Between September 29 and December 28, 2024, over 5 million consultations were reported in Syria, with more than 1 million cases of notifiable diseases. The week saw an impressive data reporting completeness and timeliness, yet notable outbreaks of AWD and measles persisted, showing urgent health concerns.
From September 29 to December 28, 2024, during epidemiological weeks 40 to 52, a total of 5,116,138 consultations were recorded in Syria’s humanitarian operational areas through the Early Warning, Alert, and Response System (EWARS) and the Early Warning Alert and Response Network (EWARN). Notably, 1,033,312 cases, representing 20.2% of the total, involved notifiable diseases reported by both EWARS and EWARN, which serve both Northwest Syria (NWS) and Northeast Syria (NES).
In this timeframe, 1,942 sentinel surveillance sites contributed to data gathering via EWARS and EWARN, achieving an impressive average of 90.5% data completeness and 82% timeliness of reporting. A total of 728 alerts were issued to these systems, with EWARS receiving 613 alerts and EWARN receiving 115. Furthermore, within 72 hours, 85% of the 618 verified alerts pertained to ongoing outbreaks of Acute Watery Diarrhea (AWD) and measles across the areas monitored by the Whole of Syria (WoS).
The morbidity data indicated that during epi-weeks 40-52, 2024, the total number of sentinel surveillance sites was 1,942, comprising 1,517 in the human country team operational areas, including NES, and 425 in both NWS and NES covered by EWARN. The reporting performance showed an increased completeness of 93% and timeliness of 87% in these weeks. The total of reported notifiable disease cases reached 1,033,312, with Influenza Like Illnesses (ILI) accounting for 708,641 cases (69%), Acute Diarrhea (OAD) for 273,767 cases (27%), while Acute Jaundice Syndrome (AJS), Leishmaniasis, and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) comprised smaller percentages of the total case count.
Throughout the reporting period from September 29 to December 28, 2024, significant health data has been documented in Syria through EWARS and EWARN. The high rates of data completeness and timeliness indicate effective surveillance. However, the persistence of outbreaks, particularly AWD and measles, highlights ongoing public health challenges that require continued attention and response.
Original Source: reliefweb.int
