Don’t let privacy concerns complicate necessary data sharing to combat public health threats

Concerns over privacy have often complicated the timeliness and sharing of data needed to assess risk for adverse health outcomes, and privacy zealots in Canada have challenged public health innovations.

A man wearing a protective mask walks past the Bank of Canada Museum in Ottawa on March 27. Communicable diseases do not respect administrative boundaries, so effective surveillance depends on a national strategy to ensure that data enables timely and accurate disease estimation and identification of those at risk of infections or collateral health impacts, write Shaza Fadel, Sara Allin, and Natasha Crowcroft.The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Opinion

BY NATASHA CROWCROFT, SARA ALLIN, SHAZA FADEL

May 6, 2020

Health surveillance systems are key cornerstones to protecting populations from emerging public health threats. In Canada, these systems fall under shared responsibilities between local, federal, and provincial and territorial (FPT) agencies. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) creates the com...

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