Communities and sections that are consistently underreporting both illness and death pose a significant risk to surveillance and their efficacy is dependent upon the reporting of community structures such as government structures (primary health units (PHUs), schools), EVD response structures (contact tracers, community events based surveillance (CEBS), social mobilization), and traditional structures (chiefs, traditional healers, village task forces, religious institutions). All structures are required to report to the District Ebola Response Center (DERC) as depicted in Figure 1. Frequent and protocolized information sharing is central to the reporting efficacy within this structure to ensure early capture of all EVD-related incidents.
Objective
Systematically assess and strengthen the capacity of communities and sections in Port Loko District, Sierra Leone to detect significant events related to the reporting of Ebola virus disease (EVD) such as sick persons, secret burials and deaths. The components of the enhanced surveillance system will be described.