Journal
PUBLIC HEALTH REPORTS
Volume 137, Issue 6, Pages 1070-1078Publisher
SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC
DOI: 10.1177/00333549211050897
Keywords
vaccine-preventable diseases; varicella; syndromic surveillance; infectious disease surveillance; epidemiology
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Syndromic surveillance was found to enhance notifiable disease case-based surveillance for varicella in Georgia, by providing timely and effective case detection. Cases identified through syndromic surveillance were less likely to be outbreak-associated compared to cases identified through other sources, potentially due to early detection. The study concluded that syndromic surveillance is a useful tool to improve varicella surveillance.
Objectives Syndromic surveillance can be used to enhance notifiable disease case-based surveillance. We analyzed features of varicella reported in Georgia to evaluate case detection through syndromic surveillance and to compare varicella reported through syndromic surveillance with varicella reported from all other sources. Methods Syndromic surveillance was incorporated into case-based varicella surveillance by the Georgia Department of Public Health (GDPH) in May 2016. A cross-sectional study design evaluated syndromic and nonsyndromic varicella reported to GDPH from May 1, 2016, through December 31, 2019. Varicella was reported by nonsyndromic sources including health care providers, schools, and laboratories. We identified syndromic varicella cases from urgent care and emergency department visit data with discharge diagnoses containing the terms varicella or chickenpox. Results Syndromic notifications accounted for 589 of 2665 (22.1%) suspected varicella reports investigated by GDPH. The positive predictive value was 33.1% for syndromic notifications and 31.3% for nonsyndromic notifications. Mean days from rash onset to GDPH notification was 3.2 days fewer (P < .001) among patients identified through syndromic notification than among patients identified through nonsyndromic notification. The odds of varicella identified by syndromic notification being outbreak-associated were 0.18 (95% CI, 0.09-0.36) times those of varicella identified through nonsyndromic notification. Practice Implications Syndromic notifications were an effective, timely means for varicella case detection. Syndromic patients were significantly less likely than nonsyndromic patients to be outbreak-associated, possibly because of early detection. Syndromic surveillance enhanced case-based reporting for varicella in Georgia and was a useful tool to improve notifiable disease surveillance.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available