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Using health and demographic surveillance for the early detection of cholera outbreaks: analysis of community- and hospital-based data from Matlab, Bangladesh
- Source :
- Global Health Action, Vol 9, Iss 0, Pp 1-6 (2016), Global Health Action, Global Health Action; Vol 9 (2016): incl Supplements
- Publication Year :
- 2016
- Publisher :
- Taylor & Francis Group, 2016.
-
Abstract
- Background : Cholera outbreaks are a continuing problem in Bangladesh, and the timely detection of an outbreak is important for reducing morbidity and mortality. In Matlab, the ongoing Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) data records symptoms of diarrhea in children under the age of 5 years at the community level. Cholera surveillance in Matlab currently uses hospital-based data. Objective : The objective of this study is to determine whether increases in cholera in Matlab can be detected earlier by using HDSS diarrhea symptom data in a syndromic surveillance analysis, when compared to hospital admissions for cholera. Methods : HDSS diarrhea symptom data and hospital admissions for cholera in children under 5 years of age over a 2-year period were analyzed with the syndromic surveillance statistical program EARS (Early Aberration Reporting System). Dates when significant increases in either symptoms or cholera cases occurred were compared to one another. Results : The analysis revealed that there were 43 days over 16 months when the cholera cases or diarrhea symptoms increased significantly. There were 8 months when both data sets detected days with significant increases. In 5 of the 8 months, increases in diarrheal symptoms occurred before increases of cholera cases. The increases in symptoms occurred between 1 and 15 days before the increases in cholera cases. Conclusions : The results suggest that the HDSS survey data may be able to detect an increase in cholera before an increase in hospital admissions is seen. However, there was no direct link between diarrheal symptom increases and cholera cases, and this, as well as other methodological weaknesses, should be taken into consideration. Keywords: syndromic surveillance; early warning; EARS (Published: 20 May 2016) Citation: Glob Health Action 2016, 9: 30834 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/gha.v9.30834
- Subjects :
- 0301 basic medicine
Data records
Pediatrics
medicine.medical_specialty
030231 tropical medicine
030106 microbiology
Early detection
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
EARS
medicine
syndromic surveillance
early warning
Community level
business.industry
Health Policy
lcsh:Public aspects of medicine
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Outbreak
Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology
lcsh:RA1-1270
Hospital based
medicine.disease
Cholera
Syndromic surveillance
Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi
Diarrhea
Diarrhea symptoms
Original Article
medicine.symptom
business
Global Health
Population Health
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 16549880 and 16549716
- Volume :
- 9
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Global Health Action
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....e29a9426bc7bf72f2f5ea201c3b5a11b