tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Influenza Other Respir Viruses
. 2025 Feb;19(2):e70080.
doi: 10.1111/irv.70080. Registry-Based Surveillance of Severe Acute Respiratory Infections in Norway During 2021-2024
Elina Seppälä[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Håkon Bøås[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jesper Dahl[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jeanette Stålcrantz[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Melanie Stecher[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Ragnhild Tønnessen[SUP] 1 3 [/SUP], Gunnar Øyvind Isaksson Rø[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Hilde Kløvstad[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Trine Hessevik Paulsen[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Background: In 2021, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health established temporary registry-based surveillance of severe acute respiratory infections (SARI). We aimed to describe the surveillance system and evaluate selected attributes to inform the establishment of a permanent SARI surveillance system.
Methods: SARI cases were defined using ICD-10 discharge codes from national health and administrative registries, including codes for acute upper or lower respiratory infection (URI and LRI), COVID-19, acute respiratory distress syndrome, pertussis or otitis media. Data from polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses were available for 10 respiratory pathogens including SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). We included data from 28 September 2020 to 31 March 2024 and calculated the following parameters: the proportion of cases tested for SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus and/or RSV; time between admission and registration of a SARI-related ICD-10 code; and proportion of cases with URI, LRI and COVID-19.
Results: We identified 214,730 SARI cases, of whom 82%, 73% and 53% were tested for SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus and RSV. Case peaks were predominantly driven by one or a combination of these pathogens. Median time between admission and a registered SARI diagnostic code was 5 (lower-upper quartile 3-10) days. Nowcasting and alternative case definitions for SARI with COVID-19, influenza and RSV improved the timeliness. The ICD-10 codes for LRIs and COVID-19 captured only ~55% of the cases in the age group of 0-29 years compared to the routine case definition, where URIs were included.
Conclusions: Registry-based SARI surveillance provides timely data for handling epidemics of respiratory infections in Norway. We recommend establishing a permanent SARI surveillance system.
Keywords: COVID‐19; RSV; hospitalisation; influenza; registry‐based surveillance; severe acute respiratory infection (SARI).
. 2025 Feb;19(2):e70080.
doi: 10.1111/irv.70080. Registry-Based Surveillance of Severe Acute Respiratory Infections in Norway During 2021-2024
Elina Seppälä[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Håkon Bøås[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jesper Dahl[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jeanette Stålcrantz[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Melanie Stecher[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Ragnhild Tønnessen[SUP] 1 3 [/SUP], Gunnar Øyvind Isaksson Rø[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Hilde Kløvstad[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Trine Hessevik Paulsen[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 39950571
- DOI: 10.1111/irv.70080
Background: In 2021, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health established temporary registry-based surveillance of severe acute respiratory infections (SARI). We aimed to describe the surveillance system and evaluate selected attributes to inform the establishment of a permanent SARI surveillance system.
Methods: SARI cases were defined using ICD-10 discharge codes from national health and administrative registries, including codes for acute upper or lower respiratory infection (URI and LRI), COVID-19, acute respiratory distress syndrome, pertussis or otitis media. Data from polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses were available for 10 respiratory pathogens including SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). We included data from 28 September 2020 to 31 March 2024 and calculated the following parameters: the proportion of cases tested for SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus and/or RSV; time between admission and registration of a SARI-related ICD-10 code; and proportion of cases with URI, LRI and COVID-19.
Results: We identified 214,730 SARI cases, of whom 82%, 73% and 53% were tested for SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus and RSV. Case peaks were predominantly driven by one or a combination of these pathogens. Median time between admission and a registered SARI diagnostic code was 5 (lower-upper quartile 3-10) days. Nowcasting and alternative case definitions for SARI with COVID-19, influenza and RSV improved the timeliness. The ICD-10 codes for LRIs and COVID-19 captured only ~55% of the cases in the age group of 0-29 years compared to the routine case definition, where URIs were included.
Conclusions: Registry-based SARI surveillance provides timely data for handling epidemics of respiratory infections in Norway. We recommend establishing a permanent SARI surveillance system.
Keywords: COVID‐19; RSV; hospitalisation; influenza; registry‐based surveillance; severe acute respiratory infection (SARI).