Evaluation of the Acute Flacid Paralysis (AFP) Surveillance System in Bikita District Masvingo Province 2010

BMC Research Notes

Mary Muchekeza¹  Mfuta Tshimanga¹  Robert F Mudyiradima²  Kufakwanguzvarova W Pomerai¹ 

[1] Department of Community Medicine, University of Zimbabwe, P O Box A178, Avondale, Harare, Zimbabwe;Provincial Medical Directorate, Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe

关键词: Bikita;    Surveillance;    Acute flacid paralysis;   

Others  :  1133267
DOI  :  10.1186/1756-0500-7-252

 received in 2013-01-09, accepted in 2014-04-03,  发布年份 2014

【 摘 要 】

Background

AFP is a rare syndrome and serves as a proxy for poliomyelitis. The main objective of AFP surveillance is to detect circulating wild polio virus and provide data for developing effective prevention and control strategies as well planning and decision making. Bikita district failed to detect a case for the past two years.

Findings

A total of 31 health workers from 14 health centres were interviewed. Health worker knowledge on AFP was low in Bikita. The system was acceptable, flexible, and representative but not stable and not sensitive since it missed1 AFP case. The system was not useful to the district since data collected was not locally used in anyway. The cost of running the system was high. The district had no adequate resources to run the system. Reasons for not reporting cases was that the mothers were not bringing children with AFP and ignorance of health workers on syndromes captured under AFP.

Conclusion

Health worker’s knowledge on AFP was low and all interviewed workers needed training surveillance. The system was found to be flexible but unacceptable. Reasons for failure to detect AFP cases could be, no cases reporting to the centres, lack of knowledge on health workers hence failure to recognise symptoms, high staff turnover.

【 授权许可】

   
2014 Pomerai et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 参考文献 】

• [1]Losos JZ: Routine and sentinel surveillance methodes. East Mediterr Health J 1996, 2(1):46-50.
• [2]WHO: Acute Flaccid Paralysis Surveillance: the surveillance strategy for poliomyelitis eradication. Weekly epidemiological record No. 16. Geneva: WHO; 1998:113-120.
• [3]De Quadros CA: Strategies for disease control/eradication in the Americas. In Vaccination and World Health. Edited by Cutts FT, Smith PG. West Sussex: Wiley and Sons; 1994:17-34.
• [4]The National Polio Expert Committee: NPEC report. Zimbabwe; 2005. (Unpublished)
• [5]Government of Zimbabwe: Ministry of health and child welfare. Expanded program on immunisation report 2011. 2011.
• [6]Durrheim ND, Harris BN, Ogunbanjo GA: Polio eradication-the validity of surveillance indicators. Eur J: Trop Med Int Health 2003, 8(5):386-391.
• [7]Ndiaye SM: The value of community participation in disease surveillance. Niger; 2003. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12746380 webcite
• [8]Varughese P: Acute flaccid paralysis. Canadian paediatric society. Canada; 1999–2005. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/48034774/Acute-Flaccid-Paralysis webcite
• [9]Chiba Y, Xu A, Li LI: Poliomyelitis surveillance in Shadong Province, China, 1990–1992. Bulletin of the World Health Organization number 72; 1994:915-920.
• [10]Chimamise A, Chadambuka A, Chimusoro A: Analysis of the acute flacid paralysis surveillance system in Mberengwa District, Midlands Province. 2009. (unpublished)
• [11]WHO: Recommended standards for surveillance of selected vaccine-preventable diseases. Geneva; 1998.
• [12]CDC MMWR: International notes on emerging polio-free zone- Southern Africa. 1994. http://www.cdc.gov/health/diseases.htm webcite accessed on 09/10/2010
• [13]World Health Organization: Global polio eradication initiative strategic plan. WHO: CDC and UNICEF;