The Presidential Policy Directive (PPD) 8 mandates the National Preparedness System (NPS) with this framework as a component of a broader system. The NRF is in effect at all times, with different components implemented depending on the situation and the level of response. This framework is used for all types of threats and hazards facing the nation from natural and man-made disasters, accidents, to the threat of terrorism and the PPD-8 has five mission areas: Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery. The NRF is a partnership that includes the entire community and it has the capacity to engage international partnerships. It is a multi-layer approach that allows coordination and planning that is mutually supportive in the reduction of risk that could overwhelm a jurisdiction at the time of a crisis. Although not all individuals are part of the emergency response operations, countless are part of the emergency preparedness and response team- i.e. Medical Reserve Corps and the American Red …show more content…
However, due to the highly infectious disease that is Ebola, it has been a challenge to implement infection control and prevention measures in the affected areas. On March 14, 2014, there were reports in HealthMap, a French news website, of eight deaths with a strange fever that resemble Lassa fever in Macenta, Guinea. On March 22, the WHO and the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health informed the communities that EVD had spread into Sierra Leone. This type of digital surveillance is known as syndromic surveillance and helps identify clusters of illness before diseases have been diagnosed, confirmed or reported. Syndromic surveillance improves early detection, and is becoming an essential component of the public health surveillance structure. Since countries with low economic resources are overburdened with diseases that are endemic and/or conflict, they are not able to implement the IHR surveillance system. This means that the only data available are the data collected by the countries ministries of health. With the web-based systems such as HealthMap and Global Public Health Intelligence Network (GPHIN) researchers can collect information from sources including local and social media and provide cost-effective syndromic