New Zealand's first Public Health Surveillance Strategy will strengthen how we gather and coordinate public health information to better protect New Zealanders against threats to their health and wellbeing.
Director of Public Health Dr Nicholas Jones says the collection and effective use of public health information has advanced substantially in recent years and is already being used across the health system to improve services for New Zealanders in many areas.
'This strategy, a first for New Zealand, will help better coordinate the collection of information and help us develop a world class public health surveillance system that provides timely information to respond to public health threats, protect and promote health, and prevent disease, disability or injury,' says Dr Jones say.
'The strategy outlines an approach based on ensuring the confidentiality and privacy of people's personal health data and using that information only to support protecting and improving the health of New Zealanders. It is part of a broader effort to improve public health surveillance leadership and coordination, including reducing gaps.'
Public health surveillance is how the health system monitors the health of the population as a whole and protects them from new health threats, including disease outbreaks like the current whooping cough epidemic.
Public health information can come from many places, including laboratory test results and wastewater testing, that can detect diseases such as COVID-19, as well as illicit drug use. Even non-health information, such as retail spending, can help provide a picture of people's health and inform the development of better health services and measures.
