Abstract
Using a capture-recapture method, this study evaluates the completeness of the cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) surveillance system in four districts of Santiago del Estero province, Argentina, for the period 1990-1993. Four reporting sources were evaluated: medical records kept by health facilities, interviews conducted during a case-control study, and the national and provincial levels of the leishmaniasis surveillance system (LSS). Using the capture-recapture method it was estimated that 210 cases (95% confidence interval [CI]: 202-218) of CL occurred in the four districts during the study period. Completeness of reporting to the leishmaniasis surveillance system at the national level was estimated to be 44.8% (95% CI: 43.2-46.4). The study results indicate that there is substantial underreporting within the LSS, although it did show the appropriate secular trends. The reasons for under-reporting and methods for addressing this problem are discussed.
Highlights
Leishmaniasis represents a significant burden to public health in endemic areas, in terms of both morbidity and mortality.[1,2] the disease is notifiable in only 32 of the 88 countries where it is prevalent; in others, the reporting system is judged inadequate.[3,4] On the American continent, it is estimated that for each reported case, another five cases occur.[5]
Between 1990 and 1993 in Santiago del Estero province, 103 cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) cases were reported to the SINAVENL, 136 to the LSSNL, and 171 to the LSSPL
Most of the CL cases reported from Santiago del Estero province to the LSSNL (94 of 136, 69%) and LSSPL (131 of 171, 77%) during this period were from four contiguous districts: Atamisqui, Loreto, San Martin, and Silipica
Summary
Leishmaniasis represents a significant burden to public health in endemic areas, in terms of both morbidity and mortality.[1,2] the disease is notifiable in only 32 of the 88 countries where it is prevalent; in others, the reporting system is judged inadequate.[3,4] On the American continent, it is estimated that for each reported case, another five cases occur.[5]. The aims of this study were to estimate the number of new CL cases that occurred in four districts of the province Santiago del Estero, Argentina, during the period 1990– 1993, and to provide an indication of the completeness of reporting to the leishmaniasis surveillance system
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