An evaluation of completeness of tuberculosis notification in the United Kingdom

Evaluation of effectiveness of pathology reports in active surveillance of tuberculosis

OBJECTIVE

Despite advancing technology, national TB surveillance systems are still inadequate in terms of patient detection around the world. It was aimed to investigate suspicious cases detected by active surveillance method in pathology laboratories and to evaluate the effectiveness of this method in terms of finding new TB cases.

METHODS

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. It was administrated in Samsun, Turkey, between January 2012-December 2017. Within the scope of active surveillance, pathology laboratories were regularly visited and reported cases with granulomatous inflammation were assessed. The obtained patient list was compared with the records of the Electronic Tuberculosis Management System (ETMS). Patients who were not included in these records were invited to the dispensary and evaluated for TB. They were also referred to the relevant hospitals for diagnosis if necessary. Frequency values and descriptive statistics were calculated using SPSS method.

RESULTS

It was found that 35.6% of 703 patients with the diagnosis of granulomatous inflammation were previously diagnosed, treated or currently undergoing treatment in the ETMS registry. As a result of the assessment of remaining 453 cases, 46 patients (10.1%) were newly diagnosed with TB. Newly diagnosed TB patients were reported, and their treatment started.

CONCLUSION

As a result, active surveillance method conducted in pathology laboratories are used to detect unknown or late reported TB cases and allows to start treatment without further delay.

Comorbidities, mortality and causes of death among patients with tuberculosis in Denmark 1998-2010: a nationwide, register-based case-control study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the impact of comorbidities, age and clinical presentation of TB on mortality among Danish patients with TB.

METHODS

Danish patients with an ICD-10 (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision) diagnosis of TB in 1998-2010 were identified in the National Patient Registry and matched with controls (1:4) on age, gender, civil status and geography. Comorbid diagnoses up to 3 years before and after TB diagnosis or enrolment as control as well as survival data were obtained from national databases RESULTS: We included 8433 cases and 33 707 controls. Respiratory diseases were the most common comorbidities among cases (12.4% of cases, 3.8% of controls (p<0.001)). Overall HR of death was 2.45 (2.31; 2.59). Relative mortality was especially increased among younger adults (HR 8.70 (95% CI 5.53 to 13.69) among the 30 to 39-year-olds). While overall mortality increased with Deyo-Charlson comorbidity (DCC) score, relative mortality among cases was highest in the low-DCC group. Additionally, male gender, low income and central nervous system TB were risk factors for death among TB cases. The most common cause of death in both groups was non-lung cancers, among TB cases followed by COPD, TB and lung cancer, all being significantly more common among TB cases.

CONCLUSION

In Denmark, TB carries substantial mortality. Among those who die, 12% are reported to die from TB. A high relative mortality among younger adults underscores the importance of continually targeting high-risk TB groups in low-incidence countries.

Engaging the private sector in malaria surveillance: a review of strategies and recommendations for elimination settings

BACKGROUND

In malaria elimination settings, all malaria cases must be identified, documented and investigated. To facilitate complete and timely reporting of all malaria cases and effective case management and follow-up, engagement with private providers is essential, particularly in settings where the private sector is a major source of healthcare. However, research on the role and performance of the private sector in malaria diagnosis, case management and reporting in malaria elimination settings is limited. Moreover, the most effective strategies for private sector engagement in malaria elimination settings remain unclear.

METHODS

Twenty-five experts in malaria elimination, disease surveillance and private sector engagement were purposively sampled and interviewed. An extensive review of grey and peer-reviewed literature on private sector testing, treatment, and reporting for malaria was performed. Additional in-depth literature review was conducted for six case studies on eliminating and neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia and Southern Africa.

RESULTS

The private health sector can be categorized based on their commercial orientation or business model (for-profit versus nonprofit) and their regulation status within a country (formal vs informal). A number of potentially effective strategies exist for engaging the private sector. Conducting a baseline assessment of the private sector is critical to understanding its composition, size, geographical distribution and quality of services provided. Facilitating reporting, referral and training linkages between the public and private sectors and making malaria a notifiable disease are important strategies to improve private sector involvement in malaria surveillance. Financial incentives for uptake of rapid diagnostic tests and artemisinin-based combination therapy should be combined with training and community awareness campaigns for improving uptake. Private sector providers can also be organized and better engaged through social franchising, effective regulation, professional organizations and government outreach.

CONCLUSION

This review highlights the importance of engaging private sector stakeholders early and often in the development of malaria elimination strategies.

Underreporting of hepatitis A in non-endemic countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Information on reporting completeness of passive surveillance systems can improve the quality of and public health response to surveillance data and better inform public health planning. As a result, we systematically reviewed available literature on reporting completeness of hepatitis A in non-endemic countries.

METHODS

We searched Medline, EMBASE and grey literature sources, restricting to studies published in English between 1997 and 21 May 2015. Primary studies on hepatitis A surveillance and underreporting in non-endemic countries were included, and assessed for risk of bias. A pooled proportion of reporting completeness was estimated using a DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model.

RESULTS

Diagnosed hepatitis A cases identified through positive laboratory tests, physician visits, and inpatient hospital discharges were underreported to public health in all eight included studies. Reporting completeness ranged from 4 to 97 % (pooled proportion 59 %, 95 % confidence interval = 32 %, 84 %). Substantial heterogeneity was observed, which may be explained by differences in the referent data sources used to identify diagnosed cases and in case reporting mechanisms and/or staffing infrastructure. Completeness was improved in settings where case reporting was automated or where dedicated staff had clear reporting responsibilities.

CONCLUSIONS

Future studies that evaluate reporting completeness should describe the context, components, and operations of the surveillance system being evaluated in order to identify modifiable characteristics that improve system sensitivity and utility. Additionally, reporting completeness should be assessed across high risk groups to inform equitable allocation of public health resources and evaluate the effectiveness of targeted interventions.

Surveillance of imported hospital requiring malaria in Portugal: can it be improved?

Although eradicated in Portugal, malaria keeps taking its toll on travellers and migrants from endemic countries. Completeness of hospital requiring malaria notification in Portugal 2000-11 was estimated, using two-source capture-recapture method. Data sources were: national surveillance database of notifiable diseases and the national database of the Diagnosis-Related Groups resulting from National Health Service (NHS) hospital episodes. The completeness of notification was 21,2% for all malaria cases and 26,5% for malaria deaths, indicating significant underreporting and urging for complementary data source in surveillance, for disease burden estimates and retrospective monitoring, namely hospital episodes statistics.

The economic burden of tuberculosis in Denmark 1998-2010. Cost analysis in patients and their spouses

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the economic burden of tuberculosis (TB) in Denmark,

METHODS

8,433 Danish TB-patients (1998-2010) were matched with 33,707 controls by age, gender, civil status and geography. Health-related costs (health system contacts and -procedures, medications) and socio-economic parameters (foregone earnings and social transfer expenses) were calculated on data from national databases. The same information was obtained for 3,485 spouses of TB-patients, and 17,403 controls.

RESULTS

Health-related costs were higher for cases throughout the period. Before diagnosis, cases posed € 1,180 more health costs per year than controls. Excess health costs in the 2 years around diagnosing and treating TB were € 10,509. Cases received an average excess public transfer income of € 3,345 before vs. € 3,121 after diagnosis. Average employment income deficiency was € 11,635 before vs. € 13,885 after diagnosis, but the increasing difference showed a linear shape throughout the period. Spouses also had lower income, more social transfer, and posed higher health-related costs than matched controls.

CONCLUSION

We estimate the direct costs per TB patient to be €10,509. TB patients and their households are characterized by increasingly lower employment income, lower employment rate, and higher dependency on public transfer, but the socio/economic deterioration is rather a risk factor for TB than a direct consequence of the disease.

Factors associated with unreported tuberculosis cases in Spanish hospitals

BACKGROUND

Under-reporting of tuberculosis (TB) cases complicates disease control, hinders contact tracing and alters the accuracy of epidemiological data, including disease burden. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the proportion of unreported TB cases in Spanish healthcare facilities and to identify the associated factors.

METHODS

A multi-center retrospective study design was employed. The study included TB cases diagnosed in 16 facilities during 2011-2012. These cases were compared to those reported to the corresponding public health departments. Demographic, microbiological and clinical data were analyzed to determine the factors associated with unreported cases. Associated factors were analyzed on a bivariate level using the x(2) test and on a multivariate level using a logistic regression. Odds ratios (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were calculated.

RESULTS

Of the 592 TB cases included in the study, 85 (14.4 %) were not reported. The percentage of unreported cases per healthcare center ranged from 0-45.2 %. The following variables were associated to under-reporting at a multivariate level: smear-negative TB (OR = 1.87; CI:1.07-3.28), extrapulmonary disease (OR = 2.07; CI:1.05-4.09) and retired patients (OR = 3.04; CI:1.29-7.18). A nurse case manager was present in all of the centers with 100 % reporting. The percentage of reported cases among the smear-positive cases was 9.4 % and 19.4 % (p = 0.001) among the rest of the study population. Smear-positive TB was no associated to under-reporting.

CONCLUSIONS

It is important that TB Control Programs encourage thorough case reporting to improve disease control, contact tracing and accuracy of epidemiological data. The help from a TB nurse case manager could improve the rate of under-reporting.

Profile and follow-up of patients with tuberculosis in a priority city in Brazil

OBJECTIVE To analyze the cases of tuberculosis and the impact of direct follow-up on the assessment of treatment outcomes. METHODS This open prospective cohort study evaluated 504 cases of tuberculosis reported in the Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN - Notifiable Diseases Information System) in Juiz de Fora, MG, Southeastern Brazil, between 2008 and 2009. The incidence of treatment outcomes was compared between a group of patients diagnosed with tuberculosis and directly followed up by monthly consultations during return visits (287) and a patient group for which the information was indirectly collected (217) through the city's surveillance system. The Chi-square test was used to compare the percentages, with a significance level of 0.05. The relative risk (RR) was used to evaluate the differences in the incidence rate of each type of treatment outcome between the two groups. RESULTS Of the outcomes directly and indirectly evaluated, 18.5% and 3.2% corresponded to treatment default and 3.8% and 0.5% corresponded to treatment failure, respectively. The incidence of treatment default and failure was higher in the group with direct follow-up (p < 0.05) (RR = 5.72, 95%CI 2.65;12.34, and RR = 8.31, 95%CI 1.08;63.92, respectively). CONCLUSIONS A higher incidence of treatment default and failure was observed in the directly followed up group, and most of these cases were neglected by the disease reporting system. Therefore, effective measures are needed to improve the control of tuberculosis and data quality.

Tuberculosis incidence in the Irish Traveller population in Ireland from 2002 to 2013

The health status of the Irish Traveller ethnic minority is low compared to the general population in Ireland in terms of infant mortality rates and life expectancies. Respiratory disease is an area of health disparity manifested as excess mortalities in Traveller males and females. In this study, we examined the available data with regard to tuberculosis (TB) notifications in Ireland from 2002 to 2013. We found an increase in TB notifications in Irish Travellers from 2010 onwards. This resulted in a crude incidence rate for TB in Irish Travellers that was approximately threefold higher than that of the white Irish-born population in 2011 and 2012. An outbreak of TB in Irish Travellers in 2013 increased this differential further, but when outbreak-linked cases were excluded, a higher incidence rate was still observed in Irish Travellers relative to the general population and to white Irish-born. The mean age of a TB patient was 26 years in Irish Travellers compared to 43 years in the general population, and 49 years in white Irish-born. Based on available data, Irish Travellers exhibit a higher incidence rate and younger age distribution of TB compared to white Irish-born and the general population. These observations emphasize the importance of routine use of ethnicity identifiers in the management of TB and other notifiable communicable illnesses in Ireland. They also have implications for the orientation of preventive services to address health disparities in Irish Travellers and other ethnic minority groups.

Measuring underreporting and under-ascertainment in infectious disease datasets: a comparison of methods

BACKGROUND

Efficient and reliable surveillance and notification systems are vital for monitoring public health and disease outbreaks. However, most surveillance and notification systems are affected by a degree of underestimation (UE) and therefore uncertainty surrounds the 'true' incidence of disease affecting morbidity and mortality rates. Surveillance systems fail to capture cases at two distinct levels of the surveillance pyramid: from the community since not all cases seek healthcare (under-ascertainment), and at the healthcare-level, representing a failure to adequately report symptomatic cases that have sought medical advice (underreporting). There are several methods to estimate the extent of under-ascertainment and underreporting.

METHODS

Within the context of the ECDC-funded Burden of Communicable Diseases in Europe (BCoDE)-project, an extensive literature review was conducted to identify studies that estimate ascertainment or reporting rates for salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis in European Union Member States (MS) plus European Free Trade Area (EFTA) countries Iceland, Norway and Switzerland and four other OECD countries (USA, Canada, Australia and Japan). Multiplication factors (MFs), a measure of the magnitude of underestimation, were taken directly from the literature or derived (where the proportion of underestimated, under-ascertained, or underreported cases was known) and compared for the two pathogens.

RESULTS

MFs varied between and within diseases and countries, representing a need to carefully select the most appropriate MFs and methods for calculating them. The most appropriate MFs are often disease-, country-, age-, and sex-specific.

CONCLUSIONS

When routine data are used to make decisions on resource allocation or to estimate epidemiological parameters in populations, it becomes important to understand when, where and to what extent these data represent the true picture of disease, and in some instances (such as priority setting) it is necessary to adjust for underestimation. MFs can be used to adjust notification and surveillance data to provide more realistic estimates of incidence.

An exploration of NHS staff views on tuberculosis service delivery in Scottish NHS boards

Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial disease and major worldwide killer with an increased UK incidence rate. This study aimed to explore the views of National Health Service (NHS) staff on TB service delivery models of care in NHS boards across Scotland. Eighteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 nurse specialists and five consultants in public health medicine (CPHM) across five Scottish NHS boards. Five main themes emerged and findings showed that: directly observed treatment (DOT) was provided only to patients assessed to be at high risk of poor treatment adherence; contact tracing was conducted by participating NHS boards but screening at ports was thought to be weak; all NHS boards implemented TB awareness campaigns for TB health professionals; three NHS boards conducted team meetings that monitored TB patient progress; participants believed that TB funding should be increased; contact tracing was routinely conducted by TB nurses. Improved TB screening at airports was recommended and a need for TB health education for high risk groups was identified.

Causes and predictive factors associated with "diagnosis changed" outcomes in patients notified as tuberculosis cases in a private tertiary hospital

Background

The aim of our study was to evaluate the "diagnosis changed" rate in patients notified as tuberculosis (TB) on the Korean TB surveillance system (KTBS).

Methods

A total of 1,273 patients notified as TB cases on the KTBS in one private tertiary hospital in 2011 were enrolled in the present study. Patients were classified into three groups: "diagnosis maintained", "diagnosis changed" (initially notified as TB, but ultimately diagnosed as non-TB), and "administrative error" (notified as TB due to administrative errors).

Results

Excluding 17 patients in the "administrative error" group, the "diagnosis maintained" and "diagnosis changed" groups included 1,097 (87.3%) and 159 patients (12.7%), respectively. Common causes of "diagnosis changed" were nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) disease (51.7%, 61/118), and pneumonia (17.8%) in cases notified as pulmonary TB, and meningitis (19.5%, 8/41) and Crohn's disease (12.2%) in cases notified as extrapulmonary TB. Being older than 35 years of age (odds ratio [OR], 2.18) and a positive acid-fast bacilli stain (OR, 1.58) were positive predictors and a TB-related radiological finding (OR, 0.42) was a negative predictor for a "diagnosis changed" result via multivariate logistic regression analysis in pulmonary TB cases.

Conclusion

Because of a high "diagnosis changed" rate in TB notifications to the KTBS, the TB incidence rate measured by the KTBS may be overestimated. Considering the worldwide trend toward increased NTM disease, the "diagnosis changed" rate may increase over time. Thus, when reporting the annual TB notification rate in Korea, the exclusion of "diagnosis changed" cases is desirable.

Evaluation of tuberculosis underreporting in Greece through comparison with anti-tuberculosis drug consumption

Surveillance is an integral part of tuberculosis (TB) control. Greece has a low TB notification rate, but there are doubts about underreporting. Examining anti-TB drug consumption is a way to validate the results of surveillance and estimate TB burden in the country. We used surveillance data from 2004 to 2008 to calculate the average prescribed treatment duration with the first-line anti-TB drugs isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol and pyrazinamide. We then obtained the best available data on consumption of these drugs, and calculated the number of treated cases to which these quantities correspond. We thus estimated underreporting at around 80% (77-81%), and annual TB incidence at about 30 cases per 100,000 population, five times over the notification rate. Underreporting was found to be constant over the study period, while incidence followed a decreasing trend. In addition we estimated that one person receives chemoprophylaxis for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) for every three TB cases. These results indicate the need for a comprehensive plan to improve TB surveillance and TB contact tracing in Greece, especially in light of the economic crisis affecting the country since 2009.

Diagnostic accuracy of notified cases as pulmonary tuberculosis in private sectors of Korea

The diagnostic accuracy of the data reported in the Korean tuberculosis surveillance system (KTBS) has not been adequately investigated. We reviewed the clinical data of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) cases notified from private medical facilities through KTBS between January and June, 2004. PTB cases were classified into definite (culture-proven), probable (based on smear, polymerase chain reaction, histology, bronchoscopic finding, computed tomography, or both chest radiograph and symptoms) or possible (based only on chest radiograph) tuberculosis. Of the 1126 PTB cases, sputum AFB smear and culture were requested in 79% and 51% of the cases, respectively. Positive results of sputum smear and culture were obtained in 43% and 29% of all the patients, respectively. A total of 73.2% of the notified PTB cases could be classified as definite or probable and 81.7% as definite, probable, or possible. However, where infection was not confirmed bacteriologically or histologically, only 60.1% of the patients were definite, probable, or possible cases. More than 70% of PTB notified from private sectors in Korea can be regarded as real TB. The results may also suggest the possibility of over-estimation of TB burden in the use of the notification-based TB data.

Completeness of infectious disease notification in the United Kingdom: A systematic review

OBJECTIVES

Infectious disease legislation in the United Kingdom has recently changed. Our aim was to provide a baseline against which to assess the impact of these changes by synthesising current knowledge on completeness of notification and on factors associated with better reporting rates.

METHODS

We systematically reviewed the literature for studies reporting completeness of reporting of notifiable infectious diseases in the United Kingdom over the past 35 years.

RESULTS

Altogether, 46 studies met our search criteria. Reporting completeness varied from 3% to 95% and was most strongly correlated with the disease being reported. Median reporting completeness was 73% (range 6%-93%) for tuberculosis, 65% (range 40%-95%) for meningococcal disease, and 40% (range 3%-87%) for other diseases (Kruskal-Wallis test, p < 0.05). Reporting completeness did not change for either tuberculosis or meningococcal disease over the period studied. In multivariate analysis, none of the factors examined (study size, study time period, number of data sources used to assess completeness, uncorrected or corrected study design) were significantly associated with reporting completeness.

CONCLUSION

Reporting completeness has not improved over the past three decades. It remains sub-optimal even for diseases which are under enhanced surveillance or are of significant public health importance.

Completeness and timeliness of tuberculosis notification in Taiwan

Tuberculosis (TB) is a notifiable disease by the Communicable Disease Control Law in Taiwan. Several measures have been undertaken to improve reporting of TB but the completeness and timeliness of TB notification in Taiwan has not yet been systemically evaluated.

Seasonality of tuberculosis

OBJECTIVES

This study was designed to review previous studies and analyse the current knowledge and controversies related to seasonal variability of tuberculosis (TB) to examine whether TB has an annual seasonal pattern.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Systematic review of peer reviewed studies identified through literature searches using online databases belonging to PubMed and the Cochrane library with key words "Tuberculosis, Seasonal influence" and "Tuberculosis, Seasonal variation". The search was restricted to articles published in English. The references of the identified papers for further relevant publications were also reviewed.

RESULTS

Twelve studies conducted between the period 1971 and 2006 from 11 countries/regions around the world (South Western Cameroon, South Africa, India, Hong Kong, Japan, Kuwait, Spain, UK, Ireland, Russia, and Mongolia) were reviewed. A seasonal pattern of tuberculosis with a mostly predominant peak is seen during the spring and summer seasons in all of the countries (except South Western Cameroon and Russia).

CONCLUSIONS

The observation of seasonality leads to assume that the risk of transmission of M. tuberculosis does appear to be the greatest during winter months. Vitamin D level variability, indoor activities, seasonal change in immune function, and delays in the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis are potential stimuli of seasonal tuberculosis disease. Additionally, seasonal variation in food availability and food intake, age, and sex are important factors which can play a role in the tuberculosis notification variability. Prospective studies regarding this topic and other related subjects are highly recommended.

[Tuberculosis surveillance in the Balearic Islands and characteristics of unreported cases from 2005 to 2007]

We performed a descriptive study of tuberculosis cases detected by the Epidemiological Surveillance System in the Balearic Islands in the triennium 2005-2007. Our goal was to characterize underreported cases in sociodemographic terms and their contact with primary care. Overall, underreporting of tuberculosis was approximately 20%. Significant factors in multivariate analysis were social marginality (consisting of alcoholism, intravenous drug use or indigence) (aOR: 2.6 [1.2 to 5.3]), contact with primary care (aOR: 3.2 [1.4 to 7.1]), and extrapulmonary tuberculosis (aOR: 5.5[3.2-9.6]). We recommend strengthening notification by hospital specialists through the use of hospital electronic records. Our findings show that the information obtained from the primary care computerized history is helpful in improving the epidemiological surveillance of tuberculosis.

Underreporting of the tuberculosis and AIDS comorbidity: an application of the linkage method

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the underreporting of the tuberculosis (TB) and AIDS comorbidity.

METHODS

Surveillance study using records from the Notifiable Diseases Information System - Tuberculosis and AIDS in Brazil from 2000 to 2005. Records of TB without information on the presence of Aids were considered to be underreporting of the comorbidity when paired off with AIDS records in which the year of diagnosis of AIDS was the same or previous to the year of reporting of TB, as well as records from the same patient whose previous records had this information. An indicator was created: recognized TB-AIDS comorbidity, based on the TB records that had information on the presence of AIDS.

RESULTS

The underreporting of TB-AIDS was 17.7%. This percentage varied between states. The incorporation of the underreported records into the previously recognized ones increased the proportion of TB-AIDS in Brazil from 6.9% to 8.4%. The highest proportions of underreporting were noted in Acre (Northern), Alagoas, Maranhão and Piauí (Northeastern) (more than 35% each) and the lowest in São Paulo (Southeastern) and Goiás (Central-western) (around 10% each).

CONCLUSIONS

The underreporting of the TB-AIDS comorbidity found in Brazil will probably trigger modifications in the surveillance system in order to provide information for the national programs.

Electronic outbreak surveillance in Germany: a first evaluation for nosocomial norovirus outbreaks

BACKGROUND

In Germany, surveillance for infectious disease outbreaks is integrated into an electronic surveillance system. For 2007, the national surveillance database contains case-based information on 201,224 norovirus cases, three-quarters of which are linked to outbreaks. We evaluated the data quality of the national database in reflecting nosocomial norovirus outbreak (NNO) data available in 19 Hessian local public health authorities (LPHAs) and the influence of differences between LPHA's follow-up procedures for laboratory notifications of Norovirus positive stool samples on outbreak underascertainment.

METHODS

Data on NNO beginning in 2007 and notified to the 19 LPHAs were extracted from the national database, investigated regarding internal validity and compared to data collected from LPHAs for a study on NNO control. LPHAs were questioned whether they routinely contacted all persons for whom a laboratory diagnosis of norovirus infection was notified. The number of outbreaks per 1,000 hospital beds and the number of cases within NNOs for acute care and rehabilitation hospitals were compared between counties with and without complete follow-up.

RESULTS

The national database contained information on 155 NNOs, including 3,115 cases. Cases were missed in the national database in 58 (37%) of the outbreaks. Information on hospitalisation was incorrect for an estimated 47% of NNO cases. Information on county of infection was incorrect for 24% (199/820) of cases being forwarded between LPHAs for data entry. Reported NNO incidence and number of NNO cases in acute care hospitals was higher in counties with complete follow-up (incidence-rate ratio (IRR) 2.7, 95% CI 1.4-5.7, p-value 0.002 and IRR 2.1, 95% CI 1.9-2.4, p-value 0.001, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Many NNOs are not notified by hospitals and differences in LPHA procedures have an impact on the number of outbreaks captured in the surveillance system. Forwarding of case-by-case data on Norovirus outbreak cases from the local to the state and national level should not be required.

Incidence of bacterial meningitis (2001-2005) in Lazio, Italy: the results of a integrated surveillance system

Background

Monitoring the incidence of bacterial meningitis is important to plan and evaluate preventive polices. The study's aim was to estimate the incidence of bacterial meningitis by aetiological agent in the period 2001–2005, in Lazio Italy (5.3 mln inhabitants).

Methods

Data collected from four sources – hospital surveillance of bacterial meningitis, laboratory information system, the mandatory infectious diseases notifications, and hospital information system – were combined into a single archive.

Results

944 cases were reported, 89% were classified as community acquired. S. pneumoniae was the most frequent aetiological agent in Lazio, followed by N. meningitis. Incidence of H. influenzae decreased during the period. 17% of the cases had an unknown aetiology and 13% unspecified bacteria. The overall incidence was 3.7/100,000. Children under 1 year were most affected (50.3/100.000), followed by 1–4 year olds (12.5/100,000). The percentage of meningitis due to aetiological agents included in the vaccine targets, not considering age, is 31%. Streptococcus spp. was the primary cause of meningitis in the first three months of life. The capture-recapture model estimated underreporting at 17.2% of the overall incidence.

Conclusion

Vaccine policies should be planned and monitored based on these results. The integrated surveillance system allowed us to observe a drop in H. influenzae b meningitis incidence consequent to the implementation of a mass vaccination of newborns.

Review article: communicable diseases surveillance lessons learned from developed and developing countries: literature review

BACKGROUND

Surveillance of infectious diseases is recognized as the cornerstone of public health decision-making and practice. The aim of the evaluation of communicable diseases surveillance systems (CDSS) is ensuring that communicable diseases are monitored efficiently and effectively. The aim of this paper is to reflect on the experiences of both developed and developing countries in the evaluation of CDSS in order to learn lessons from these experiences to improve systems everywhere.

METHODS

A literature review of studies published in English in PubMed and databases of the World Health Organization (WHO), and Center of Diseases Control (CDC) from 1981 to 2007 was undertaken assessing CDSS. The studies were divided into those from developed and developing countries.

RESULTS

A total of 32 studies were included, 20 from developed and twelve from developing countries. Both developed and developing countries faced difficulties in CDSS. Studies from the developed countries have been analysed based on the quality of the system alone. In developing countries, most of the studies have been on the integrated diseases surveillance (IDSR) and have been performed shortly after the adoption of the IDSR. Thus it might be too early to make a fair evaluation. Some of the systems over-centralized, while some lacked private health sector involvement in the system. Further, some of the systems were affected by conflicts and civil wars which are common problems in developing countries.

CONCLUSIONS

None of the countries had ideal CDSS. The strategy of integrated diseases surveillance seems to be functioning well especially in Africa.

The effect of social franchising on access to and quality of health services in low- and middle-income countries

BACKGROUND

Social franchising has developed as a possible means of improving provision of health services through engaging the non-state sector in low- and middle-income countries.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the evidence that social franchising has on access to and quality of health services in low- and middle-income countries.

SEARCH STRATEGY

We searched the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) Group Specialised Register (up to October 2007), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library 2007, Issue 3), MEDLINE, Ovid (1950 to September Week 3 2007), EMBASE, Ovid (1980 to 2007 Week 38), CINAHL, Ovid (1982 to September Week 3 2007), EconLit, WebSPIRS (1969 to Sept 2007), LILACS, Science Citation Index Expanded and Social Sciences Citation Index (1975 to March 2008), Sociological Abstracts, CSA Illumnia (1952 September 2007), WHOLIS (1948 November 2007).

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomized controlled trials, non-randomized controlled trials, controlled before and after studies and interrupted time series comparing social franchising models with other models of health service delivery, other social franchising models or absence of health services.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently applied the criteria for inclusion and exclusion of studies to scan titles and abstracts. The same two review authors independently screened full reports of selected citations . At each stage, results were compared and discrepancies settled through discussion.

MAIN RESULTS

No studies were found which were eligible for inclusion in this review.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

There is a need to develop rigorous studies to evaluate the effects of social franchising on access to and quality of health services in low- and middle-income countries. Such studies should be informed by the wider literature to identify models of social franchising that have a sound theoretical basis and empirical research addressing their reach, acceptability, feasibility, maintenance and measurability.

Completeness of tuberculosis control program records in the case registry database of the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil: analysis of the 2001-2005 period

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the completeness of tuberculosis control program records for the 2001-2005 period in the case registry database of the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil.

METHODS

A descriptive study using secondary data analysis. The following variables were studied: race/color; educational level, supervised treatment, sputum culture at treatment outcome, HIV status, smear sputum microscopy at the sixth month of treatment and treatment outcome.

RESULTS

Using technical parameters of the case registry database of the Brazilian National Ministry of Health regarding the percentage of completeness of data on the reporting forms, the tuberculosis database of the state of Espírito Santo can be classified as fair to excellent. The state of Espírito Santo has 78 cities, 8 of which are considered priorities for tuberculosis control. For the variables studied, the cities not considered priorities presented better completeness of records than did those considered priorities, the exception being the variable treatment outcome, for which the percentage of completeness was comparable among all of the cities.

CONCLUSIONS

Since the cities that are considered priorities accounted for 70.2% of the total number of reports, the responsible officials in those cities should improve the quality of those reports in terms of the completeness of forms and the updating of data, which are fundamental to the reliability of epidemiological analyses. That will make it possible to plan activities aimed at the prevention and control of tuberculosis in the state.

Record-linkage and capture-recapture analysis to estimate the incidence and completeness of reporting of tuberculosis in England 1999-2002

In 1999 the Enhanced Tuberculosis Surveillance (ETS) system was introduced in the United Kingdom to strengthen surveillance of tuberculosis (TB). The aim of this study was to assess the use of record-linkage and capture-recapture methodology for estimating the completeness of TB reporting in England between 1999 and 2002. Due to the size of the TB data sources sophisticated record-linkage software was required and the proportion of false-positive cases among unlinked hospital-derived TB records was estimated through a population mixture model. This study showed that record-linkage of TB data sources and cross-validation with additional TB-related datasets improved data quality as well as case ascertainment. Since the introduction of ETS observed completeness of notification in England has increased and the results were consistent with expected levels of under-notification. Completeness of notification estimated by a log-linear capture-recapture model was highly inconsistent with prior estimates and the validity of this methodology was further examined.

Measuring tuberculosis burden, trends, and the impact of control programmes

The targets for tuberculosis control, framed within the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, are to ensure that the incidence per head of tuberculosis is falling by 2015, and that the 1990 prevalence and mortality per head are halved by 2015. In monitoring progress in tuberculosis control, the ultimate aim for all countries is to count tuberculosis cases (incidence) accurately through routine surveillance. Disease prevalence surveys are costly and laborious, but give unbiased measures of tuberculosis burden and trends, and are justified in high-burden countries where many cases and deaths are missed by surveillance systems. Most countries in which tuberculosis is highly endemic do not yet have reliable death registration systems. Verbal autopsy, used in cause-of-death surveys, is an alternative, interim method of assessing tuberculosis mortality, but needs further validation. Although several new assays for Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection have recently been devised, the tuberculin skin test remains the only practical method of measuring infection in populations. However, this test typically has low specificity and is therefore best used comparatively to assess geographical and temporal variation in risk of infection. By 2015, every country should be able to assess progress in tuberculosis control by estimating the time trend in incidence, and the magnitude of reductions in either prevalence or deaths.

Under-reporting of notifiable infectious disease hospitalizations in a health board region in Ireland: room for improvement?

Rapid notification of infectious diseases is essential for prompt public health action and for monitoring of these diseases in the Irish population at both a local and national level. Anecdotal evidence suggests, however, that the occurrence of notifiable infectious diseases is seriously underestimated. This study aims to assess the level of hospitalization for notifiable infectious diseases for a 6-year period in one health board region in Ireland and to assess whether or not there was any under-reporting during this period. All hospital in-patient admissions from 1997 to 2002 inclusive with a principal diagnosis relating to 'infectious and parasitic diseases' (ICD codes 001-139) of residents from a health board region in Ireland were extracted from the Hospital In-Patient Enquiry System (HIPE). All notifiable infectious diseases were identified based on the 1981 Irish Infectious Disease Regulations and the data were analysed in the statistical package, JMP. These data were compared with the corresponding notification data. Analysis of the hospital in-patient admission data revealed a substantial burden associated with notifiable infectious diseases in this health board region: there were 2758 hospitalizations by 2454 residents, 17,034 bed days and 33 deaths. The statutory notification data comprises both general practitioner and hospital clinician reports of infectious disease. Therefore, only in cases where there are more hospitalizations than notifications can under-reporting be demonstrated. This occurred in nine out of 22 notifiable diseases and amounted to an additional 18% of notifications (or 572 cases) which were 'missed' due to hospital clinician under-reporting. The majority of these under-reported cases were for viral meningitis (45%), infectious mononucleosis (27%), viral hepatitis C unspecified (15%) and acute encephalitis (5.8%). This study has highlighted the extent of under-reporting of hospitalized notifiable infectious diseases, in a health board region in Ireland, which is a cause for concern from a surveillance point of view. If this under-reporting is similar in other health boards, then it would appear that the epidemiology of some notifiable diseases is incomplete both regionally and nationally. This under-reporting negatively impacts on the effectiveness of the notification process as a 'real-time' surveillance tool and an early warning system for outbreaks.

Active surveillance for tuberculosis in Wales: 1996-2003

AIMS

To estimate the incidence of active tuberculosis (TB) and study the use of chemoprophylaxis for latent TB in children in Wales, and to identify potential areas for improving prevention and management.

METHODS

Active surveillance for TB in children aged 0-15 years from July 1996 to December 2003, using the Welsh Paediatric Surveillance Scheme.

RESULTS

A total of 232 children, 102 with active TB (2.3 per 100 000) and 130 with latent TB (2.9 per 100 000), were identified. Nearly half (45%) belonged to ethnic minorities (19% were of black African origin), a much higher proportion than the base population. Pulmonary disease was the most common presentation (47%), including six (9%) children who were sputum smear positive. There were 10 cases of disseminated TB, nearly all in white children under 10 years of age. Less than two thirds of eligible children (27/46, 59%) were known to have received BCG immunisation. The source of infection was an adult household contact in most cases, but was not known in 44 cases, particularly among teenagers. Four community outbreaks occurred during the surveillance period, including three in high schools.

CONCLUSION

TB incidence in children in Wales remains low, but the epidemiology is changing with an increasing proportion of cases in black African children. The high proportion of patients with disseminated TB is of particular concern. TB in teenagers was often associated with school outbreaks. Many eligible children do not receive BCG immunisation, indicating further scope for prevention.

An evaluation of the actual incidence of tuberculosis in French Guiana using a capture-recapture model

In order to estimate the level of under-reporting and to improve estimates of the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in the vicinity of Cayenne, French Guiana, we performed capture-recapture analysis from 1996 through 2003. We cross-linked data from the Institut Pasteur, the Département d'Information Médicale of Cayenne Hospital, and the Service de Lutte Anti-Tuberculeuse. The estimate of 381 TB cases obtained after matching those three sources was revised to 425 (95% confidence interval: 407, 453) using the capture-recapture model based on sample coverage. The corresponding average annual incidence was 63.1 TB cases per 100,000 population. The evaluated sensitivity of the compulsory notification system was 35.3%, indicating wide under-notification of TB in the vicinity of Cayenne. The estimated coverage reported by the three sources was fairly accurate (i.e. 85.9%), but not sufficient to evaluate the risk of transmission of TB in the Ile-de-Cayenne (Cayenne and its suburbs).