Surveillance, whether active or passive, is a dynamic process. It is fundamental to public health decision-making and subsequent action. Choice of diseases for surveillance, development of methods, ongoing systematic evaluation and dissemination to those who need to know, are each components which require expert, knowledgeable attention. The communication age will greatly redefine approaches to surveillance, both for data acquisition and dissemination. Especially in the dissemination area, the public health community needs to strengthen its capacity