Enhanced surveillance during a large outbreak of bloody diarrhoea and haemolytic uraemic syndrome caused by Shiga toxin/verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli in Germany, May to June 2011

Abstract

Germany has a well established broad statutory surveillance system for infectious diseases. In the context of the current outbreak of bloody diarrhoea and haemolytic uraemic syndrome caused by Shiga toxin/verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli in Germany it became clear that the provisions of the routine surveillance system were not sufficient for an adequate response. This article describes the timeline and concepts of the enhanced surveillance implemented during this public health emergency.

Timeliness of Surveillance during Outbreak of Shiga Toxin–producingEscherichia coliInfection, Germany, 2011

“…Legally, reporting of these cases from the local health department through the state health department to RKI must be completed within 16 days. To minimize the reporting delay, beginning May 23 the local health departments and state health departments agreed to report cases every working day ( 6 ). …”

Acute gastrointestinal illness in adults in Germany: a population-based telephone survey

“…Furthermore, data on baseline incidence can help to interpret the data of syndromic surveillance implemented on an ad hoc basis (e.g. in the case of large and widely dispersed outbreaks) [23]. Additionally incidence estimates may help to formulate precise case definitions differentiating between baseline disease incidence and outbreak case excess during outbreak analyses of gastrointestinal diseases [24][25][26].…”

Krankenhaus-Surveillance während großer Ausbrüche ambulant erworbener Erkrankungen

“…Die SBD war in der Lage, den zeitlichen Trend des EHEC-/HUS-Ausbruchs zeitnah zu überwachen und abzubilden [7] (q Abb. 4).…”

“…Zudem war die SBD in der Lage abzubilden, dass hauptsächlich Frauen über 20 von dem Ausbruchsgeschehen betroffen waren [7].…”