Implementation System of a Biosurveillance System in the Republic of Korea and Its Legal Ramifications

Kim, Amanda J.; Tak, Sangwoo

The US biosurveillance system was enhanced after the September 11 attack. 4, 17, 18 During the first period of development, biosurveillance systems detected threats using an automated algorithm. 19 As the biosurveillance system expanded and a concrete framework was formed, it was acknowledged that to regard the system simply as a technical tool was no longer appropriate, and the term ''biosurveillance'' began to refer to a broader concept encompassing, for instance, technical tools, approaches, and governance. 19 The key difference between public health surveillance and biosurveillance is that biosurveillance integrates information on risk factors related to humans, animals, and plants and the effects of interactions among those risk factors. 17 Biosurveillance focuses on uncategorized risk factors rather than known diseases. And biosurveillance encompasses threats to human health that occur beyond administrative lines. 20 Biosurveillance systems screen for risk factors, facilitating rapid detection of a response to unspecified threats. The ultimate goal of biosurveillance is to enable a timely response by integrating data obtained from multiple agencies and disciplines. 17, 18 Integrated biosurveillance systems based on coordinated governance allow early detection and situational awareness of biological events, which would be difficult to achieve using dispersed information. 17 There are numerous definitions of the purpose and basic functions of biosurveillance, but the generally agreed on functions include gathering, integrating, analyzing, interpreting, and disseminating data by means of coordinated governance. 4, 12, 17 Biosurveillance systems monitor incidents, threats, or activities related to human, animal, or plant health. In addition, environmental factors are also integrated. 9, 14, 16 The ultimate goal of biosurveillance is to enable early detection of a threat and mounting of an integrated response. 4, 12, 17, 18 The process of biosurveillance is shown in Figure 1 .