Disease surveillance using school absenteeism data in rural Cambodia

Previous studies in developed countries showed school absenteeism data can serve as a proxy for monitoring infectious disease activities and facilitates early community outbreak detection. However, absenteeism patterns may differ in developing settings and affect the utility of the surveillance system. Despite the non-specific nature of absenteeism data, other practical challenges will need to overcome for system set up and maintenance in remote area.

Objective

We explored the feasibility and practicability of setting up an electronic school absenteeism reporting system for disease surveillance in rural area of Kampot province, Cambodia.