The Integrated Disease Surveillance Program: 20 years of detecting and responding to outbreaks in India

Responding to the need to share knowledge across borders and learn from each other’s experience in health systems management and disease prevention and control, UNSW and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), India, have signed an MOU to strengthen scientific exchange and cooperation. Together we are launching a series of webinars to share information and build networks between Australia and India.

Our first webinar is presented by Dr Himanshu Chauhan, Joint Director, National Centre for Disease Control & Head, Integrated Disease Surveillance Program, and featuring discussant Sarah Britton, Director One Health Unit, Interim Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC). Hosted by the UNSW School of Population Health, the webinar will be chaired by Scientia Professor Rebecca Ivers AM, Head of School, School of Population Health, UNSW Faculty of Medicine and Health.

The presentation provides an overview of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP) and its evolution since its inception in 2004. The program was initiated in response to major disease outbreaks in the 1990s, such as Cholera and Plague, highlighting the need for a robust disease surveillance system. Over the years, IDSP has made significant progress in early disease outbreak detection, outbreak response, and public health action through its three-level data collection system (Syndromic, Presumptive, and Laboratory). The presentation concludes with a vision for continued innovation, strengthened community engagement, and strategic partnerships to enhance disease surveillance and outbreak response capabilities.