Weekly disease surveillance system evaluation in Chimanimani District, Zimbabwe, 2023: A descriptive cross-sectional study

Introduction: A weekly disease surveillance system (WDSS) monitors trends of diseases of public health importance on weekly basis. Chimanimani District recorded poor timeliness of the system during weeks 8, 9, 10 and 11 of 2023 and data discrepancies for some health facilities were observed. We evaluated the district’s surveillance system to determine the reasons for poor timeliness and data discrepancies. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated guidelines for evaluating public health surveillance systems. Fifty-four health workers were recruited and information on the surveillance system’s attributes and reasons for poor timeliness was collected using an interviewer-guided questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using Epi Info 7.2 to generate frequencies, proportions and medians of health worker knowledge and system attributes. Results: Of the 54 participants, majority were women 41 (76%) and Primary Care Nurses 38 (70%). Most of them 38 (70%) had good knowledge of the surveillance system. Surveillance data analysis was done by 53 (98%) of the health workers. The system was simple for 53 (98%) of the participants and accepted and considered sensitive by all health workers. Majority of participants, 40 (74%) were trained on WDSS. Among the 20 clinics, 11 (55%) had all disease case definitions and 14 (70%) had adequate resources. The major reason given for poor timeliness in reporting was poor internet network. Conclusion: Health worker knowledge was good, the surveillance system was useful, simple, acceptable, sensitive, flexible and representative and data quality was good. However, timeliness was poor and was mainly attributed to connectivity challenges.