Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Jun;27(2):85-88.
doi: 10.5455/aim.2019.27.85-88.

Cholera Outbreak in Yemen: Timeliness of Reporting and Response in the National Electronic Disease Early Warning System

Fekri Dureab  1   2 , Osan Ismail  3 , Olaf Müller  1 , Albrecht Jahn  1
Affiliations

Cholera Outbreak in Yemen: Timeliness of Reporting and Response in the National Electronic Disease Early Warning System

Fekri Dureab et al. Acta Inform Med. 2019 Jun.

Abstract

Introduction: In Yemen, the largest cholera epidemic of modern times started in late 2016. By March 2018, more than one million cases had been reported. A national electronic Disease Early Warning System (eDEWS) for infectious disease surveillance was established in 2013.

Aim: This study assessed the eDEWS's timelines for reported cholera cases.

Methods: Quantitative data published in eDEWS and the Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin of the Yemen Ministry of Health from March 2013 until March 2018 were analyzed. For assessing the early detection of cholera cases, 262 weekly bulletins were reviewed. The raw data of the immediately generated eDEWS alerts during the first outbreak wave were used to assess response timeliness.

Results: Reported cholera incidence peaked at 1,698 cases (first wave) in 2016 week 49, and then reached 46,667 cases (second wave) in 2017 week 26. The mean time period between reporting and the first response was 2.85 days. Only 31% of the eDEWS alerts were verified within the first 24 hours, and the majority (83%) were verified within one week. There were major differences in the timeliness between the governorates, ranging from 8%-62% for reporting within the first 24 hours.

Conclusion: The eDEWS is able to detect and alert health authorities about cholera cases even under conditions of ongoing war and civil war, however, the timeliness of the response needs improvement.

Keywords: Cholera; Health and Conflict; Surveillance System; Timeliness; Yemen; early detection.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. The World Bank. Data for Lower middle income, Yemen, Rep. 2018. https://data.worldbank.org/?locations=XN-YE .
    1. Presidential Office. Yemen. 2018. https://presidenthadi-gov-ye.info/نمي/
    1. Ministry of Public Health and Population and Central Statistical Organization. Yemen National Health and Demographic Survey, Yemen. 2013. http://www.moh.gov.ye/arabic/docs/Arabic%20Report%20Final.pdf .
    1. United Nation-Habitat, Republic of Yemen. National Report. Third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development–HABITAT III, Quito/ Ecuador; 2016; http://habitat3.org/wp-content/uploads/Yemen-National-Report-September-2... .
    1. World Population Review. Total Population by Country. 2018. http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/

LinkOut - more resources