Page 90 - Timeliness of Infectious Disease Notification & Response Systems - Corien Swaan
P. 90

88 Chapter 4
Abstract
The extent to which reporting delays should be reduced to gain substantial im- provement in outbreak is unclear. We developed a model to quantitatively as- sess reporting timeliness. Using reporting speed data for 6 infectious diseases in the notification system in the Netherlands, we calculated the proportion of infections produced by index and secondary cases until the index case is repor- ted. We assumed interventions that immediately stop transmission. Reporting delays render useful only those interventions that stop transmission from both index and secondary cases. We found that current reporting delays are adequa- te for hepatitis A and B control. However, reporting delays should be reduced by a few days to improve measles and mumps control, by at least 10 days to impro- ve shigellosis control, and by at least 5 weeks to substantially improve pertus- sis control. Our method provides quantitative insight int the required reporting delay reductions needed to achieve outbreak control and other transmission prevention goals.
































































































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