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Euro Surveill. The current screening programme for congenital transmission of Chagas disease in Catalonia, Spain
[Source: Eurosurveillance, full text: (LINK). Abstract, edited.]
Eurosurveillance, Volume 16, Issue 38, 22 September 2011
Perspectives
The current screening programme for congenital transmission of Chagas disease in Catalonia, Spain
L Basile (
)<SUP>1</SUP>, I Oliveira<SUP>2</SUP>, P Ciruela<SUP>1</SUP>, A Plasencia<SUP>1</SUP>, working group for developing the Catalonian Screening Programme for congenital transmission of Chagas disease<SUP>3</SUP>
Citation style for this article: Basile L, Oliveira I, Ciruela P, Plasencia A, working group for developing the Catalonian Screening Programme for congenital transmission of Chagas disease. The current screening programme for congenital transmission of Chagas disease in Catalonia, Spain. Euro Surveill. 2011;16(38):pii=19972. Available online: http://www.eurosurveillance.org/View...rticleId=19972
Date of submission: 01 March 2011 <HR>Due to considerable numbers of migrants from Chagas disease-endemic countries living in Catalonia, the Catalonian Health Department has recently implemented a screening programme for preventing congenital transmission, targeting Latin American pregnant women who attend antenatal consultations. Diagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in women is based on two positive serological tests. Screening of newborns from mothers with positive serology is based on a parasitological test during the first 48 hours of life and/or conventional serological analysis at the age of nine months. If either of these tests is positive, treatment with benznidazole is started following the World Health Organization?s recommendations. The epidemiological surveillance of the programme is based on the Microbiological Reporting System of Catalonia, a well established network of laboratories. Once a positive case is reported, the responsible physician is asked to complete a structured epidemiological questionnaire. Clinical and demographic data are registered in the Voluntary Case Registry of Chagas Disease, a database administered by the Catalonian Health Department. It is expected that this programme will improve the understanding of the real burden of Chagas disease in the region. Furthermore, this initiative could encourage the implementation of similar programmes in other regions of Spain and even in other European countries.
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Eurosurveillance, Volume 16, Issue 38, 22 September 2011
Perspectives
The current screening programme for congenital transmission of Chagas disease in Catalonia, Spain
L Basile (
- General Directorate of Public Health, Generalitat de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
- Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- The members of the group are listed at the end of the article
Citation style for this article: Basile L, Oliveira I, Ciruela P, Plasencia A, working group for developing the Catalonian Screening Programme for congenital transmission of Chagas disease. The current screening programme for congenital transmission of Chagas disease in Catalonia, Spain. Euro Surveill. 2011;16(38):pii=19972. Available online: http://www.eurosurveillance.org/View...rticleId=19972
Date of submission: 01 March 2011 <HR>Due to considerable numbers of migrants from Chagas disease-endemic countries living in Catalonia, the Catalonian Health Department has recently implemented a screening programme for preventing congenital transmission, targeting Latin American pregnant women who attend antenatal consultations. Diagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in women is based on two positive serological tests. Screening of newborns from mothers with positive serology is based on a parasitological test during the first 48 hours of life and/or conventional serological analysis at the age of nine months. If either of these tests is positive, treatment with benznidazole is started following the World Health Organization?s recommendations. The epidemiological surveillance of the programme is based on the Microbiological Reporting System of Catalonia, a well established network of laboratories. Once a positive case is reported, the responsible physician is asked to complete a structured epidemiological questionnaire. Clinical and demographic data are registered in the Voluntary Case Registry of Chagas Disease, a database administered by the Catalonian Health Department. It is expected that this programme will improve the understanding of the real burden of Chagas disease in the region. Furthermore, this initiative could encourage the implementation of similar programmes in other regions of Spain and even in other European countries.