SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM OF THE EXPANDED PROGRAM ON IMMUNIZATION DISEASES IN ALEXANDRIA

Abstract

Surveillance is defined as the ongoing systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of health data essential to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health practice, closely integrated with the timely dissemination of these data to those who need to know. Finally, these data are used in the prevention and control. From the very early stages, surveillance was promoted as an important element of immunization systems. Unidentified weaknesses in surveillance will lead to delayed and eventually more difficult control measures, complacency if the disease is thought no longer to exist and failure to develop appropriate immunization strategies. The purpose of surveillance assessment is to ensure that problems are being monitored and to improve the information provided and thereby help improve service provision and delivery.

Objectives of the study:

Reviewing the overall structure of the extstmg surveillance system for the EPI diseases, assessing the surveillance processes in terms of core and support activities and finally assessing knowledge of responsible health personnel concerning surveillance (in Alexandria).

Materials and methods:

For the purpose of the present cross-sectional study and after obtaining the official approval of the MOHP to carry out the study, the researcher visited the Alexandria governorate surveillance unit, all district surveillance units, all public health facilities with health personnel responsible for surveillance (24 health offices, 12 rural health units, 23 family health units and 7 urban health centers), the Fever Hospital and the "Information and Decision Making Center".

The target was persons responsible for the surveillance in all the study settings and components of the surveillance system.

The data collection tools and methods included:

• Surveillance questionnaire for studying surveillance activities of the EPI diseases in Alexandria completed from responsible workers in all the surveillance units affiliated with Alexandria Directorate of Health Affairs. • Surveillance checklist for collecting data for each of the EPI diseases.

Those tools included .data about case detection and registration, case confirmation, data reporting, data analysis, outbreak investigation, epidemic preparedness and epidemic response, feedback, supervision and training.