摘要：Objective To describe the process of operation of the system and assess its key attributes, to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the surveillance system and make appropriate recommendations to stakeholders for its improvement. Introduction Malaria is a parasitic disease caused by Plasmodium falciparum. About 3.2 billion people worldwide are at risk of malaria. 1 Children and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to the disease. Sub- Saharan Africa carries a high share of the global malaria burden. 2 Effective malaria surveillance system is essential in the control and elimination of malaria. Worldwide, there were an estimated 198 million cases of malaria in 2013 and 584,000 deaths. 1,3,4 Methods This study was conducted using the “CDC’s Updated Guidelines for Evaluating Public Health Surveillance System, 2001”. Key stakeholders and Malaria Focal Persons were interviewed. Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response case summary data from January to December 2014 was reviewed. Data analysis was done using Microsoft Excel 2016 and Epi-info 7. Results The system provides information on malaria trends, morbidity and mortality. Case definitions are well understood by participants. All Malaria focal persons (MFPs) were willing to continue using the system. Standardized data collection tools are available in 91% of Health Facilities (HF). The system was rated flexible by 91% of MFPs. The system was however not representative because data were essentially from public health facilities only. The system has an average timeliness of 37.7% and completeness of 59.4%, both parameters were below the State’s 80% target. About 91% MFPs had refresher training, while 78% MFPs received supportive supervision. Main challenges identified were lack of commodities in all HFs, and inadequate mobile facilities in 70% of HFs. Conclusions The Kaduna state Malaria surveillance system is meeting its objectives. However, challenges are observed in its timeliness, representativeness, and data quality. Efforts should be made to integrate tertiary and private health facilities into the system. MFPs need more training on malaria reporting to improve timeliness and data quality. There is the need to improve on the supply of malaria treatment commodities to all health facilities within Kaduna state.
