Conference Abstract | Volume 9 (ConfPro8): Abstract 98 | Published: 12 Oct 2026
atrick Asante-Kumah1,2,&, George Akowuah2, Magdalene Akos Odikro2, Joseph Asamoah Frimpong2, Samuel Oko Sackey2, Ernest Kenu2
1Ghana Health Service, Western North Regional Health Directorate, Sefwi Bodi, Ghana, 2Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
&Corresponding author: Patrick Asante-Kumah, Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme, University of Ghana School of Public Health, Accra, Ghana, Email: asantekumah@gmail.com, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3798-8745
Received: 11 Mar 2026, Accepted: 30 Aug 2026, Published: 12 Oct 2026
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Viral hepatitis, surveillance system, evaluation, Western North Region, Ghana, public health, data quality, representativeness, outbreak detection
©Patrick Asante-Kumah 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: Patrick Asante-Kumah et al., Evaluation of viral hepatitis surveillance system, Western North Region Ghana, 2025. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfPro8):98. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO8-0098
Viral hepatitis is a major public health challenge in Ghana, yet the Western North Region’s surveillance system aimed to detect outbreaks, identify high-risk groups and estimate burden, has never been evaluated. We evaluated the region’s surveillance system to determine whether it meets its objectives, assess its key attributes, and examine its usefulness for public health action.
We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study from April to May 2025 in Sefwi Wiawso and Juaboso Districts in the region The assessment was guided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveillance system evaluation framework. Data from 2022–2024 was obtained through interviews, record reviews, and direct observation of system operations. Quantitative findings were summarized using frequencies and percentages. We used thematic analysis for qualitative data. The data was presented as tables, graphs and text.
Among the 32 respondents, 56.3% (18/32) were male, and 43.8% (14/32) were from hospitals. None of the 6 facilities assessed had the standard case definition. Reporting forms remained unchanged over the five-year period. Acceptability was 83% (5/6) and report completeness and timeliness was 98%, laboratories experiencing stockouts was 25% (1/4). Average turnaround time for laboratory results was 50 minutes. Five out 20 (25%) IDSR forms were incomplete. Positive Predictive Value was 21.6% (736/3,407). Surveillance data was not disaggregated. No evidence of surveillance data being used for decision making.
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