Glossary of Foodborne Surveillance Terminology
Epidemiology Terminology

Rate ~ an expression of the relative frequency with which an event occurs in a defined population.

Surveillance ~ Ongoing, systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of health-related data essential to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health practice, closely integrated with the timely dissemination of these data to those responsible for prevention and control.

Active Surveillance ~ - Health Department-initiated: Involves a regular, systematic effort to contact reporting sources or review records to ascertain information on occurrence of condition (e.g., labs, hospital or clinic records, etc.)

• Advantages: Completeness, accuracy
• Disadvantages: Time consuming, difficult, requires resources

Passive Surveillance ~ Provider initiated, relies on individual clinicians or laboratories to initiate the report

Sentinel Surveillance ~ monitoring of key health events through sentinel:

• Sites
• Events
• Providers
• Vectors/animals
-Routine study of well defined and accessible population groups
-May be segments of the “general population” or groups at increased risk