Substantial discrepancies in dengue case estimates between the Global Burden of Disease Study and Taiwan Centers for Disease Control.

This article examines the disparities in dengue case estimates between the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) and the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC). The GBD estimates, which rely on modeling due to limited data, are important for research and policy-making. However, the credibility of these estimates is limited due to inconsistent availability and quality of data. A comparison of laboratory-confirmed dengue cases recorded by Taiwan CDC with the GBD estimates for Taiwan reveals a significant difference, with the GBD estimates failing to capture the severity of the 2014 and 2015 outbreaks in Taiwan. The article also emphasizes the challenges in reporting and confirming dengue cases, as well as the importance of disclosing both confirmed case numbers and total tests administered for accurate analysis and assessment of transmission activity. The text includes a table presenting annual numbers of reported, laboratory-confirmed dengue cases and test positivity rates in Taiwan from 1998 to 2022, along with a discussion of the limitations of the GBD study's estimates for dengue cases in Taiwan. The study was partially supported by National Cheng Kung University Hospital and approved by the Institute of Review Board of National Cheng Kung University Hospital. The data used in the study are publicly available on the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control website and the GBD 2019 database. [Extracted from the article]