Conference Abstract | Volume 9, Abstract 050 (ConfProc7) | Published: 30 Jun 2026
Edwin Smart Johnny1,&, Gyesi Razak Issahaku1, Joseph Yam Jerela2, Perfect Titiati2, Delia Akosua Bandoh1, Charles Lwanga Noora1, Samuel Sackey1, Ernest Kenu1
1Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme, University of Ghana School of Public Health, Accra, Ghana, 2Ho Municipal Health Directorate, Ghana Health Service, Volta, Ghana
&Corresponding author: Edwin Smart Johnny; Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme, University of Ghana School of Public Health, Accra, Ghana, Email: esmartjohnny792@gmail.com
Received: 29 Aug 2025, Accepted: 28 Oct 2025, Published: 30 Jun 2026
Domain: Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Epilepsy, surveillance system evaluation, Ghana, Ho Municipality, public health
©Edwin Smart Johnny 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: Edwin Smart Johnny et al. Bridging the gap in Epilepsy surveillance: Evaluation of the Epilepsy surveillance system in Ho Municipality, Ghana. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfProc7):050. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO7-0050
Epilepsy poses a public health challenge in Ghana, affecting an estimated 1% of the population. Although it is widespread, there is a lack of comprehensive surveillance data. This results in inconsistent implementation and information sharing, ultimately undermining effective planning and intervention efforts. This study evaluated the epilepsy surveillance and reporting system in Ho Municipality, Volta Region, to assess its usefulness, characteristics, and role in filling data gaps.
A cross-sectional assessment was carried out from March to April 2025, following the CDC’s 2001 Updated Guidelines for Evaluating Public Health Surveillance Systems, adapted for the local setting. Data collection involved reviewing DHIMS2 records from 2020 to 2024, examining health facility registers, and conducting stakeholder interviews at eight facilities. Quantitative indicators were rated on a 3-point scale (1 = poor, 2 = fair, 3 = good) across attributes such as simplicity, flexibility, representativeness, stability, timeliness, and data quality. These scores were converted into percentages and categorised as poor (<60%), average (60–80%), or good (>80%). Data analysis was primarily descriptive, with results presented as frequencies and alongside thematic summaries of qualitative findings.
A total of 965 epilepsy cases were reported from 2020 to 2024; 196 (20.3%) received treatment, 7 (0.7%) were referred, and none resulted in death. Outpatient visits constituted 724 (75.0%) of the cases, with follow-up achieved in 772 (80.0%) of the cases. Case definition use was consistent in 2/8 (25%) facilities, while 7/8 (87.5%) submitted reports on time. Overall, simplicity (80%), flexibility (78%), and acceptability (82%) were rated as good; stability (65%) and data quality (68%) were rated as average.
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