ArticleBMC infectious diseases2017
Evaluation of the enhanced meningitis surveillance system, Yendi municipality, northern Ghana, 2010-2015.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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15 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 24 citations in OpenAlex.
- Sex differences in bacterial meningitis and associations with socioeconomic indicators: a systematic review and meta-analysis with metaregression.BMJ global health · 2025Pooled it
- Global Case Fatality of Bacterial Meningitis During an 80-Year Period: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JAMA network open · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Epidemiology, clinical outcomes, and factors associated with mortality among cerebrospinal meningitis cases in the Upper West Region of Ghana: an eight-year surveillance study.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Evaluation of meningitis surveillance system in rural area, Rwanda.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Improving the specimen referral system in Ghana: findings from a landscape assessment.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Evaluation of the malaria surveillance system - Adaklu District, Volta Region, Ghana, 2019.Public health in practice (Oxford, England) · 2023Article
- Cost-effectiveness of measles and rubella elimination in low-income and middle-income countries.BMJ global health · 2023Article
- 'Joy, not sorrow': Men's perspectives on gender, violence, and cash transfers targeted to women in northern Ghana.SSM. Qualitative research in health · 2023Article
- An assessment of the laboratory network in Ghana: A national-level ATLAS survey (2019-2020).African journal of laboratory medicine · 2023Article
- Providing specimen transport through an online marketplace in the Northern region of Ghana.African journal of laboratory medicine · 2023Article
- Evaluation of surveillance system for post market activities on pre-packaged foods in Greater Accra Region, Ghana, 2021.Public health in practice (Oxford, England) · 2022Article
- Understanding occupational safety and health surveillance: expert consensus on components, attributes and example measures for an evaluation framework.BMC public health · 2022Review
- The role of Namibia Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme in strengthening the public health workforce in Namibia, 2012-2019.BMJ global health · 2021Review
- Geospatial clustering of meningitis: an early warning system (hotspot) for potential meningitis outbreak in upper east region of Ghana.Ghana medical journal · 2020Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMeningitis is the inflammation of the meninges of the brain and or spinal cord. Global mortality rates vary from 2% to 30%. Epidemic meningitis remains a public health concern along the meningitis belt of Africa. Despite the operation of an enhanced meningitis surveillance system in Ghana, institutional mortality rates are estimated to range from 36% to 50%. In 2014, Yendi recorded 83 confirmed cases; with focal epidemics in some sub-municipals. We evaluated the system over a five-year period to find out whether it was achieving its objectives of systematic collection and analyses of data for the prevention or early detection of meningitis epidemics.
methodsWe used cross-sectional design. Both qualitative and quantitative data from Yendi Municipality between January 2010 and December 2015 were collected and analyzed. The updated guidelines for evaluating surveillance systems from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were used. Content analysis was performed on the responses of key informants. Surveillance data was analyzed using MS-Excel.
resultsFifteen healthcare workers were interviewed. For the period under evaluation, the annual incidence of meningitis ranged from 1.6/100,000 in 2012 to 62.6/100,000 in 2014. The average case fatality rate for the period was 8.3%. The system was sensitive, representative, and acceptable. The predictive value positive was 100% from 2010 to 2014 and 63.3% in 2015. Data quality was good, but timeliness of reporting was poor.
conclusionsThe enhanced meningitis surveillance system in Yendi Municipality is achieving most of its objectives. However, financial constraints and poor personnel motivation pose threats to the sustainability of the system.
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