Epidemiological Surveillance in Relation with Environment

Abstract

The present work refers to the viability in our country of implemeting a Survcillance system for the problems wich could possibly arise from atmospheric pollution, and their relation with climatic variables. For this purpose, as an introduction, the different present day points of wiew of General Epidemiological Surveillance are discussed. Then, a review of different surveys about the relation betwcen pollution and morbimortality is carried out, and the most systematically used variables and their main results are identified. Further on, the basic requirements to stablish the system are evaluated and legal measures as well as the information sources, being available about polluting agents, meteorological data and morbi-mortahty are reviewed; the conclusion is that, although a deep exam is necessary for a better adaptation to reality in our country, it is obvious that the basic requirements to implement an Environment Surveillance System exist and that this one should be quite decentralized, though jointed to the General System of Epidemiological Surveillance.