Conference Abstract | Volume 9, Abstract 027 (ConfProc7) | Published: 04 May 2026
Monika Kondjeni Densi1,&, Ndeshihafela Penehafo Elina Sakaria1,2, Diana Mukuture Ewaga1, Secilia Penexupifo Nghidishange1, Silas Nghishihange1,2, Emilia Nyanyukweni Sadrax2
1Namibia Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training program, University of Namibia, School of Nursing Public Health, Oshakati, Namibia, 2Ministry of Health and Social Services, Windhoek, Namibia
&Corresponding author: Monika Kondjeni Densi; Namibia Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program, University of Namibia School of Nursing and Public Health, Oshakati, Namibia, Email: monicadensy@gmail.com, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-7217-7722
Received: 29 Aug 2025, Accepted: 28 Oct 2025, Published: 04 May 2026
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Measles, Engela, Surveillance, Evaluation
©Monika Kondjeni Densi et al Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Monika Kondjeni Densi et al Evaluation of the measles surveillance system in Engela District, Namibia, 2020-2024. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfProc7):027. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO7-0027
There were an estimated 9.6 million measles cases and 128,000 deaths worldwide as of 2022 and 50% of the cases came from Africa. Measles is a growing concern in Namibia, despite the efforts towards elimination. Namibia reported 75 measles infections in the past 5 years, with a 380% increase from 2020-2024. Engela district is the highest reporting district in Ohangwena region, reporting 12 cases from 2020-2024. An evaluation was conducted to assess the usefulness and system attributes of the measles surveillance system in Engela District from 2020-2024.
We used a cross-sectional descriptive design, following the CDC guidelines for evaluating a surveillance system. To assess the system attributes, we reviewed the measles line list and interviewed 30 clinicians and surveillance officers in the Engela District using a questionnaire and purposive sampling. Data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel and presented in tables and proportions.
Of the 30 participants, 63% were female and 80% were nurses. The average years of experience was 7. The system was found to be useful, as 97% of the respondents indicated that the data was analyzed and being used for decision making. The system was simple and acceptable to its users. About 65% of the participants received IDSR training. The system was not timely as it took above recommended average days to report and investigate cases. Furthermore, 20% of the records were incomplete.
The measles surveillance system was useful, stable, and performed well in terms of stability, acceptability, usefulness and simplicity, but was constrained by delays in reporting and incomplete records. We recommend timely reporting and improved data quality to strengthen early outbreak detection and measles elimination.
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