Compulsory notification at skilled nursing facilities.

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health
• Gerontology

Background:

• Notifiable diseases (NDs) are critical public health concerns due to their severity and contagiousness.
• Long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are closed communities requiring specific attention for disease surveillance.
• Understanding the prevalence of NDs in Brazilian LTCFs is essential for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence and types of notifiable diseases (NDs) within a large long-term care facility (LTCF) in Brazil.

Main Methods:

• An active surveillance for NDs was conducted by the Hospital Infection Control Committee (HICC).
• Data from a monthly ND list maintained by the HICC were analyzed for 459 beds.
• Patient data were categorized by gender and age (elderly ≥ 60 years vs. non-elderly ≤ 59 years).

Main Results:

• A total of 31 NDs were identified in 29 patients (6.9% of inpatients).
• Hepatitis C was the most prevalent ND (23 cases), followed by hepatitis B (5 cases), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (2 cases), and renal tuberculosis (1 case).
• No statistically significant differences were found in the prevalence of total NDs or hepatitis C based on age or gender.

Conclusions:

• The study identified chronic NDs and those requiring ongoing treatment in a Brazilian LTCF.
• Findings underscore the necessity for more extensive research to understand the transmission and management dynamics of NDs within Brazilian LTCFs.