Sexual Health | Public health | Surveillance of Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV

Surveillance of Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV
Session overview
Description
This session will cover the generic public health principles underpinning surveillance systems, outline the issues to be considered when designing a surveillance system and review existing surveillance systems for HIV and STIs in both a UK and international context.

Learning objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Describe the purpose and scope of surveillance in disease control and public policy
• List the advantages and disadvantages of different kinds of surveillance systems
• Outline the issues to be considered when designing a surveillance system
• Explain the necessary constraints in surveillance systems, including the trade-off between completeness and timeliness
• Describe the general and specific features of surveillance systems for HIV and STIs

Prerequisites
Before commencing this session you should complete the following sessions:

• Module 16/Introduction to Epidemiological Study Design (260-0172)
• Module 16/Introduction to Epidemiological Measures (260-0173)
• Module 16/Transmission of STIs and HIV (260-0177)

This session begins by defining surveillance and discussing its purpose. It then considers different types of surveillance systems and their various strengths and weaknesses.

During the session, you will consider the issues that should be borne in mind when designing a surveillance system and take an overview of the potential data sources that can be used for STI/HIV surveillance.

The session ends with a review of existing surveillance systems for HIV and STIs operating in both UK and international contexts.