SURVEILLANCE BY SENTINEL

NETWORK OF LABORATORIES

THE IMPACT OF COVID-19

Seminar Infectious Diseases, 25 November 2021

Created in 1983

Voluntary reporting

Weekly reporting

Positive cases

Limited data

Wide variety infectious diseases

Coordinated Sciensano

Data collection – processing - storage

Dissemination of information

/

Background sentinel laboratories

Created in 1983

Voluntary reporting

Weekly reporting

Positive cases

Limited data

Wide variety infectious diseases

Coordinated Sciensano

Data collection – processing - storage

Dissemination of this information

/

Background

Main objective: epidemiological surveillance

provide trends over time and distribution by person and place

Complementary to other surveillances

Dynamic surveillance :

Public health priorities

Diagnostic methods

Electronic reporting

Reorganizations of the laboratories

Fulfil national and international requests

Background

Variables

Lab ID

Patient Date of birth

Gender

Postcode

Sample Sample type

Sample ID

Sample date (date of diagnosis)

Result Germ (result)

Test method

(Other Country of infection)

Pathogens

Adenovirus Hantavirus Norovirus

Bartonella HAV Parainfluenza

B. pertussis HBV Plasmodium

B. burgdorferi HCV RSV

Campylobacter HEV Rotavirus

C. psittaci Herpes simplex virus 1 en 2 in CSV Rubivirus

C. trachomatis Influenza A Salmonella

Cryptococcus Influenza B Shigella

Cryptosporidium Legionella pneum. S. pneumoniae

Cyclospora Listeria S. pyogenes

E. coli (VTEC-EHEC) Morbillivirus T. pallidum

E. histolytica Mumps virus Varicella zoster virus in CSV

Enterovirus M. pneumoniae Y. enterocolitica

Giardia N. gonorrhoeae

H. influenzae N. meningitidis

Number of laboratories

Impact data transfer

Number of records

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20000

30000

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50000

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70000

80000

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Export Papier Web

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Export Papier Web

03 Feb 2020: first case BE

Cases confirmed by the NRC

March 2020: sharp increase in cases (local transmission)

Clinical microbiology laboratories perform diagnostic testing

Certification process

Cross-validation of positive samples with NRC

Participation in an external quality assessment scheme

Report test results on a daily basis to Sciensano

March - May 2020: 77 laboratories recognized for the molecular

diagnosis of COVID-19

Laboratory surveillance of COVID-19

Laboratory surveillance of COVID-19

March 2020 : sentinel network model

Variables as reported by SNL (DoB, gender, date sampling, postal code)

All tests (positive/negative/inconclusive)

Daily reporting

Data transfer via mail/sftp/Belnet

Data centralized, stored at SQL server and used for reporting

May - June 2020

Implementation national contact tracing system

Transfer all test results to healthdata.be platform of Sciensano

Specific technical guidelines

Shorten delays – as real time as possible

Data Collection

https://covid19lab.healthdata.be/data-collection/laboratorytestresult

Delay sampling → test result

2nd Wave 4th Wave

Delay sampling → test result

2nd Wave 4th Wave

2nd Wave 4th Wave

Delay test result → reporting

Delay test result → reporting

June 2021: Covid Safe App

Number of tests

Link prescription (~ 75% test results)

Link prescription (~ 75% test results)

Link prescription (~ 75% test results)

Link prescription (~ 75% test results)

Link prescription (~ 75% test results)

Link vaccination

Not vaccinated [18-64]

Not vaccinated [65 +]

Impact on surveillance of other ID

HUGE impact:

Exhaustivity of all testing data in Belgium (Laboratories, GPs, Pharmacies)

Mandatory reporting

Real-Time reporting and processing

Impact COVID-19 on sentinel network

HUGE impact:

Exhaustivity of all testing data in Belgium (Laboratories, GPs, Pharmacies)

Mandatory reporting

Real-Time reporting and processing

Amount of test results (> 700,000 a week, > 24M since march 2020)

Use of nominative data

Broader use than monitoring epidemiological trends :

Contact Tracing

Coronalert, CST, PHV, RSZ, PLF

Linkages: prescription, vaccination, STATBEL, IMA

Impact on surveillance other infectious diseases

Impact COVID-19 on sentinel network

What can we keep to build further for other ID?

Support automatized electronic reporting laboratories

Service epidemiology infectious Diseases

Healthdata

Limited data collection that can be used for multiple pathogens

Legal perspective

Flexibility (updates once/year)

Continuous evaluation representativeness

Voluntary participation

Recognition RIZIV-INAMI? Label - financial support?

Challenges for the future

https://covid-19.sciensano.be/nl

https://covid-19.sciensano.be/nl/covid-19-epidemiologische-situatie

https://covid-19.sciensano.be/nl/covid-19-wetenschappelijke-informatie-rag

https://epidemio.wiv-isp.be/ID/Surveillance/Pages/sentinelLabs.aspx

https://covid19lab.healthdata.be/

Meurisse et al. One year of laboratory-based COVID-19 surveillance system in Belgium: main

indicators and performance of the laboratories (March 2020-21). Arch Public Health. 2021

Muyldermans et al. Surveillance of Infectious Diseases by the Sentinel Laboratory Network in

Belgium: 30 Years of Continuous Improvement. PlosOne 2016

Useful links

Nothing would be possible without all the efforts,

collaborations of all physicians and laboratories

Many thanks !!

Contact

Sciensano • Juliette Wytsmanstraat 14 • 1050 Brussel • België

T +32 2 642 51 11 • T Pers +32 2 642 54 20 • info@sciensano.be • www.sciensano.be

Epilabo@sciensano.be

dieter.vancauteren@sciensano.be