Evaluation of the Quality System of Epidemiological Surveillance of Acute Chagas Disease in Minas Gerais, 2005-2008

Objective: this work aims to evaluate the quality in the registration of acute Chagas disease cases reported to the epidemiologic surveillance of the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil (2005-2008). Methodology: to evaluate the surveillance system registers, the study followed guidance of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention/United States of America; and to define and conclude cases, criteria established by the Health Surveillance Secretariat/Ministry of Health of Brazil. Results: the surveillance system for Chagas disease is complex, inflexible, with low acceptance, and unsatisfying quality of data; from a total of 992 acute cases reported in our given timeframe, only 12 (1.2%) had a positive direct parasitological examination, the defined criteria which single the disease out; however, all the reported cases were, in fact, chronic cases; the majority of fields showed regular to low completeness. Conclusion: it is recommended to invest on training and raising awareness of health professionals in order to improve quality in reports' registration, which makes possible to define strategies and actions for controlling the disease.