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Assessing the completeness of suicidal poisoning surveillance systems in Northwest Morocco: A capture-recapture method

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 August 2025

S. Hmimou ,
S. Boukhorb ,
O. Erefai ,
S. Elkafssaoui ,
S. Irnat ,
N. Rhalem ,
M. A. Bellimam ,
A. Soulaymani ,
A. Mokhtari  and
R. Soulaymani-Bencheikh
...Show all authors
S. Hmimou
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Biology and Health, Faculty of Science, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra
S. Boukhorb
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Biology and Health, Faculty of Science, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra
O. Erefai
Affiliation:
Higher Institute of Nursing Professions and Health Techniques
S. Elkafssaoui
Affiliation:
Royal School of Military Health Service
S. Irnat*
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Biology and Health, Faculty of Science, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra
N. Rhalem
Affiliation:
Moroccan Poison Control Center
M. A. Bellimam
Affiliation:
Forensic Institute of Royal Gendarmerie, Rabat, Morocco
A. Soulaymani
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Biology and Health, Faculty of Science, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra
A. Mokhtari
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Biology and Health, Faculty of Science, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra
R. Soulaymani-Bencheikh
Affiliation:
Moroccan Poison Control Center
H. Hami
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Biology and Health, Faculty of Science, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Suicidal poisoning represents a significant yet frequently underreported public health concern, particularly in regions where surveillance systems fail to fully capture the scope of the issue.

Objectives

This study aims to bridge this critical gap by estimating the total number of intentional poisoning cases and evaluating the completeness of the national toxicovigilance system in the Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceima region of northwest Morocco.

Methods

This study analyzed data from suicidal poisoning cases recorded over a three-year period in the Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceima region. We sourced data from the Moroccan Poison Control Center (MPCC) and hospital registers in the region. The two-source capture-recapture method was employed to evaluate the completeness of the poisoning surveillance system.

Results

A total of 824 suicidal poisoning cases were identified after removing duplicates, with 578 cases reported by MPCC and 286 cases from hospital records. Forty duplicates were found between the two sources. The capture-recapture method estimated a total of 4,133 cases (95% CI: 3,548-4,718), revealing that an additional 3,309 cases were not captured by the two data sources. The completeness of the surveillance was estimated at 13.98% for MPCC data and at 6.92% for hospital records.

Conclusions

Despite the presence of a toxicovigilance system in Morocco, significant deficiencies remain in its completeness. There is an urgent need to enhance this system by promoting greater awareness among healthcare professionals regarding the critical importance of spontaneous reporting of intentional poisoning cases.

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

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Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 68 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 33rd European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2025 , pp. S1163 - S1164
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of European Psychiatric Association
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