Operational guidelines on plague surveillance, diagnosis, prevention and control

Abstract

Description: Plague is one of the oldest identifiable diseases known to man which remains endemic in many natural foci around the world, including some countries of the WHO South-East Asia Region. Plague, a vector-borne zoonotic disease, remains a significant public health threat in affected countries and of major concern to the World Health Organization because of its inherent communicability, rapid spread, rapid clinical course, and high mortality if left untreated. The revised International Health Regulations (‎IHR)‎ 2005, which came into effect in June 2007, require notification to WHO of the occurrence of a suspected case of plague in an area not known to be endemic. The Operational Guidelines on Plague Surveillance, Diagnosis, Prevention and Control were first published by the WHO South-East Asia Region in 2004. These were revised and updated in the context of new case definitions adopted in 2006 and the enforcement of the IHR (‎2005)‎. These revised and updated guidelines of 2009 provide comprehensive knowledge and information on plague epidemiology, surveillance, diagnosis, case management and prevention and control, and can be adapted by Member States to suit their technical requirements.