Going for Gold: Syndromic Surveillance Preparations for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

A major role of syndromic surveillance systems is to provide reassurance to decision makers during incidents or events that there is no associated undetected morbidity in the community exemplified during the London 2012 Games. Syndromic surveillance preparations for the London 2012 Games began in 2010. In preparation for the London 2012 Games, a program of development was initiated to improve the statistical analysis of existing syndromic surveillance data and to develop new methodologies for the new systems. Statistical algorithms were implemented in the syndromic surveillance systems to provide automated signals of unusual activity. The real-time syndromic surveillance systems have been described as a legacy of the 2012 Olympic Games. Preparing for and delivering a national syndromic surveillance service for the 2012 Olympics have provided a key set of skills and experiences that can be applied to other mass gatherings. Statistical algorithms were implemented in the syndromic surveillance systems to provide automated signals of unusual activity.