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Signals Come and Go: Syndromic Surveillance and Styles of Biosecurity

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  • Lyle Fearnley

    (Department of Medical Anthropology, University of California at Berkeley 3342A California Street, Berkeley, CA 94703, USA)

Abstract

This paper follows the development of a novel biosecurity technology known as ‘syndromic surveillance’. By monitoring new sources of nondiagnostic health information (911 calls, ER triage logs, pharmaceutical sales), syndromic surveillance produces new ‘territories of intelligibility’. But the implemention of syndromic systems—and the opening up of these new territories—poses a problem of interpretation. What is significant in nondiagnostic data flows? In fact, the development of a national syndromic system in the United States attracted criticism from local public health experts, who complained about the costs of ‘false positive’ or insignificant detections. This exposes a disjuncture between two interpretative frameworks, two styles of governing biosecurity: public health (a responsibility for maximal population health) and preparedness (a concern for disaster-scale events). At stake are new norms and forms of securing life.

Suggested Citation

  • Lyle Fearnley, 2008. "Signals Come and Go: Syndromic Surveillance and Styles of Biosecurity," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 40(7), pages 1615-1632, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:40:y:2008:i:7:p:1615-1632
    DOI: 10.1068/a4060
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Martin Kulldorff, 2001. "Prospective time periodic geographical disease surveillance using a scan statistic," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 164(1), pages 61-72.
    2. Savitz, D.A. & Poole, C. & Miller, W.C., 1999. "Reassessing the role of epidemiology in public health," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 89(8), pages 1158-1161.
    3. Fee, E. & Brown, T.M., 2001. "Preemptive biopreparedness: Can we learn anything from history?," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 91(5), pages 721-726.
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    Cited by:

    1. Yi-Da Chen & Susan A. Brown & Paul Jen-Hwa Hu & Chwan-Chuen King & Hsinchun Chen, 2011. "Managing Emerging Infectious Diseases with Information Systems: Reconceptualizing Outbreak Management Through the Lens of Loose Coupling," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 22(3), pages 447-468, September.

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