Applications of Network Visualisation in Infectious Disease Management

The SARS outbreak during the spring of 2003 showed that any new cases can trigger rapid community and non-social cluster transmission of SARS-CoV. This created substantial health, social and economic consequences. Improved outbreak management requires that identification of such diseases must trigger an immediate public health response. Rapid detection and management of infectious diseases such as SARS and their contacts together with the prompt implementation of the appropriate control measures can arrest and contain the transmission and spread of disease. Given the likelihood and observed frequency of outbreaks of infectious diseases, there is a need to be able to detect, manage and control the disease transmission as early as possible and thus minimise the impact of the outbreaks. Effective public health surveillance can act as an early warning system by detecting microbial, environmental, behavioural, occupational, and other health threats. It can also concentrate resources, focus interventions and facilitate planning. The issues and technological solutions for infectious disease management are also applicable to Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) threat domains as these all share many common factors. This paper aims to discuss the use of and need for visualising the network of interconnected information for situation awareness to assist in taking effective control measures during infectious disease outbreaks. See also ADM002067., The original document contains color images. Published in RTO-MP-IST-063, AC/323(IST-063)TP/41. Presented at the Workshop of the RTO Panel on Information Systems Technology (IST), held in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 17-20 Oct 2006.