title: [Sentinel surveillance of diarrhea in Ksar-Hellal (Tunisia)].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In order to simplify the national data collection related to diarrhea, a sentinel surveillance system was implemented in the Ksar-Hellal district (Tunisia).
  
  
  METHODS
  This system was based on 461 cases of diarrhea collected from health centers and hospitals between June 1994 and December 1995.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The collected information confirmed the previous data provided by the national system: frequency of diarrhea in health centers (4.14%), occurrence of the disease especially in the summer period, rate of hospitalization (10%) and low proportion of severe dehydration. The system also gave some new information related to the proportion of persistent diarrhea (7.1%), the low frequency of malnutrition (11%) and the etiology.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The sentinel surveillance system validates information previously provided by the National Surveillance System. It also gave new information not obtained by the classical surveillance system.
authors.affiliation: Service d'épidémiologie et de médecine communautaire, CHU Fattouma-Bourguiba.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Soltani
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jebara
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dahmani
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garbouj
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sidhom
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bchir
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D015362:Child Nutrition Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003625:Data Collection; D003681:Dehydration / Q000209:etiology; D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance; D014416:Tunisia / Q000453:epidemiology; D014504:Urban Health