EARLY WARNING AND

REPORTING SYSTEM (EWARS)

BY DEEPAK SINGH
M.SC VIROLOGY
A12137418002
 INTRODUCTION
• The World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners
established the Early Warning Alert and Response Network
(EWARN) to address the increased risk of communicable
disease transmission during humanitarian emergencies,
when national surveillance systems may be
underperforming or non-functional. Since its introduction,
EWARN has been implemented in response to emergencies
in many countries.
 • EWARS was started in 1996, and the Epidemiology and
Disease Control Division (EDCD) of the MOH has been
the implementing agency.
• EWARS diseases were divided into two groups: (1)
vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs), which include
acute flaccid paralysis (AFP), measles, and NNT; and (2)
vector-borne diseases (VBDs), which include KA, JE, and
malaria.
• EWARS is a hospital-based sentinel surveillance system.

HISTORY • The EWARS mainly focuses on the weekly reporting of

number of cases and deaths (including “zero” reports)
of six priority diseases
• It grew out of an interest in tracking cases of
poliomyelitis
• it includes six diseases: three vaccine-preventable
diseases or VPDs (polio, measles and neonatal tetanus
or NNT) and three vector-borne diseases (malaria, kala-
azar (KA), and Japanese Encephalitis (JE).
• It was designed to provide more timely information to
the decision makers to facilitate early response.
WHO HEADQUARTERS, GENEVA
 WHO MEMBER STATES ARE GROUPED
INTO SIX REGIONS. EACH REGION HAS
A REGIONAL OFFICE
 COMPONENTS OF EWARS
EWARS is made up of 3 key components:

Data Hub Exchange

Mobile
Fully offline. Choose what data you wish to
Collect and submit data anywhere.
Ready to collect, submit share with others and when.
Even in remote and insecure environments.
and analyze data. Manage interoperability
All in a single, easy-to-use with other databases.
box. Receive regular upgrades for
free!
 COMPONENTS OF EWARS
• Rapid Deployment
• EWARS can be rapidly deployed immediately after the onset of a crisis and with minimal expertise.
• Flexible
• EWARS permits adaptation to suit the needs and demands of each country setting.
• EWARS can also scale up rapidly according to operational needs.
• Field-Based
• EWARS is built to work in difficult operating environment and works on very low bandwidths.
• Collaboration & Support
• EWARS places high importance on bringing partners together and making them feel part of a wider community.
• EWARS provides a collaborative environment that aims to forge consensus around agreed technical standards
and guidance.
• Sustainable
• EWARS is an adjunct, not a substitute, for the national disease surveillance system. It is time limited for the
duration of the emergency only.
• After the emergency, EWARS should re-integrate back into the national surveillance system.
WORKING PRINCIPLE
EWARS IN A BOX

The box contains 60 mobile

phones, laptops and a local
server to collect, report and
manage disease data. A solar
generator and solar chargers
allow the phones and laptops
to function without 24-hour
electricity. A single kit costs
approximately US$ 15 000 and
can support surveillance for 50
fixed or mobile clinics serving
roughly 500 000 people.
 DISEASE OUTBREAKS

• Chikungunya • Monkeypox
• Cholera • Nipah virus infection
• Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever • Plague
• Ebola virus disease • Rift Valley fever
• Hendra virus infection • SARS
• Influenza (pandemic, seasonal, zoonotic)• Smallpox
• Lassa fever • Tularaemia
• Marburg virus disease • Yellow fever
• Meningitis • Zika virus disease
• MERS-CoV
THANK YOU