Community-Based Surveillance (CBS) is an unique initiative of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) in collaboration with the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR). With the aim of early detection and response, and to contribute to outbreak and epidemic preparedness, this initiative was started under the Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Response (EPPR) pillar of the Pilot Programmatic Partnership (PPP) under the Disaster and Climate Risk Management (DCRM) Department of BDRCS, with German Red Cross, Danish Red Cross, Swedish Red Cross and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) providing technical and financial support from the Humanitarian Aid Department of the European Commission (ECHO).

Community-Based Surveillance (CBS) is a simple, adaptable, and low-cost public health initiative managed by communities to protect communities which will complement and strengthen the current sentinel surveillance system in Bangladesh. The CBS process contains five key steps that are widely used in surveillance systems worldwide:

1.  Detection
2. Triage
3. Verification
4. Risk Assessment
5. Response.

This initiative officially started with the signing of an MoU between BDRCS and IEDCR in August 2023. The piloting areas are Dhaka South City

  Corporation (two wards), Rajshahi City Corporation (five wards), and   Sylhet City Corporation (five wards). With the joint effort of BDRCS,       IEDCR, and the Partners' technical team, CBS piloting is now rolled out   by  real-time data collection using a customized App from an approximate   cohort population of 1,55,330. At present, early detection of five     suspected  diseases is considered: influenza-like illness (ILI), acute   watery diarrhea (AWD), acute jaundice syndrome (AJS), suspected   dengue fever, and any unusual event.

Objectives of CBS: 

● To contribute to earlier detection and notification of potentially serious and epidemic-prone risks/events, enabling timely response and control, 

● To improve the effectiveness of epidemic response operations with community-level real-time data to inform monitoring and targeted control actions.

Area Coverage for Piloting

At present, 240 Community Volunteers of the BDRCS are actively collecting CBS data from the following targeted urban areas under the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations  (DG ECHO) supported Pilot Programmatic Partnership. Piloting of the rural areas are being planned with the support of IFRC, Norwegian Red Cross and Swiss Red Cross.

The following diseases are being notified in the targeted communities

Disclaimer - Suspected cases are not confirmed cases.  Confirmation requires verification by a medical professional.