EVALUATION OF THE NATIONAL INFLUENZA SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMME IN SINGAPORE

Influenza virus circulates all-year round in Singapore and causes a significant healthcare burden on the healthcare system. Following the influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 pandemic in 2009, the national influenza surveillance programme in Singapore was enhanced to monitor influenza activity more effectively. This is to ensure that Singapore will be able to detect early and be better prepared for any impending influenza outbreaks. This thesis aims to evaluate the national influenza surveillance programme from three perspectives. The first perspective is the assessment of the definition/measure used for influenza activity through a Delphi study, while the second perspective is the evaluation of the usefulness of the data sources in the detection of influenza epidemics with respect to sensitivity, specificity and timeliness. The third perspective is the usefulness of the data sources in forecasting emergency department admissions due to pneumonia for resource planning through the development of a forecasting model.

Author dc:creator

• LIM THIOW KOON, CINDY (LIN CHAOJUN)

• influenza, surveillance, Singapore, Delphi, epidemics, influenza activity