Las enfermedades crónicas como prioridad de la vigilancia de la salud pública en España

José María Mayoral Cortes, Nuria Aragonés Sanz, Pere Godoy, María José Sierra Moros, Rosa Cano Portero, Francisco González Moran, Ánxela Pousa Ortega, Grupo de Vigilancia Epidemiológica de Vigilancia Epidemiológica de la Sociedad Española de de Epidemiología

At present, epidemiological surveillance in Spain remains focused on the communicable diseases included in the list of notifiable diseases. However, there has been a change in epidemiological pattern that predominated until the last few decades of the twentieth century. Infectious diseases, which used to be the leading causes of morbidity and mortality, have given way to a predominance of chronic diseases. In this regard, progress has been made in the drafting and adoption of specific legal regulations on public health monitoring. However, Spain has yet to develop this legislation which, among other elements, includes the mandate to organize the surveillance of non-communicable diseases in Spain. This article aims to describe some points that should be considered in the development of a national surveillance system linked to existing strategies for the prevention and control of chronic diseases.