Surveillance system for coronavirus disease 2019 epidemiological parameters in Croatia

Capak, Krunoslav; Kopal, Robert; Benjak, Tomislav; Cerovečki, Ivan; Draušnik, Željka; Bucić, Lovro; Pristaš, Ivan; Curać, Jelena

The Croatian Institute of Public Health (CIPH), as the institution responsible for national health statistics, was in early March 2020 confronted with a serious challenge. After the official declaration of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19) epidemic, CIPH had to provide adequate resources for the surveillance of a wide array of epidemiological parameters on a short notice, which was necessary to manage the current public health crisis. It is noteworthy that at the time, Croatia, like many other countries in the European Union and worldwide, did not have a surveillance system established for this particular purpose. Fortunately, the Croatian health authorities managed to mobilize a broad inter-sector cooperation under CIPH coordination and established a functional surveillance system;this system now provides information to the National Civil Protection Directorate (NCPD), county Civil Protection Directorates, European institutions (such as the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control), expert workgroups, national media, etc. In collaboration with the Ministry of Science and Education, CIPH also monitors the data on the number of SARSCoV-2-infected and self-isolated students and teachers. These data are obtained by matching personal identification numbers contained in the central test result database with those in the electronic register containing information on all students and teachers in elementary and high schools. The establishment of this surveillance system provided the basis for a timely and adequate epidemic response. The longer-term evaluation also allows for monitoring of various trends and projections development, which are useful for concurrent decision-making and preparations toward anticipated events.