On 8 November, Fabienne Fischer (PhD in the LeCo team) will give an online presentation in English:
“The epidemiology of Legionnaires’ disease in Switzerland: A (re-) emerging disease”
Monday, 8 November 2021, 17h15 – 18h00
Link for online participation: https://swisstph.zoom.us/j/83548891738?pwd=MWh2SVNlTVNpOTlCTzEydUhiWUI0Zz09
Abstract
In recent years in Switzerland and abroad, Legionnaires’ disease (LD) has become a re-emerging public health problem, 50 years after its first description following the seminal outbreak among members of the American Legion in Philadelphia, US. The ecology of the causative pathogen Legionella spp., as well as demographic and climate changes all suggest that this disease will only become more aggravated in the future. Yet, there remain substantial gaps in knowledge that impede evidence-based policy-making for prevention of LD cases.
In this seminar, we will present a series of studies, conducted within the framework of a PhD thesis that contribute to a better understanding of the epidemiology of Legionnaires’ disease in Switzerland. The work presented prepares for a first national study to explore the drivers of this infectious disease which more than doubled in numbers from 243 in 2010 to 530 in 2019.
We present studies analysing data from the national notification system of infectious diseases in Switzerland identifying challenges and opportunities in the Swiss routine data system. We contextualise this information exploring the landscape and breadth of guidelines and recommendations from surveillance to clinical management of LD, and we present results from a qualitative study with healthcare providers to explore how the clinical guidelines are translated in current practice. Lastly, we present the design of the forthcoming national case-control study and source attribution study (SwissLEGIO study). This study will be realized in collaboration with the “Legionella control in buildings” (LeCo) project and will not only facilitate the acquisition of new knowledge on risk factors and sources of infection, but provide a platform for inter- and transdisciplinary research on a multifaceted disease.
Note
We apologise for the short notice and would therefore like to already announce the time slot for the next seminar by Dr. Markus Petzold: 14 December, 3 – 5 p.m.
