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. 2015 Sep 23;10(9):e0136353. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0136353

Table 1. Prioritization variables.

The ten variables that pathogens were scored for during the prioritization and the criteria for each score.

No. Criteria Scoring values
    -1 0 1
1 Incidence (including illness, symptomatic infections, asymptomatic infections but not carriership or normal flora) <1/100 000 1-20/100 000 >20/100 000
2 Work and school absenteeism* This pathogen causes negligible proportion of absenteeism due to an infectious illness This pathogen causes a small to moderate proportion of absenteeism due to an infectious illness This pathogen causes a larger proportion of absenteeism due to an infectious illness
3 Health care utilization (primary health care and hosptitalization) This pathogen causes a negligligle proportion of health care utilization due to an infectious illness This pathogen causes a small to moderate proportion of health care utilization due to an infectious illness This pathogen causes a large proportion of health care utilization due to an infectious illness
4 Chronicity of illness or sequelae* This pathogen causes a negligible amount of chronicity or persistent sequelae This pathogen causes a moderate amount of chronicity or persistent sequelae This pathogen causes a large amount of chronicity or persistent sequelae
5 Case fatality rate** <0.01% 0.01%-1% >1%
6 Proportion of events requiring public health actions (see Note 2 for explanation)** A small proportion of the estimated total number of events or exceptional events require public health actions (<25%) A moderate proportion of the estimated total number of events or exceptional events require public health actions (25–75%) A large proportion of the estimated total number of events or exceptional events require public health actions (>75%)
7 Trend Diminishing incidence rates Stable incidence rates Increasing incidence rates
8 Public attention (including political agenda and public perception)* Risk perception of this pathogen by the gernal public is low and it is not on the political agenda Risk perception of this pathogen by the gernal public is moderate and informal political expectations/agenda is present This pathogen implies international duties or its risk perception by the general public is high or it is explicitly high on political agenda
9 Prevention possibilites and needs (including vaccines)** Preventive potential seems low or the disease does not require prevention or effective prevention strategies are well-established; no need for significant strategy modification Measures for prevention are established but there is need to improve their effctiveness Need for prevention is established but currently no effective preventive measures are available
10 Treatment possibilities and needs (including AMR) Medical treatment is rarely necessary or effective regimens are well-established; no need for significant modifications Medical treatme regimens are established but there is need to improve their effectiveness Need for medical treatment is established but currently no effective treatment is available or AMR limits treatment options

AMR = anitimicrobial resistance

Note 1. All criteria apply to the geographical settings where the prioritization is conducted; the time-frame applicable to the requested epidmiological data should be defined prior to the process initiation and depends on the frequency with which pathogens are planned to be re-scored. Indicated numercial thresholds apply to the country where the prioritization is conducted: In other geographical settings different thresholds might need to be considered.

Note 2. Event is defined as the occurrence of a disease that is unusual with respect to a particular time, place or circumstances. For certain infectious diseases one case may be sufficient to constitute an event (e.g. polio virus). Public health actions are any kind of targeted actions aiming to identify the nature of the event and/or to apply control measures in response to the event occurrence.

*assessed against the total burden of infectious diseases.

**assessed for each particular pathogen in question, e.g., the criterion "Treatment possibilities and needs" refers to availability and adequacy of treatment for each case of an illness caused by a particular pathogen but does not take into account the incidence of illnesses or the availability of preventive measures.