3rd edition. In 2001, Uganda adapted the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) developed by World Health Organization (WHO) for member states in African region. The Ministry of Health has been implementing the IDSR strategy since then with success across the country. This strategy provides the opportunity for rational use of resources and maximises investments in health surveillance systems. The 3rd edition IDSR guidelines incorporates lessons learnt from previous epidemics, new frameworks like the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), One Health, Disaster Risk Management (DRM), the WHO regional strategy for health security and emergencies, and the rising non-communicable diseases, and aims to strengthen implementation of IHR (2005) core surveillance and response capacities. These guidelines have been adapted to reflect national priorities, policies and public health structures; and shall be used in conjunction with other similar guidelines/strategies or initiatives. Overall, the 3rd edition technical guidelines will incorporate the following: • Strengthening Indicator Based Surveillance • Strengthening Event Based Surveillance • Improving community-based disease surveillance • Improving Cross Border Surveillance and response • Scaling up e-IDSR implementation • Improving reporting and information sharing platforms • Improved data sharing across sectors • Tailoring IDSR to Emergency or Disaster contexts The 3rd edition guidelines are intended for use as: • A general reference for surveillance activities across all levels • A set of definitions for thresholds that trigger some action for response • A stand-alone reference for level-specific guidelines on surveillance and response • A resource for developing training, supervision and evaluation of surveillance activities • A guide for improving early detection and preparedness for outbreak response.