[Intensified epidemiological surveillance of arbovirosis: First case of native dengue fever in Catalonia (Spain), Northern Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, 2018-2019].

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the results obtained by a surveillance network on arbovirosis composed by doctors and nurses located at hospitals and Primary Care trained in their identification, diagnostic confirmation and clinical management.

LOCATION: North Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (1,400,000 inhabitants; Catalonia; Spain) during a calendar year.

PARTICIPANTS

Seven Primary Care and 10 hospital physicians plus 4 Primary Care nurses.

TYPE OF STUDY: A prospective observational study.

MAIN MEASUREMENTS: Demographic, epidemiological (autochthonous/imported, suspect/probable/confirmed case) and healthcare variables (symptoms, serological profile, viral period) were defined.

RESULTS

Of the 34 patients identified, 26 (76.5%) met study criteria. Among them, any arbovirosis was confirmed in 14 (53.8%): 13 dengue plus 1chikungunya fever. There were no cases of Zika fever. There was a history of travel to endemic areas 23 (88.4%), but not in 3cases (11.6%) in which the possibility of an indigenous transmission was considered; of them, a case of dengue was confirmed. The estimated incidence of arbovirosis was 0.4 (95%CI: 0.33-0.51) cases ×10,000hab/year which, when compared to the estimated incidence in the same geographical area during the period 2009-2013 (0.19cases ×10,000hab/year; 95%CI: 0.07-0.31), a significant increase was found (P=.044). Patients within viremia period at the time of their first medical visit were 11 (42.3%).

CONCLUSIONS

An intensified epidemiological surveillance program defined at Primary Care and hospital levels is able to detect significantly more cases of imported and autochthonous arbovirosis. Possibly we are witnessing an increase in the incidence of imported arbovirosis and, thus, measures aimed at their identification and confirmation should be reinforced.