Chapter 20: National Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases

mily members and other contacts were included. Case reports were transmitted by telephone or telegraph to the Poliomyelitis Surveillance Unit where the data were collated, analyzed, and disseminated via poliomyelitis surveillance reports; the first report was mailed out on May 1, 1955---only 3 days after the surveillance activity was initiated. The report was prepared and distributed daily for 5 weeks, weekly for the remainder of the summer and fall, and once every 3--4 weeks during the winter. During the first days of the surveillance program, as more cases were reported, the data demonstrated with increasing certainty that the problem was confined to vaccine produced by a single manufacturer. Production procedures were reviewed and other manufacturers were encouraged to continue vaccine production. Without the surveillance program and the rapid clarification of the scope of the problem that was provided by the analysis of national surveillance data, the manufacture of poliomyelitis

Chapter 17, Analysis of Surveillance Data: 17-1 Chapter 17: Analysis of Surveillance Data

lic health surveillance data may be performed using a variety of software packages, some are quite expensive and complex to use. Many health departments use Epi-Map, a public domain mapping program. 3 Contact your state health department for information about recommended software and to identify support for setting up a surveillance database at your local health department. The state health department may also give assistance in setting up useful analyses and reports that can be generated as needed. Chapter 17, Analysis of Surveillance Data: 17-2 III. What computers cannot do Although computers can greatly facilitate analysis of surveillance data, especially if the dataset is large and the analyses complex, most analyses of surveillance data are simple (see examples included in this chapter) and can be readily performed with the assistance of an inexpensive pocket calculator. Likewise, data can be graphically presented with only graph paper, a ruler, and colored pencils. There is no