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Infectious Disease Early Warning

An early detection system for infectious diseases, integrating data from outpatient clinics, hospitals, ambulance transport, pharmacies, schools, nursery schools, and elderly care facilities across Japan.

Explore the System
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Multi-Channel Data

Eight surveillance channels including outpatient, inpatient, ambulance, OTC pharmacy, nursery school, school absenteeism, elderly facilities, and laboratory testing.

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Early Detection

Syndromic surveillance identifies unusual patterns before laboratory confirmation, enabling faster public health responses to emerging outbreaks.

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Event Monitoring

Enhanced surveillance was conducted at major mass gatherings including the Hokkaido Toyako Summit 2008, APEC Yokohama 2010, and COP10 Nagoya 2010.

How Syndromic Surveillance Works

Syndromic surveillance monitors health-related data in near real-time to detect signals of infectious disease outbreaks before conventional diagnosis-based systems. By tracking symptoms and proxy indicators — such as school absenteeism, pharmacy dispensing, and ambulance transports — public health authorities can identify anomalies and respond earlier.

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Surveillance Channels

Syndromic surveillance in Japan draws on a broad range of data sources, each contributing a distinct signal for outbreak detection. These channels collectively provide a comprehensive picture of community health status, from clinical settings to everyday community indicators.

  • Outpatient (外来) — clinic visit symptom data
  • Inpatient (入院) — hospital admission surveillance
  • Ambulance Transport (救急車搬送) — emergency call patterns
  • OTC Pharmacy (OTC) — over-the-counter medication sales
  • Nursery School (保育園) — preschool absenteeism tracking
  • School Absenteeism (学校欠席) — nationwide school-based system
  • Elderly Facilities (高齢者施設) — care-home health monitoring
  • Laboratory Testing (検査) — test-ordering pattern analysis
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School Absenteeism System

As of January 2016, approximately 23,618 schools across 25 prefectures, 6 designated cities, and 2 special wards — covering about 53% of elementary, junior high, and high schools nationwide.

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Pharmacy Surveillance

Daily influenza estimates derived from anti-influenza drug dispensing data across 10,064 participating pharmacies, with prefecture-level and designated-city breakdowns from the 2009/2010 through 2014/2015 seasons.

Blog

  1. Detecting norovirus among cruise passengers at Japanese portsCruise ships can move thousands of people between countries within a few days, creating ideal conditions for rapid norovirus transmission. Shared dining rooms,…
  2. Using Cough Duration To Detect Pertussis Resurgence EarlyPertussis, commonly called whooping cough, can return quietly before routine laboratory reports show a clear rise. Children may attend a clinic with a…
  3. Monitoring influenza vaccination coverage through syndromic signalsInfluenza vaccination coverage is usually measured through immunisation registers, surveys, provider reports and population estimates. Those sources are…
  4. Combining Clinic Signals And Pharmacy Sales To Detect Foodborne OutbreaksFoodborne outbreaks often begin quietly. A few people develop diarrhoea after a shared meal, visit different general practices, and buy over-the-counter…
  5. Detecting Heat-Related Illness at Australian Summer FestivalsSummer festivals create a temporary city of workers, performers, vendors and visitors, often in places that were not designed for dense crowds or prolonged…
  6. How School Absence Data Can Signal Influenza SpreadInfluenza can circulate through a community for days before testing confirms a rise in cases. Children often encounter infection at school, share crowded…
  7. Detecting respiratory illness in earthquake evacuation sheltersEarthquakes can turn a routine respiratory infection into a fast-moving public-health concern. In temporary shelters, people sleep close together, share…
  8. Monitoring Syndromic Signals During the Tokyo MarathonA major road race creates a temporary population with unusual movement patterns, concentrated contact and a high demand for first aid. Tens of thousands of…
  9. Detecting shigellosis early through community health dataShigellosis is an acute intestinal infection caused by Shigella bacteria. It can spread quickly where people share food, facilities, or close contact, yet the…
  10. Free Online Progressive Pokies And The RocketPlay Casino ExperienceFree online progressive pokies are attracting attention from Australian players who enjoy the excitement of jackpot slots without immediately committing money.…

Technical Support

For inquiries about the syndromic surveillance systems, including the school absenteeism information collection system and pharmacy surveillance:

Contact: Yasushi Ohkusa, Senior Researcher

Institution: Infectious Disease Epidemiology Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases

FAX: 03-5285-1129

Email: ohkusa@nih.go.jp

All inquiries accepted by FAX or email only. For school absenteeism system login issues, please contact your municipal board of education or childcare division.