Tetanus in Switzerland 1980–1989

Abstract

Tetanus cases that occurred in Switzerland between 1980 and 1989 have been reviewed with the help of three data surveillance systems: a) morbidity data from the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), b) mortality data from the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (SFSO), and c) data from the Association of Swiss Hospitals and Clinics (VESKA), completed by a written enquiry to clinics which did not (or only partly) participate in the VESKA system during the study period. For every case, a questionnaire was sent to the clinic to verify the diagnosis and to obtain additional information on the circumstances of occurrence. Ninety-one cases were identified. This corresponds to a yearly incidence of 1.93 per million population between 1980–84 and 0.88 for the 1985–89 period (p < 0.01). Eighty-one percent of the cases were older than 50 years of age and women were significantly more frequently affected than men. None of the cases identified had a documented primary immunization series.

Data available at the FOPH and SFSO level have been compared to data obtained through the VESKA system using the Chandra Sekhar and Deming method. It is estimated that 134 tetanus cases (95% Cl: 91–197) have occurred in Switzerland between 1980 and 1989, together with 28 deaths (95% Cl: 27–31). Based on these estimates, FOPH appears to detect only 6–13% of tetanus cases occurring in Switzerland. By contrast, SFSO had fairly consistent data for 81–100% of tetanus associated deaths. The low rate of tetanus reported by physicians necessitates a sustained effort to increase the understanding of epidemiological surveillance by Swiss practitioners.