Towards global elimination of Trachoma: An evaluation of Trachoma surveillance system, Wa East District, Ghana

Abstract

Introduction: Trachoma is leading cause of preventable blindness globally with the highest prevalence in Africa (85% of global cases). In Ghana, Upper West and Northern Regions are endemic for trachoma. Ghana has made significant strides toward the global elimination of trachoma (GET) 2020 target and reported to have reached the initial elimination thresholds of 5.0% for trachomatous inflammation-follicular (TF) among children 1 to 9-years old. We evaluated the Trachoma surveillance system in the Wa East district in Upper West region to determine its performance, usefulness and assess the system attributes. Methods: We used Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Updated Guidelines for surveillance system evaluation. We identified and interviewed key stakeholders using semi-structured questionnaire. We abstracted, analyzed 2010-2014 trachoma surveillance data and presented the results in tables and graph. Results: A total of 2,911 cases were recorded in Ghana with 232(8.1%) from Upper West region. Wa East district also recorded 3 cases in 2011 and 1 case in 2013 in the IDSR. Surveillance forms were easy to fill and the case definitions were well understood by participants. The system was sensitive to the detection of cases and was found to be useful as it was still detecting cases at all levels. All 18 health facilities reported to the surveillance system. Some discrepancies in data between the different datasets (OPD, IDSR and community screening) were identified. Conclusion: The trachoma surveillance system is simple, useful, sensitive, and partially meeting its objectives. However, data quality needs improvement.