Question

A 60-year-old diabetic patient with COVID-19 succumbed to death in the hospital. Which type of surveillance does this death report fall under?

• A. Active surveillance
• B. Passive surveillance
• C. Sentinel surveillance
• D. Syndromic surveillance

Hint:

Routine reporting by hospitals or health centres = passive surveillance.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The question asks to categorize the type of surveillance where a routine hospital-based death is reported through normal official channels.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:

Passive Surveillance: This is the standard, most common mode of surveillance. It relies on health care providers (hospitals, doctors, or labs) to report cases or deaths as they occur to the higher health authorities. The health department waits for the reports to arrive. This hospital death report fits the definition perfectly.

Active Surveillance: The health authority actively goes out into the field (e.g., health workers visiting homes or reviewing clinic logs in person) to find cases. It is more complete but much more expensive.

Sentinel Surveillance: Surveillance is conducted only at selected sites (sentinel sites) to provide early warning or identify trends in a larger geographic area.

Syndromic Surveillance: Monitoring based on symptoms (like "respiratory distress") rather than confirmed laboratory diagnosis.

Step 3: Final Answer:
The routine reporting of a hospital death constitutes passive surveillance.