An evaluation of the Zambia influenza sentinel surveillance system, 2011–2017

Simusika, Paul; Tempia, Stefano; Chentulo, Edward; Polansky, Lauren; Mazaba, Mazyanga Lucy; Ndumba, Idah; Mbewe, Quinn K.; Monze, Mwaka

The evaluation of the ISSS was based on CDC guidelines [5] and focused on the performance of the system from January 2011 to December 2017. The objective of the evaluation was to determine: (i) whether the surveillance system was designed and operated in such a way as to be capable of detecting and monitoring seasonal influenza viruses, including pandemic strains; (ii) the usefulness of the collected data to assess influenza disease burden in the general population; (iii) the impact of the system in informing public health intervention and policies; and (iv) the ability of the system to contribute to the annual selection of influenza strains for vaccine development. The performance of the system was assessed using nine surveillance attributes, namely: (i) data quality and completeness for selected key variables, (ii) timeliness, (iii) representativeness, (iv) flexibility, (v) simplicity (vi) acceptability, (vii) stability; (viii) utility; and (ix) sustainability.