INTRODUCTION: The completeness and timeliness of the pertussis questionnaire-based enhanced surveillance system (ESS) among infants and reported pertussis data within the electronic nationwide notification system (NNS) in the years 2015, 2017 and 2019 were evaluated in a pilot study. METHODS: The completeness of the variables for demographic characteristics, date of symptom onset, hospitalisation and vaccination status were assessed in both systems. Timeliness of reporting in the NNS was analysed as the interval between symptom onset and a) the date of first specimen collection (diagnostic delay), and b) the date of the Regional Public Health Authority receiving notification (notification delay). RESULTS: A total of 121 confirmed pertussis cases were reported to the NNS in the study years, while in the ESS a total of 104 confirmed cases were reported in infants. In both systems most cases were in the age group of one completed month of life (20% versus 23%) and males (55% versus 55%). The majority of cases were hospitalised (81% versus 85%) and unvaccinated (77% versus 78%). Within the NNS, the first dose of vaccine was reported in 13 cases, the second dose in 11, and third dose in three cases. Within the NNS, 100% completeness of following variables was found: symptom onset, week and region of reporting, age, gender and place of isolation. Median diagnostic delay was nine days. Median notification delay was 18 days. CONCLUSIONS: Data completeness was high in the NNS, except for lack of vaccination data in those eligible by age. Efforts to improve the completeness of laboratory-related variables and timeliness are essential. Based on the study results, the project of improving the ESS for infants will continue with regular evaluation.

UVOD: V pilotni študiji sta bili ovrednoteni popolnost in pravočasnost izboljšanega sistema za spremljanje (ESS) oslovskega kašlja pri dojenčkih, ki temelji na vprašalnikih, ter podatkov o oslovskem kašlju, vnesenih v elektronski sistem obveščanja na državni ravni (NNS), v letih 2015, 2017 in 2019. METODE: Pri obeh sistemih je bila ocenjena popolnost spremenljivk za demografske značilnosti, datum pojava simptomov ter hospitalizacijo in stanje cepljenja. Pravočasnost poročanja v sistem NNS je bila analizirana kot interval med pojavom simptomov in a) datumom prvega odvzema vzorcev (diagnostična zamuda); b) datumom, ko je regionalni organ za javno zdravje prejel informacije (zamuda pri obveščanju). REZULTATI: V obravnavanih letih je bilo v sistem NNS vnesenih 121 potrjenih primerov oslovskega kašlja, v sistemu ESS pa 104 potrjenih primerov pri dojenčkih. V obeh sistemih: večina primerov je bila v starostni skupini dopolnjenega 1 meseca (20 % v primerjavi s 23 %) in moškega spola (55 % v primerjavi 55 %). Večina primerov je bila hospitaliziranih (81 % v primerjavi s 85 %) in necepljenih (77 % v primerjavi z 78 %). V sistemu NNS je bila prva doza cepiva vnesena pri 13 primerih, druga doza pri 11 primerih in tretja doza pri 3 primerih. V sistemu NSN je bila ugotovljena 100-odstotna popolnost naslednjih spremenljivk: pojav simptomov, teden in regija poročanja, starost, spol in mesto izolacije. Povprečna diagnostična zamuda je bila 9 dni. Povprečna zamuda pri obveščanju je bila 18 dni. ZAKLJUČKI: Popolnost podatkov v sistemu NNS je bila na visoki ravni, razen pomanjkanja podatkov o cepljenju za primerne starosti. Treba si je prizadevati za izboljšanje popolnosti spremenljivk, povezanih z laboratoriji, in pravočasnosti. Na podlagi rezultatov študije se bo projekt izboljšanega sistema ESS pri dojenčkih nadaljeval z rednimi vrednotenji.

• Keywords
• Completeness, Infants, Pertussis, Surveillance, Timeliness, Whooping cough,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

We showed current clinical usefulness of the latex agglutination (LA) test for confirmation of meningococcal etiology on 32 cerebrospinal fluid, 77 serum and 93 urine samples collected during the first week of hospitalization from 19 patients with laboratory confirmed invasive meningococcal disease. The positivity of the LA test in cerebrospinal fluid was 47%, in serum 42% and in urine 24%, while the PCR of cerebrospinal fluid and serum was positive in 95 and 47% cases, respectively. The latest positivity of the LA test was detected on day 2 in cerebrospinal fluid, on day 3 in serum and on day 4 in urine. In the group of patients who had received antibiotic therapy we found nonsignificant reduction of LA positivity and also statistically significant reduction of culture positivity in CSF (p = 0.04); the PCR positivity changed minimally. In blood samples, nonsignificant reduction of culture positivity and no difference in LA and PCR positivity was found. We did not find any statistically significant relationship between test results and clinical forms. The LA test can be therefore considered to be an auxiliary diagnostic method, rapid and easily practicable but less sensitive than PCR. It can be recommended especially for local laboratories where PCR is not available and the patient already received antibiotics before admission to the hospital.

• MeSH
• Child MeSH
• DNA, Bacterial analysis   MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Infant MeSH
• Latex Fixation Tests * MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Meningitis, Meningococcal diagnosis   MeSH
• Meningococcal Infections diagnosis   MeSH
• Adolescent MeSH
• Urine microbiology   MeSH
• Cerebrospinal Fluid microbiology   MeSH
• Neisseria meningitidis genetics   growth & development   immunology   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Polymerase Chain Reaction MeSH
• Child, Preschool MeSH
• Sensitivity and Specificity MeSH
• Serum microbiology   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Child MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Infant MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Adolescent MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Child, Preschool MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Comparative Study MeSH
• Names of Substances
• DNA, Bacterial MeSH