Lifting COVID-19 mitigation measures in Spain (May-June 2020).

INTRODUCTION: The state of alarm was declared in Spain due to the COVID-19 epidemic on March 14, 2020, and established population confinement measures. The objective is to describe the process of lifting these mitigation measures. METHODS: The Plan for the Transition to a New Normality, approved on April 28, contained four sequential phases with progressive increase in socio-economic activities and population mobility. In parallel, a new strategy for early diagnosis, surveillance and control was implemented. A bilateral decision mechanism was established between the Spanish Government and the autonomous communities (AC), guided by a set of qualitative and quantitative indicators capturing the epidemiological situation and core capacities. The territorial units were established ad-hoc and could be from Basic Health Zones to entire AC. RESULTS: The process run from May 4 to June 21, 2020. AC implemented plans for reinforcement of core capacities. Incidence decreased from a median (50% of territories) of 7.4 per 100,000 in 7 days at the beginning to 2.5 at the end. Median PCR testing increased from 53% to 89% of suspected cases and PCR total capacity from 4.5 to 9.8 per 1000 inhabitants weekly; positivity rate decreased from 3.5% to 1.8%. Median proportion of cases with traced contacts increased from 82% to 100%. CONCLUSION: Systematic data collection, analysis, and interterritorial dialogue allowed adequate process control. The epidemiological situation improved but, mostly, the process entailed a great reinforcement of core response capacities nation-wide, under common criteria. Maintaining and further reinforcing capacities remained crucial for responding to future waves.

Economic evaluation of Chagas disease screening in Spain.

Although Spain is the European country with the highest Chagas disease burden, the country does not have a national control program of the disease. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficiency of several strategies for Chagas disease screening among Latin American residents living in Spain. The following screening strategies were evaluated: (1) non-screening; (2) screening of the Latin American pregnant women and their newborns; (3) screening also the relatives of the positive pregnant women; (4) screening also the relatives of the negative pregnant women. A cost-utility analysis was carried out to compare the four strategies from two perspectives, the societal and the Spanish National Health System (SNHS). A decision tree representing the clinical evolution of Chagas disease throughout patient's life was built. The strategies were compared through the incremental cost-utility ratio, using euros as cost measurement and quality-adjusted life years as utility measurement. A sensitivity analysis was performed to test the model parameters and their influence on the results. We found the "Non-screening" as the most expensive and less effective of the evaluated strategies, from both the societal and the SNHS perspectives. Among the screening evaluated strategies the most efficient was, from both perspectives, to extent the antenatal screening of the Latin American pregnant women and their newborns up to the relatives of the positive women. Several parameters influenced significantly on the sensitivity analyses, particularly the chronic treatment efficacy or the prevalence of Chagas disease. In conclusion, for the general Latin American immigrants living in Spain the most efficient would be to screen the Latin American mothers, their newborns and the close relatives of the mothers with a positive serology. However for higher prevalence immigrant population the most efficient intervention would be to extend the program to the close relatives of the negative mothers.

Timing of DVT prophylaxis and risk of postoperative knee prosthesis infection.

This multicenter prospective study was performed to determine risk factors for knee prosthesis infection and the effect of timing doses of prophylactic low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWH) related to time of surgery on the risk of knee prosthesis infection. A total of 5496 consecutive patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty from 2005 to 2006 in 13 orthopedic centers were prospectively followed up for 6 months, and the incidence of knee prosthesis infection was recorded. A case control study was nested in the cohort. Case patients were matched to uninfected (control) patients, and the timing of perioperative LMWH was recorded as the main risk factor. Fifty patients developed postoperative knee prosthesis infection during the follow-up period, yielding an incidence of prosthesis infection of 0.91% (95% CI, 0.68%-1.20%). Forty-four patients were matched to 106 controls. Case patients received the first LMWH dose ±12 hours from the start of surgery more frequently than their control counterparts (odds ratio, 1.5; 95% CI, 0.73-3.0). After adjusting by main risk factors, no statistical association was found between close perioperative timing of LMWH and risk of prosthesis infection. Diabetes mellitus (adjusted odds ratio, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.2-8.8) and wound hematoma (adjusted odds ratio, 4.2; 95% CI, 1.1-16.5) were found to be independent risk factors for prosthesis infection.