[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.) How secure is laboratory diagnosis? Neither the national system of reporting by laboratories and physicians, mortality statistics nor insurance records are adequate to estimate the incidence of congenital toxoplasmosis. A study carried out at the main hospital departments of neonatology and pediatrics in Switzerland provides a more accurate estimate but does not match the number of cases predicted by mathematical models. The discrepancy does not put the seroprevalence studies in doubt but rather the estimate of the rate of transmission of T. gondii to the fetus and its degree of virulence. The implementation of a better surveillance system would provide information for adoption and funding of a prevention programme based on facts rather than estimations. Those who support a generalized screening programme for pregnant women must also make an effort to convince the community of its importance. A prenatal screening programme for pregnant women should resolve problems rather than create new ones. The security of the diagnosis of an infection and the effects to the fetus are of vital importance for the principle primum nil nocere.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)