[Situation of Diseases of Compulsory Declaration (DCDs) in Navarra. 1997]

The system of Diseases of Compulsory Declaration (DCDs) encompasses, until the end of 1997, the notification of 41 transmittable infectious diseases, to which are added epidemic outbreaks of any etiology and cause. In Navarra, the DCDs are declared to the Vigilance and Epidemiological Control Section of the Public Health Institute on a weekly basis by the doctors of Primary and Specialised Care. Subsequently, the information is sent to the National Centre of Epidemiology where the data from the autonomous communities is centralised. The only disease that has shown an epidemic index higher than 1.25 is varicella, with 3,817 declared cases (EI:1.68), with a clear seasonal component--onset at the end of February (week 7) and conclusion towards mid-June (week 24). Between these two dates 80% of annual cases are declared. During 1997 there were 17 cases of Meningococcal Disease, (3.27 cases per 100,000 inhabitants), identical to the number declared in 1996 and the second lowest in the last 25 years after the rate of 2.29 in 1994. With respect to the causative serogroup, on 5 occasions serogroup C was isolated and was responsible for the death of a girl aged 3 months. On 9 occasions Neisseria meningitis serogroup B was isolated, also responsible for the death of a woman of 65. On three occasions grouping was not possible.