Methodological Evaluation of Public Health Surveillance Systems in South Africa: Quasi-Experimental Design for Risk Reduction Measurement

Public health surveillance systems are crucial for monitoring disease outbreaks and other public health events in South Africa. A systematic literature review will be conducted to assess the validity and reliability of surveillance data collection methods, focusing on studies published between and . Findings indicate that while most systems use a combination of passive and active reporting mechanisms, there is significant variability in data accuracy due to inconsistencies in reporting practices. The quasi-experimental design will provide insights into the impact of surveillance system improvements on risk reduction outcomes, facilitating evidence-based policy recommendations. Recommendation for policymakers includes enhancing training programmes for health workers and establishing clearer guidelines for data collection protocols. Treatment effect was estimated with logit(pᵢ)=β₀+β^ Xᵢ, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.