Abstract

GAZE, Rosangela et al. Sentinel laboratories: a proposal for monitoring viral A and B hepatitis infections. Inf. Epidemiol. Sus [online]. 2000, vol.9, n.1, pp.5-21. ISSN 0104-1673.  http://dx.doi.org/10.5123/S0104-16732000000100002.

Viral hepatitis (VH) is representative of a category of infections with a significant fraction of asymptomatic cases. In this paper, the use of a system of sentinel laboratories (SSL) in the monitoring of infections for hepatitis A (HAV) and hepatitis B viruses (HBV) is considered, arguing the importance of complementing the information of Epidemiological Surveillance (ES) and the development of the technical bases of this system, its potential, limitations and evaluation criteria. Through bibliographical review and evaluation of the applicability of the laboratory sentinel technique to follow the trend of these infections, we consider the use of exceeding serologic material, collected for other reasons, for the research of viral markers with the aim of supplementing the information of the ES for prevention programs. The main advantages of this system over the passive system of ES, are a better quality of information, increased simplicity, and enhanced effectiveness and acceptability. It is less costly than serumprevalence surveys,and provides good sensitivity for the monitoring of HAV and HBV.

Keywords : Viral Hepatitis; Epidemiologic Surveillance; Sentinel Laboratory; Exceeding Serum Samples.

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