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USAID | Afghanistan

From the American People

Disease Early Warning System (DEWS)

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Program
Health (Field Support Projects)
Dates
October 2008 - September 2013
Partners
World Health Organization

Communicable diseases account for 60 to 80 percent of all curative outpatient visits and more than half of all deaths in Afghanistan.  Consequently, control of communicable disease is one of the highest priorities for the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH).  In mid-2006, WHO, with USAID support, developed an expanded version of a Disease Early Warning System (DEWS) for Afghanistan.  The project aims to reduce morbidity and mortality through early detection and response to disease outbreaks.  Coordinating across a number of MoPH technical programs, DEWS collects information on 15-targeted communicable diseases, such as avian flu, measles, pertussis, acute respiratory infections, typhoid, and malaria on a weekly basis from 175 sentinel sites across all 34 provinces.  In addition, to further expand diagnostic capabilities in support of DEWS, WHO works with the Cross Border Malaria Program to strengthen malaria laboratory diagnosis capabilities in Badakhshan, Takhar, Baghlan, and Kunduz, four high-risk provinces bordering Tajikistan.

DEWS Fact Sheet - Jan 2013

Announcements

Improving Disease Outbreak Monitoring

30 April 2010 | Kabul, Afghanistan

To bring disease surveillance systems to the next level, both local and international public health officials must take advantage of advances in information technology.  On...