What type of surveillance unifies detection and reporting systems among many disparate groups/agencies?

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

Answer: (B)

Unifying detection and reporting across many disparate groups requires a framework that links multiple data sources into one coherent system. Integrated surveillance is built to do exactly this: it brings together information from laboratories, hospitals, clinics, public health agencies, and other partners, standardizes what counts as a report, formats the data consistently, and shares it through interoperable IT systems. This creates a single situational picture and enables timely alerts and coordinated responses across jurisdictions.

Other types describe how data are collected or what is being monitored rather than how many different players connect. Active surveillance involves actively seeking cases, often with dedicated field work; passive surveillance relies on routine reports that agencies receive; syndromic surveillance tracks patterns of symptoms to signal possible events, usually before diagnoses are confirmed. While valuable in their own right, they don't inherently unify data across many groups the way integrated surveillance does. By design, integrated surveillance aligns detection and reporting across disparate groups into a unified system, making it the best answer.