Estimating the incidence of typhoid fever and other febrile illnesses in developing countries.
To measure the incidence of typhoid fever and other febrile illnesses in Bilbeis District, Egypt, we conducted a household survey to determine patterns of health seeking among persons with fever. Then we established surveillance for 4 months among a representative sample of health providers who saw febrile patients. Health providers collected epidemiologic information and blood (for culture and serologic testing) from eligible patients. After adjusting for the provider sampling scheme, test sensitivity, and seasonality, we estimated that the incidence of typhoid fever was 13/100,000 persons per year, and the incidence of brucellosis was 18/100,000 persons per year in the district. This surveillance tool could have wide applications for surveillance for febrile illness in developing countries.
Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Branch, Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mailstop A38, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. jcrump@cdc.gov
John A
JA
Crump
Fouad G
FG
Youssef
Stephen P
SP
Luby
Momtaz O
MO
Wasfy
Josefa M
JM
Rangel
Maha
M
Taalat
Said A
SA
Oun
Frank J
FJ
Mahoney
D000328:Adult; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003625:Data Collection; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004534:Egypt / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012621:Seasons; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance; D014435:Typhoid Fever / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*