Abstract

GIMENEZ, Gustavo et al. Evaluation of the universal epidemiological surveillance system for meningoencephalitis in Paraguay, 2016. Rev. cient. cienc. salud [online]. 2022, vol.4, n.2, pp.64-73. ISSN 2664-2891.  https://doi.org/10.53732/rccsalud/04.02.2022.64.

Introduction. Bacterial neurological diseases are a global health problem. In Paraguay, two types of epidemiological surveillance are used for meningococcal infections: universal and sentinel. Objetive. The objective was to evaluate the universal epidemiological surveillance system for meningoencephalitis. Methodology: Cross-sectional descriptive study, following the guidelines of the Updated Guidelines for Evaluating Public Health Surveillance Systems-CDC-2001. The database of the national system of 2016 was analyzed. To evaluate the attributes: data quality, acceptability, timeliness, sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) the sample size of a total population of 640 was calculated using EpiInfo7.2.2.2, confidence level 95%. The minimum size studied was 240 suspected cases. The grading scale was developed. Random samples of records, frequency measurements and central tendency (mean, median) were calculated in Excel. Results: Epidemiological files were evaluated, the quality of the data in terms of completeness was 95% and inconsistency 4.2%. The acceptability of the actors reached 92%. The opportunity to take a sample ≤ 24 hours (Me= 1 day; R= -31-35 days), diagnosis ≤72h (Me= 0 days; R= 0-61 days) and notification has exceeded the required 24h (Me= 3 days; R= 0-41 days). The sensitivity of the system was found to be 90% with a PPV of 7.5%. Conclusion. In conclusion, the system is sensitive in terms of clinical surveillance with a low PPV, the data quality is excellent, acceptable by the actors, timely for sampling and diagnosis. However, the timeliness of notification needs to be improved.

Keywords : meningoencephalitis; health surveillance system; epidemiological monitoring; Paraguay.

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