Using data linkage to improve communicable disease surveillance and control

Communicable diseases can be harmful to health. Globally, governments collect data relating to communicable diseases, which helps with prevention and control activities such as vaccination. Missing data about people with communicable diseases (e.g. who they are, their vaccination status or health outcomes) can hamper prevention and control efforts. However, these data items are often captured in other datasets, and data linkage is a process that can bring together those data items. This thesis explores the challenges associated with the use of linked data in this setting, and demonstrates its value in supporting communicable disease prevention and control efforts in Australia.