- Paul Bijkerk1,2, Ewout B. Fanoy1,2,3,4, Katina Kardamanidis1, Simone M. van der Plas1, Margreet J. te Wierik1,3, Mirjam E. Kretzschmar1,5, George B. Haringhuizen1, Hans J. van Vliet1, Marianne A. van der Sande1,5
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View Affiliations Hide AffiliationsAffiliations: 1 National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands 2 These authors contributed equally to the manuscript 3 Public Health Service, GGD region Utrecht, Zeist, the Netherlands 4 European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Stockholm, Sweden 5 Julius Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the NetherlandsPaul Bijkerkpaul.bijkerk rivm.nl
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Citation style for this article: Bijkerk Paul, Fanoy Ewout B., Kardamanidis Katina, van der Plas Simone M., te Wierik Margreet J., Kretzschmar Mirjam E., Haringhuizen George B., van Vliet Hans J., van der Sande Marianne A.. To notify or not to notify: decision aid for policy makers on whether to make an infectious disease mandatorily notifiable. Euro Surveill. 2015;20(34):pii=30003. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2015.20.34.30003 Received: 13 Apr 2015; Accepted: 26 Apr 2015
To notify or not to notify: decision aid for policy makers on whether to make an infectious disease mandatorily notifiable
Abstract
Mandatory notification can be a useful tool to support infectious disease prevention and control. Guidelines are needed to help policymakers decide whether mandatory notification of an infectious disease is appropriate. We developed a decision aid, based on a range of criteria previously used in the Netherlands or in other regions to help decide whether to make a disease notifiable. Criteria were categorised as being effective, feasible and necessary with regard to the relevance of mandatory notification. Expert panels piloted the decision aid. Here we illustrate its use for three diseases (Vibrio vulnificus infection, chronic Q fever and dengue fever) for which mandatory notification was requested. For dengue fever, the expert panel advised mandatory notification; for V. vulnificus infection and chronic Q fever, the expert panel concluded that mandatory notification was not (yet) justified. Use of the decision aid led to a structured, transparent decision making process and a thorough assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of mandatory notification of these diseases. It also helped identify knowledge gaps that required further research before a decision could be made. We therefore recommend use of this aid for public health policy making.

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