Evaluation of the effectiveness of the Veterinary Surveillance System in Mubende District

1. Evaluation of the effectiveness of the Veterinary Surveillance System in Mubende District Grace K. Asiimwe, F. Monje, H. Mulondo, D. Mugabi, C. Odong S. Kiyimba, B. Lubwaama,T. Odoch Background Animal disease surveillance system in Uganda is largely passive with data being collected from subcounties to District Veterinary Office on a monthly basis. Thirty eight priority diseases are reported, six of which are zoonotic in nature. Mubende district has population of 423,422 people with 51% females and Livestock, Cattle (129,545), small ruminants (79,546) , pigs (86,842) and Poultry: 382,560. However, the performance of the surveillance system at Mubende district has not been evaluated. The study thus assesses the system effectiveness through system attributes. • Methodology • Updated CDC guidelines (2001) for evaluation of surveillance systems were utilized • Attributes evaluated were; simplicity, timeliness, data quality, sensitivity, flexibility and acceptability • Records for 2007-2011 were reviewed • Ten key informant interviews with district veterinary staff were conducted • Data was entered and analyzed in Epi-info version 3.5.1 and MS-excel 2007 Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of the Veterinary Surveillance System in Mubende 2007-2011using system attributes Results Data flow Farmer Subcounty chief Subcounty Veterinary staff Chief administrative officer District Vet office Epidemiology unit (MAAIF) PPUBLIC Public health action Public health actions • Conclusions and Recommendations • The performance of the surveillance system in the district was generally poor • District builds the surveillance structure (equip laboratory and staff). • Ministry increases funding and train staff to improve on the surveillance. Contacts: Tel; +256 782672805 Email: asiimekg@yahoo.com Acknowledgements AFENET, USAID-RESPOND, MUK- CoVAB, MAAIF