Syndromic surveillance in early detection of outbreaks of infectious diseases

Aim: Motivated by the threat of infectious diseases and bioterrorism, syndromic surveillance systems are being developed and implemented around the world. The aim of the study was to describe the early warning surveillance system in Albania.Methods: Syndromic surveillance is a primary health care-facility- and emergency room (ER)-based syndromic surveillance system aiming at detecting outbreaks and undertaking public health actions. It is based on weekly notifications of nine syndromes by over 1,600 General Practitioners (GPs) in the 36 districts of Albania. Data is aggregated by district epidemiologists (DE) and centralized by the national Institute of Public Health.Results: A syndrome is “a set of symptoms or conditions that occur together and suggest the presence of a certain disease or an increased chance of developing the disease.” In the context of syndromic surveillance, a syndrome is a set of non-specific pre-diagnosis medical and other information that may indicate the release of a bioterrorism agent or natural disease outbreak.Since its inception, syndromic surveillance has mainly focused on early event detection: gathering and analysing data in advance of diagnostic case confirmation to give early warning of a possible outbreak.Conclusion: The system is useful for detecting and responding to natural disease outbreaks such as seasonal and pandemic flu, and thus they have the potential to significantly advance and modernize the practice of public health surveillance

Syndromic surveillance in early detection of outbreaks of infectious diseases

Aim: Motivated by the threat of infectious diseases and bioterrorism, syndromic surveillance systems are being developed and implemented around the world. The aim of the study was to describe the early warning surveillance system in Albania.   Methods: Syndromic surveillance is a primary health care-facility- and emergency room (ER)-based syndromic surveillance system aiming at detecting outbreaks and undertaking public health actions. It is based on weekly notifications of nine syndromes by over 1,600 General Practitioners (GPs) in the 36 districts of Albania. Data is aggregated by district epidemiologists (DE) and centralized by the national Institute of Public Health. Results: A syndrome is “a set of symptoms or conditions that occur together and suggest the presence of a certain disease or an increased chance of developing the disease.”  In the context of syndromic surveillance, a syndrome is a set of non-specific pre-diagnosis medical and other information that may indicate the release of a bioterrorism agent or natural disease outbreak. Since its inception, syndromic surveillance has mainly focused on early event detection: gathering and analysing data in advance of diagnostic case confirmation to give early warning of a possible outbreak. Conclusion: The system is useful for detecting and responding to natural disease outbreaks such as seasonal and pandemic flu, and thus they have the potential to significantly advance and modernize the practice of public health surveillance

Primary series COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness among healthcare workers in Albania, February–December 2021

Background: Healthcare workers have experienced high rates of morbidity and mortality from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted in three Albanian hospitals between 19 February and 14 December 2021. All participants underwent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and serological testing at enrolment, regular serology throughout, and PCR testing when symptomatic. Vaccine effectiveness (VE) against COVID-19 and against all severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections (symptomatic or asymptomatic) was estimated. VE was estimated using a Cox regression model, with vaccination status as a time-varying variable. Findings: In total, 1504 HCWs were enrolled in this study; 70% had evidence of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. VE was 65.1% [95% confidence interval (CI) 37.7–80.5] against COVID-19, 58.2% (95% CI 15.7–79.3) among participants without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, and 73.6% (95% CI 24.3–90.8) among participants with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. For BNT162b2 alone, VE was 69.5% (95% CI 44.5–83.2). During the period when the Delta variant was predominant, VE was 67.1% (95% CI 38.3–82.5). VE against SARS-CoV-2 infection for the full study period was 36.9% (95% CI 15.8–52.7). Interpretation: This study found moderate primary series VE against COVID-19 among healthcare workers in Albania. These results support the continued promotion of COVID-19 vaccination in Albania, and highlight the benefits of vaccination in populations with high levels of prior infection

Syndromic surveillance in early detection of outbreaks of infectious diseases

Aim: Motivated by the threat of infectious diseases and bioterrorism, syndromic surveillance systems are being developed and implemented around the world. The aim of the study was to describe the early warning surveillance system in Albania.   Methods: Syndromic surveillance is a primary health care-facility- and emergency room (ER)-based syndromic surveillance system aiming at detecting outbreaks and undertaking public health actions. It is based on weekly notifications of nine syndromes by over 1,600 General Practitioners (GPs) in the 36 districts of Albania. Data is aggregated by district epidemiologists (DE) and centralized by the national Institute of Public Health.   Results: A syndrome is “a set of symptoms or conditions that occur together and suggest the presence of a certain disease or an increased chance of developing the disease.”  In the context of syndromic surveillance, a syndrome is a set of non-specific pre-diagnosis medical and other information that may indicate the release of a bioterrorism agent or natural disease outbreak. Since its inception, syndromic surveillance has mainly focused on early event detection: gathering and analysing data in advance of diagnostic case confirmation to give early warning of a possible outbreak.   Conclusion: The system is useful for detecting and responding to natural disease outbreaks such as seasonal and pandemic flu, and thus they have the potential to significantly advance and modernize the practice of public health surveillance. &nbsp