Development of an Integrated Surveillance System to Improve Preparedness for Arbovirus Outbreaks in a Dengue Endemic Setting: Descriptive Study

Abstract

Background Dengue fever, transmitted by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, poses a significant public health challenge in tropical and subtropical regions. Dengue surveillance involves monitoring the incidence, distribution, and trends of infections through systematic data collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination. It supports public health decision-making, guiding interventions like vector control, vaccination campaigns, and public education. Objective Herein, we report the development of a surveillance system already in use to support public health managers against dengue transmission in Foz do Iguaçu, a dengue-endemic Brazilian city located in the Triple Border with Argentina and Paraguay. Methods We present data encompassing the fieldwork organization of more than 100 health agents; epidemiological and entomological data were gathered from November 2022 to April 2024, totalizing 18 months of data collection. Results By registering health agents, we were able to provide support for those facing issues to fill their daily milestone of inspecting 16 traps per working day. We filtered dengue transmission in the city by patient age, gender, and reporting units, as well as according to dengue virus serotype. The entomological indices presented a strong seasonal pattern, as expected. Several longtime established routines in Foz do Iguaçu have been directly impacted by the adoption of Vigilância Integrada com Tecnologia (VITEC). Conclusions The implementation of VITEC has enabled more efficient and accurate diagnostics of local transmission risk, leading to a better understanding of operational activity patterns and risks. Lately, local public health managers can easily identify hot spots of dengue transmission and optimize interventions toward those highly sensitive areas.