Surveillance of Cryptosporidiosis: Progressive Approaches

The surveillance of infectious intestinal diseases is a chief public health measure that can be employed to comprehend the epidemiology of diarrheal disease. It is a process of routinely collecting information on the pathogens being detected in laboratories. This chapter presents a paper which demonstrates the use of a progression of approaches to the surveillance of cryptosporidiosis, using different approaches as new information becomes available. The majority of cases of cryptosporidiosis have no identifiable cause but surveillance of waterborne outbreaks has identified drinking water and recreational water as central routes of transmission along with overseas travel and animal contact. The progression of surveillance approaches has been useful in elucidating the epidemiology of cryptosporidiosis through building on the knowledge gained from previous approaches.