Surveillance systems
Digital Infectious Disease Preparedness includes surveillance systems that use automatic data capture and data processing to monitor the occurrence and development of infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and the effectiveness of vaccines on the Danish population in real-time. The Danish Microbiology Database (MiBa) and the Danish vaccination register (DDV) constitute the primary data sources.
The surveillance systems are based on electronic data transfer, automatic filtering, and data linking and analysis using algorithms.
Surveillance systems
Disease surveillance and epidemic control are complex tasks. Timely, accurate data visualisation and publicly available statistics and reports ensure transparency concerning the decision-making of the authorities. To take an example, the COVID-19 surveillance system provided the basis for handling the COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark. The same principles are now being used for automatic surveillance of other infectious diseases. Data from these systems furthermore form the basis for citizen-oriented solutions such as access to own health data via Sundhed.dk, vaccination invitations and the coronapas (corona certificate).
The surveillance systems are primarily based on data from MiBa, which stores a copy of all microbiological test results, and DDV (read more about the DDV here (in Danish)). The Healthcare-Associated Infections Database (HAIBA) was the first fully automated surveillance system to be based on MiBa data. HAIBA became operational in 2015 and was established to monitor selected hospital infections.
Based on the same concept, a very detailed system for COVID-19 surveillance was developed. This includes both tested, infected, and vaccinated individuals and was gradually expanded during 2020 and 2021.
This fully automatic surveillance system has since been extended to include several other diseases and microorganisms that are subject to surveillance, including, e.g., influenza (also vaccinations), whooping cough, respiratory syncytical virus, pneumococci, group A streptococci, mycoplasma pneumoniae and mpox. Each microorganism is different, and it therefore varies which details, data links and visualisations are relevant.
In the coming years, automated disease surveillance will be implemented for the notifiable infectious diseases, the Danish childhood vaccination programme and other relevant vaccinations. MiBa data also ensure the AMR assessments for the human part of the DANMAP Report (read more about DANMAP here). AMR data are scheduled for more extensive integration into the automatic surveillance system.
Disclosure of data for monitoring is in pursuance of the national Executive Order Bekendtgørelse om anmeldelse af smitsomme sygdomme BEK nr 1260 af 27/10/2023.