Meeting Background & Objectives
With both current and future changes to the global health financing landscape, disease surveillance will need to be increasingly led and financed by countries. Diarrhea surveillance is important because it provides critical evidence needed to prevent deaths; develop, design, and target interventions; mobilize resources; and strengthen health systems, particularly for young children and vulnerable populations.
This convening brings together leading researchers and surveillance practitioners to chart a path forward towards sustainable diarrhea surveillance.
- Review empirical and modeled evidence on diarrheal disease burden to inform priority-setting for surveillance investments.
- Compare surveillance models, diagnostic strategies, and data sources to determine which approaches best support country decision-making and programmatic action.
- Reach alignment on priority pathogens and characteristics of the ideal diagnostic platform for diarrheal surveillance.
- Consider surveillance use cases and describe what is needed to best support prevention, treatment, and policy.
- Generate concrete recommendations for integrating diarrheal disease surveillance into existing national systems, including options for financing, governance, and long-term sustainability.
Discussion Questions
Key questions for review and consideration during the convening.
How important are diarrheal diseases today as a cause of under-5 mortality, severe illness, and longer-term sequelae?
What should a diarrheal surveillance system accomplish? What policy decisions should diarrheal disease surveillance primarily support at country level, and which use cases are essential versus optional?
What has driven successful country ownership and leadership of surveillance systems—either for diarrheal disease or other conditions—and what factors most commonly undermine sustainability?
How can diarrheal surveillance be integrated into existing national surveillance platforms rather than operating as a stand-alone or donor-driven system?
What new approaches or technologies could move the needle for the acceptability/affordability of country-led diarrhea surveillance?
What pathogens are essential for inclusion in diarrheal surveillance, how should they ideally be detected, and how should this be translated into estimates of diarrhea etiology?
What diagnostic approaches are "good enough" for sustainable surveillance, and which elements are primarily research-oriented?
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Go to Live PollsExpected Meeting Outputs
Actionable outcomes and technical frameworks resulting from the convening.
Diagnostic Tools
Global surveillance diagnostic target product profile + pathogen list.
Examine Tradeoffs
Description of diagnostic needs and reconciliation of tradeoffs with different dx approaches/platforms.
Use Case Prioritization
Prioritization of diarrhea surveillance use cases (must-have vs. nice-to-have).
MVP Framework
Minimum viable product for diarrhea surveillance and consideration of design elements needed to achieve it.
Integration Path
Opportunities for integration into national programs, including options for financing and mainstreaming steps.