditions to help local, state, and territorial public health officials identify and track cases of disease over time. This capability allows public health to provide appropriate interventions to help limit the severity and spread of disease.