Jamaican measles surveillance system.
EPI Newsl
; 14(1): 6, 1992 Feb.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-12285227
PIP: In 1991, the Ministry of Health and technical consultants from PAHO evaluated the measles surveillance system in Jamaica. This system consisted of the notification system, the sentinel sites system, active hospital surveillance, laboratory reporting, and special surveys. The team concentrated their efforts on the system's ability to detect and investigate suspected cases of measles. The team visited sentinel sites including health centers, hospitals, or a physician in all 13 parishes. 44 sites operated at the time. It spoke with medical Officers and Senior Public Health Nurses and evaluated written records. The notification system had recently classified measles as a Class I disease to encourage a rapid public health response and to secure investigation records. The major weakness of the notification system was case investigation. In 1991, health workers investigated only 6 (3%) of 208 suspected cases within 48 hours and eventually investigated only 76 (36.5%). 23 cases were confirmed as measles. Serology tests revealed that most suspected cases were actually rubella. This indicated a need to include serological testing for confirmation. The team found that the notification system underreported cases. Each sentinel site was required to collect each week a count of the number of cases of measles and other conditions to monitor trends. 87% reported the counts weekly. The sites consistently reported measles bas ed on clinical suspicion. Public health staff visited hospitals weekly to review cases of target disease including measles. They visited at least 1 hospital regularly in each parish. Hospital records did not contain consistent measles data. For example, only 10 of 13 visit reports included patient's name, age, sex, and address and only 7 included outcome. Detailed information was only available on 13 of the 208 suspected cases so the team was only able to evaluate them.^ieng
Key words
Americas; Caribbean; Data Collection; Data Reporting; Delivery Of Health Care; Developing Countries; Diseases; Epidemiologic Methods; Error Sources; Health; Health Services; International Agencies; Interviews; Jamaica; Measles--prevention and control; Measurement; Methodological Studies; National Health Services; North America; Organization And Administration; Organizations; Paho; Program Evaluation; Programs; Research Methodology; Un; Undercount; Viral Diseases; Who
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Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pan American Health Organization
/
Research Design
/
Virus Diseases
/
Program Evaluation
/
Epidemiologic Methods
/
Interviews as Topic
/
Measles
/
Methods
/
National Health Programs
Type of study:
Evaluation_studies
/
Qualitative_research
/
Screening_studies
Country/Region as subject:
America do norte
/
Caribe ingles
/
Jamaica
Language:
En
Journal:
EPI Newsl
Year:
1992
Document type:
Article
Country of publication:
United States