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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Mar 1.
Published in final edited form as: Clin Pediatr Emerg Med. 2013 Mar 19;14(1):3–11. doi: 10.1016/j.cpem.2013.01.003

Table 1.

WHO principles for early disease detection.[72]

  1. The disease is an important health problem.

  2. There is treatment for the disease.

  3. There are facilities for diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

  4. The disease has a latent stage.

  5. There is a test or examination for the disease.

  6. Testing for the disease is acceptable to the population.

  7. The natural history of the disease is adequately understood.

  8. There is agreement on whom to treat.

  9. The total cost of finding a case of disease is economically balanced with overall medical expenditure.

  10. Finding cases of disease is a continuous, surveillance process, not just a one time/point prevalence project.

Adapted from: Wilson JMG, Jungner G. Principles and practice of screening for disease. WHO Chronicle 1968; Geneva:World Health Organization. 22(11):473. Public Health Papers, #34.