JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Austria was among the main European countries in hosting the incoming of asylum seekers since 2015. There was an urgent need to predict any public health risks associated with the asylum seekers arriving at the Austrian borders (top five countries included Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Pakistan). Therefore the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Agency (AGES) has established, in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Health and Women’s Affairs, a national syndromic surveillance system (SbSS) in seven reception areas. Objectives: We have described and analyzed the collected data over the period of September 2015 through February 2018.

Methods:

We have deployed a daily data collection system for 12 syndromes: Rash and fever, skin affection without fever, acute upper respiratory infection (URI), acute lower respiratory infection (LRI), meningitis/encephalitis, fever and bleeding, non-bloody gastroenteritis/watery diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, acute jaundice, skin-soft tissue/bone affections, acute flaccid paralysis, high fever without any other signs and unexplained death. Representatives from the reception centers have sent their reports using email, fax or an online platform, and all data was gathered in a central database in Vienna.

Results:

Overall, the median number of beds occupancy of these reception centers was 160 (IQR 150-190). A total of 2,913 cases were submitted, where the majority were in between the age of 15 and 44 years (2,179/2,913; 75%), followed by children aged 5-14 years (n=369/2,913; 13%) and children under 5 years of age (n=311/2,913; 11%). A total of 406 statistical signals were triggered, where 6.4% (26/406) of them were qualified as alerts. Also, there was a consistency in the daily reporting system.

Conclusions:

The experience of SbSS was useful and applicable in Austria during the incoming of asylum seekers.