Mandatory STI case reporting systems in the European Union and Norway
| Year introduced | NotifiableSTIs | Laboratory confirmation required | Coverage | Individual/aggregate (I/A) | Variables reported | Reporting frequency | Time delayto NSC | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syphilis | Gonorrhoea | Chlamydia | ||||||||
| Ct, Chlamydia trachomatis; Gc, gonorrhoea; Syph, syphilis; NK, not known; NSC, National Surveillance Centre; NA, not applicable (system not in operation in that country). | ||||||||||
| A, age; B, nationality/country of birth; C, clinic type; D, date of diagnosis; G, gender; H, HIV status; I, country where infection contracted; N, number of cases by region only; O, male sexual orientation; P, place of diagnosis; R, place of residence; S, site of infection; T, probable route of transmission; X, reason for testing; RF, other risk factor variables of relevance to STI transmission (eg, number of partners; history of STI; drug use; contact with sex worker; gender of sex partner; linked cases; etc). | ||||||||||
| *Mandatory reporting also for rare bacterial STIs (lymphogranuloma venereum, granuloma inguinale (donovanosis), and chancroid). In Norway, mandatory reporting of rare bacterial STIs was discontinued from July 2003. In Sweden, chancroid will be removed from the list of notifiable diseases when the new Infectious Disease Control Act comes into force in July 2004. In Austria, a case is reportable by law only if spread of the infection is possible, or if the infected person is unwilling to undergo treatment. | ||||||||||
| †Denmark, Ireland, Greece, and UK: coverage given is for reporting from STI clinics only. In Ireland and Greece, although case notification for syphilis, gonorrhoea, and chlamydia is universally mandatory, in practice generally only STI clinics report (in Greece, only the two largest STI/DV clinics, situated in Athens and Thessaloniki, report data). In the UK, reporting is mandatory only from STI (GUM) clinics. In Denmark, comparison of laboratory and clinical reports indicates that under-reporting from clinicians is greater outside dedicated public STI clinic settings—for example, while approximately 65% of clinical notifications of gonorrhoea come from STI clinics, 60% of positive laboratory test results are from specimens taken by GPs. | ||||||||||
| ‡Including from private physicians. | ||||||||||
| §UK and Ireland: also genital herpes, ano-genital warts, trichomoniasis, chancroid, lymphogranuloma venereum, donovanosis (granuloma inguinale), molluscum contagiosum, hepatitis B, non-specific urethritis, candidiasis, Pediculosis pubis, and PID in the UK only. In Ireland, candidiasis, molluscum contagiosum and Pediculosis pubis will be removed from the list of notifiable diseases when new legislation comes into force in late 2003. Compulsory universal laboratory reporting of STIs is also being introduced as part of the new legislation. | ||||||||||
| ¶In Portugal, a new mandatory reporting system with case definitions for reporting (including laboratory confirmation of cases of syphilis and gonorrhoea) and an expanded dataset was introduced in 1999. However, in practice it appears that variable fields are rarely completed and case definitions for reporting have not been adopted. | ||||||||||
| **In Spain, new case definitions for reporting, including requirements for laboratory confirmation, will be introduced shortly. | ||||||||||
| ††In the UK, an individual, patient based reporting (ProgrESS) system with an expanded dataset has been piloted in London and will be phased in throughout the UK over the next 2 years. Patient based reporting is already in place in Scotland. | ||||||||||
| Austria | 1945 | Syph; Gc* | No | 51–75% | Low | NA | A | D, G | Monthly | <1 month |
| Belgium | 1945 | Syph; Gc* | No | Low | Very low | NA | A, D, G, P, R | Daily | ||
| Denmark | 1865 | Syph; Gc | Syph | 26–50%† | 26–50%† | NA | I | A, B, C, D, G, H, I, P, RF, S, T, X | Daily | Variable |
| Finland | 1939 | Syph; Gc | Syph; Gc | 76–99%‡ | 76–99%‡ | NA | I | A, B, C, D, G, I, P, R, S | Weekly | <1 month |
| France | NA | None | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Germany | 2001 | Syph | Syph | 76–99% | NA | NA | I | A, B, D, G, I, P, RF, T | Daily | <1 month |
| Greece | 1950 | Syph; Gc | Syph; Gc | NK | 51–75%† | NA | I | A, C, G, R (syphilis); A, B, C, D, G, H, I, O, P, R, RF, S, T, X (Gc) | Weekly (G) Monthly (S) | 1 week (Gc) |
| Republic of Ireland | 1981 | Syph; Gc; Ct*§ | No | 76–99%† | 76–99%† | 76–99%† | A | A, C, G | Quarterly | Mean 1 year |
| Italy | 1956 | Syph; Gc | Syph; Gc | 26–50% | 26–50% | NA | I | A, B, G, R | Monthly | 1–2 years |
| Netherlands | 1976–98 | None | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Norway | 1922 | Syph; Gc* | Syph; Gc | 76–99%‡ | 76–99%‡ | NA | I | A, B, C, D, G, H, I, O, P, R, RF, S, T, X | Daily | <1 month |
| Portugal | 1950 | Syph; Gc | Syph; Gc¶ 1999 | Low | Very low | NA | I | A, D, G, R, T¶ | Daily | 1 week–1 year |
| Spain | 1982 | Syph; Gc | No** | Low | Very low | NA | A | N | ||
| Sweden | 1912, 1988 | Syph; Gc; Ct* | Syph; Gc; Ct | 76–99%‡ | 76–99%‡ | 76–99%‡ | I | A, C, D, G, I, P, R, RF, S, T, X | Daily | <1 month |
| UK | 1916 | Syph; Gc; Ct*§ | Syph; Gc; Ct | 76–99%† | 76–99%† | 76–99%† | A†† | A, D, G, O, P | Quarterly | 3–6 months |