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Observational Study
. 2016 May 18;10(5):e0004705.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004705. eCollection 2016 May.

Sensitivity of the Dengue Surveillance System in Brazil for Detecting Hospitalized Cases

Giovanini Evelim Coelho  1   2 , Priscila Leite Leal  1 , Matheus de Paula Cerroni  1 , Ana Cristina Rocha Simplicio  1 , João Bosco Siqueira Jr  2
Affiliations
Observational Study

Sensitivity of the Dengue Surveillance System in Brazil for Detecting Hospitalized Cases

Giovanini Evelim Coelho et al. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. .

Abstract

We evaluated the sensitivity of the dengue surveillance system in detecting hospitalized cases in ten capital cities in Brazil from 2008 to 2013 using a probabilistic record linkage of two independent information systems hospitalization (SIH-SUS) adopted as the gold standard and surveillance (SINAN). Sensitivity was defined as the proportion of cases reported to the surveillance system amid the suspected hospitalized cases registered in SIH-SUS. Of the 48,174 hospitalizations registered in SIH-SUS, 24,469 (50.7%) were reported and registered in SINAN, indicating an overall sensitivity of 50.8% (95%CI 50.3-51.2). The observed sensitivity for each of the municipalities included in the study ranged from 22.0% to 99.1%. The combination of the two data sources identified 71,161 hospitalizations, an increase of 97.0% over SINAN itself. Our results allowed establishing the proportion of underreported dengue hospitalizations in the public health system in Brazil, highlighting the use of probabilistic record linkage as a valuable tool for evaluating surveillance systems.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Probabilistic record linkage of hospitalized dengue cases in the Hospitalization Information System (SIH-SUS) and the reported dengue cases from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN) and in ten municipalities of the study, Brazil, 2008–2013.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Sensitivity of the dengue surveillance system in detecting hospitalized dengue cases in ten municipalities in Brazil, 2008–2013.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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