SwitzerlandCountries: Switzerland

Name

Swiss Paediatric Surveillance Unit (SPSU)

Website

www.bag.admin.ch/k_m_meldesystem/00737/index.html?lang=de (German) www.bag.admin.ch/k_m_meldesystem/00737/index.html?lang=fr(French)

Year established

1995

Association

Swiss Paediatric Association
Federal Office of Public Health

Population under 15 years

1.3 million

General information

Report cards are circulated to a responsible paediatrician (n=33) at each of the 33 paediatric teaching clinics representing about 250 hospital or clinic-based paediatricians (i.e. not to those delivering primary care) and covering a total child population of 1.3 million children. The response rate for the initial cards was 100% in each year, and 96-98% for the complementary questionnaires. .

Conditions studied

Eleven completed studies:

Congenital toxoplasmosis (1995-98, 21 cases), cystic periventricular leukomalacia (1996-97, 48 cases), haemolytic uraemic syndrome (1997-03, 114 cases), intussusception (2003-06, 294 cases), neonatal herpes simplex (2002-08, 11 cases), neural tube defects(2001-07, 207 cases), severe RSV infections (2001-05, 577 cases), shaking baby syndrome (2002-07, 53 cases), tick-borne encephalitis (2000-02, 23 cases), varicella/zoster (2000-03, 235 cases), vitamin K deficiency bleeding (1995-2003, 19 cases).

Current studies include:

Acute flaccid paralysis, acute rheumatic fever, anaphylaxis, congenital rubella syndrome, haemolytic uraemic syndrome, extended-spectrum- ‘ -lactamase producing enteric gram-negative bacilli, hyperbilirubinaemia, connatal toxoplasmosis, pertussis, vitamin K deficiency bleeding.

Contact

Mirjam Mäusezahl-Feuz, MSc MPHHead Epidemiological Monitoring and Assessment Section
Division of Communicable Diseases
Federal Office of Public Health FOPH
CH-3003 Bern
Office: Schwarztorstrasse 96Phone +41 31 323 87 58Fax +41 31 323 87 95
Email:mirjam.maeusezahl@bag.admin.ch