[Reporting communicable diseases, a choice and an obligation].

Surveillance means collecting data for action. Local, cantonal and federal actors are critical partners in disease control. There is evidence that the quality of notifications should continuously be improved.

Outcome of treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis in Switzerland in 1996.

Principles: Adequate treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis cures patients and reduces transmission. The study assesses treatment outcomes under current conditions in Switzerland.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study including all TB cases with positive sputum cultures notified to the national surveillance system between July 1996 and June 1997.

[Malaria--chemoprophylaxis 2001].

An estimated 20,000 to 30,000 cases of imported malaria are annually diagnosed in industrialised countries. Some 700 of them concern Swiss travellers and foreign guests. Exposure prophylaxis and chemoprophylaxis for high risk destinations lower the risk of malarial disease.

Surveillance of antituberculosis drug resistance in Switzerland 1995-1997: the central link.

The purpose of the present paper is to investigate the usefulness of routine notification of antituberculosis drug susceptibilities. In Switzerland, laboratories have to report susceptibilities to isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide to the Federal Office of Public Health. All clinical and laboratory information on every single tuberculosis case is routinely linked.

[National reference centers for surveillance of infectious diseases in Switzerland: results of a delphi study].

The national reference laboratories are one of the tools used by public health authorities to control infectious diseases. The Swiss Confederation supports 9 national reference centers (NC), each dealing with a limited number of infectious agents. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if this network meets present day needs, whether it has to be redefined, and how it can be improved.

[Asylum seekers and refugees in general practice: problems and possible developments].

Health and health services provided to asylum seekers and refugees by the Swiss National Health System have so far not been systematically investigated. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to describe the attending asylum seekers and refugees demographically and clinically, to identify main problem areas as perceived by general practitioners and to highlight options and venues for improvements. 272 questionnaires have been filled in by GPs of eight "federal districts" (Kantone) and the consultations of 1477 asylum seekers and refugees have been documented during one month in 193 surgeries.

Genital Schistosomiasis After a Missed Diagnosis of Katayama Syndrome.

Schistosomiasis is increasingly reported in travelers to subSaharan Africa.1,2 Bathing in tropical lakes3 or in other fresh waters2,4 is a recognized risk factor for acquiring it. Most cases present with cercarial dermatitis or, 3 to 6 weeks after infection by Schistosoma mansoni1,2 (occasionnally Schistosoma haematobium), with acute schistosomiasis (Katayama syndrome), when the immune response of the body to the larval maturation and migration elicits fever, sweating, arthralgia, urticaria, and digestive or respiratory symptoms.

[Human echinococcosis in Switzerland, 1984-1992].

In a retrospective study (1984-1992), new cases of human echinococcosis were registered in Switzerland based on information obtained from (a) questionnaires sent to 294 of the 300 acute hospitals in all parts of the country and to 17 institutes of pathology (268 answers form hospitals: 91%), and (b) from tracing back cases reported under the official notification system since 1 January 1988 by laboratories to the Federal Health Office or recorded at the Institute of Parasitology in Zurich. Cases were regarded as verified if the diagnosis was documented by unequivocal findings (by radiology, ultrasonography, pathomorphology etc. and often by additional detection of anti-Echinococcus antibodies).

[The traveler returning from the tropics in clinical practice].

Travellers returning from the tropics frequently consult a physician even if they have no actual symptoms. Physical check-ups in asymptomatic returnees rarely detect dangerous conditions. The most common laboratory finding is intestinal parasites.

Infection control in Switzerland.

Infection control in hospitals is not mandatory in Switzerland as in the United States. There are more than 300 acute-care hospitals in Switzerland. Hospitals are reimbursed by patient-days rather than diagnosis-related group.

[Prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis in Europe].

To sound out prevalent opinions among health authorities in Europe concerning the control and prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis (CT), a questionnaire was sent to the 28 WHO member countries in Europe. The questionnaire was returned by 23 countries. Only 7 countries recommend systematic screening of pregnant women.

[Should a preventive congenital toxoplasmosis program be established in Switzerland?].

The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health established a multidisciplinary working group whose objectives were to review the subject of congenital toxoplasmosis (CT), to strengthen, as far as possible, the level of knowledge concerning congenital toxoplasmosis in Switzerland (particularly the epidemiological and economic aspects) and to propose a CT prevention programme acceptable to all concerned medical disciplines. Two main questions were considered: (1.) Does the size of the congenital toxoplasmosis problem justify the cost of a systematic screening programme for pregnant women? (2.

[Prevention for travel to the tropics].

The Swiss Working Group for Health Advice to Travellers regularly publishes its recommendations for malaria prophylaxis and vaccination as supplement to the 'Bulletin' of the Federal Office of Public Health. In this review the strategy with respect to information, to clever behavior abroad, to chemoprophylaxis and immunization prophylaxis is analyzed. A critical evaluation of emergency self-therapy describes remaining questions in particular.

[Medical examination of asylum seekers at entry].

It was the purpose of this analysis to summarize the salient findings made with the initial medical examination of asylum seekers in Switzerland. The evaluation covered the period from 1984 to 1987. The epidemiologic impact of diseases discovered by this screening and the logistic problems encountered with the decentralization of the program have required a modification and a reassessment of the necessary measures.

[Vaccinations for travel abroad].

Travel to the developing world by Swiss citizens has been increasing. Vaccine-preventable diseases challenges the physician to provide pre-travel advice. Each traveler's itinerary, duration of stay and medical history, including previous immunization, should be reviewed.