JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Despite continuing control and elimination efforts, malaria continues to represent a major public health problem. Evaluation of Malaria Surveillance System (MSS) is critical to get credible data which is used for providing information. Hodeidah city is worthy to conduct an evaluation for the MSS because of the greatest malaria burden.

Objective:

To determine the usefulness of MSS and assess the performance in terms of qualitative and quantitative attributes.

Methods:

Updated CDC guideline was used to evaluate MSS in Hodeidah city. After desk reviews and in-depth interviews conducted; self-administered questionnaires with five point Likert scale and (Yes /No) questions were used to collect data from stakeholders at four levels. The indicator’s score percent was interpreted according to the following criteria: Excellent: ≥ 90%, good: 80-<90%, average: 60-< 80%, poor: 40-<60% and very poor: < 40%. The EPI info version 7.2 was used to enter and analyze the data.

Results:

Thirty-one stakeholders participated; out of the total 55% of responders were males. The system was found to be useful 88% to portray the trend of malaria, guide policy and intervention, with excellent timeliness and completeness 100%. The overall simplicity, representativeness, acceptability and stability scores were 78%, 66%, 62%, 61%, respectively with average rank. However, it scored only 40% for flexibility and 5.5% for sensitivity . The overall performance scores of MSS were average 68%, good 82% and average 73% in central, governorate, a district and health facilities, respectively.

Conclusions:

Although the MSS was found to be useful, stable, data quality and timeliness were excellent; flexibility and sensitivity were still poor. To ensure the MSS sustainability, there is a need for gradual replacement of donors' fund with governmental fund. Furthermore, enhancing laboratory diagnosis and proper training of the health workers should be adopted for improving flexibility and sensitivity.