Towards an integrated approach in surveillance of vector-borne diseases in Europe

Marieta Braks,Joke Van Der Giessen,Chantal Reusken,Wifrid Van Pelt,Hervé Zeller,Wim Van Bortel,Mirjam Kretzschmar,Hein Sprong,Ernst-Jan Scholte

doi:10.1186/1756-3305-4-192

Abstract

Vector borne disease (VBD) emergence is a complex and dynamic process. Interactions between multiple disciplines and responsible health and environmental authorities are often needed for an effective early warning, surveillance and control of vectors and the diseases they transmit. To fully appreciate this complexity, integrated knowledge about the human and the vector population is desirable. In the current paper, important parameters and terms of both public health and medical entomology are defined in order to establish a common language that facilitates collaboration between the two disciplines. Special focus is put on the different VBD contexts with respect to the current presence or absence of the disease, the pathogen and the vector in a given location. Depending on the context, whether a VBD is endemic or not, surveillance activities are required to assess disease burden or threat, respectively. Following a decision for action, surveillance activities continue to assess trends.

Highlights

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has a responsibility to identify, assess and communicate current and emerging dangers to human health from infectious diseases
Decision making In the preceding paragraphs, we have argued that the key objectives of Vector borne disease (VBD) surveillance feedback system are to understand the epidemiology of VBDs and to provide adequate information on risk-assessment for decision makers to decide by disease burden or threat calls for intervention measures
Local, national and international authorities need to know in which situation they find themselves for a given VBD with two main groups: endemic (Table 1, context 1) or non-endemic (Table 1, context 2-5)

Summary

Background

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has a responsibility to identify, assess and communicate current and emerging dangers to human health from infectious diseases. In case the infection is present at an endemic level (VBD context 1, Table 1) e.g. Lyme borreliosis in the Netherlands, the indicator requirements of a VBD surveillance feedback system in the human population resemble those of other notifiable diseases with the exception of exposure surveillance, which depends on the human - vector contact patterns. Decision making In the preceding paragraphs, we have argued that the key objectives of VBD surveillance feedback system are to understand the epidemiology of VBDs and to provide adequate information on risk-assessment for decision makers to decide by disease burden or threat calls for intervention measures To this end, local, national and international (health) authorities need to know in which situation they find themselves for a given VBD with two main groups: endemic (Table 1, context 1) or non-endemic (Table 1, context 2-5). Once a decision has been made to control a certain disease (or group/category of diseases) or threat, surveillance should be conducted in order to measure the effectiveness of the intervention

Conclusions

Findings

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