Evaluation of cholera surveillance system in Ga South Municipality, Greater Accra Region, Ghana, 2016

Abstract

Introduction : cholera is an acute illness with profuse watery diarrhea with high case fatality rate is left untreated. It is caused by Vibrio cholera serogroups O1 or O139. The disease is transmitted fecal-orally through ingesting contaminated food or water. In 2014, 16,527 cases including 128 deaths (CFR 0.8%) were reported from 8 out of 10 regions in Ghana. Greater Accra region recorded 73% of the cases (12,120 cases with 97 deaths (CFR 0.7%). We evaluated the cholera surveillance system to describe operation of the system, and assess its attributes to determine whether the system is meeting the objectives. Methods : this was a cross-sectional study. We used the CDC Updated Guidelines for Evaluating Public Health Surveillance System. We interviewed key stakeholders using a structured questionnaire to collect information about the system and its attributes. We reviewed cholera data from 2011- 2015 from the Health Information System at district and regional levels. The system attributes were assessed and scored for description and comparison on a Likert scale from 1 to 4. Data was analyzed using Epi-info and Microsoft Excel. Results : the Cholera surveillance system was included in the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response with a clear case definition and laboratory support at all levels. The system was simple and flexible as it is able to adapt to changes. It was also acceptable by all and was stable, and highly sensitive due to the