Performance gaps in zoonotic disease surveillance: An evaluation of the contagious pustular dermatitis system in West Mamprusi, Ghana, 2024

Introduction: Contagious pustular dermatitis (CPD) is a zoonotic viral disease of goats and sheep. Globally, over 2,000,000 estimated cases are reported annually. In Ghana, CPD is monitored by the Veterinary Services Directorate with the aim of detecting, reporting, isolating, and supporting treatment of cases. We evaluated the CPD surveillance system in West Mamprusi Municipality (WMM) to assess its usefulness, attributes and performance in meeting its objectives. Methods: We adopted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2001 updated guidelines for evaluating public health surveillance systems to evaluate the CPD surveillance system. We interviewed stakeholders, extracted data and reviewed veterinary monthly reports for the 2019-2023 period. Frequencies and percentages were generated for quantitative data, while qualitative data were summarised as themes. Results were presented in text, tables and graphs. Results: A total of 24 suspected CPD cases were reported, of which 87.5% (21/24) occurred in goats. The highest number of cases, 33.3% (8/24), was recorded in 2022, while no cases were recorded in 2021. Only 33.3% (4/12) of sub-districts reported the cases. All veterinary staff (100%, 12/12) involved in system operations knew the case definition. All identified cases were recorded on the clinical case reporting form (Veterinary Form 3) instead of the scheduled disease outbreak reporting form (Veterinary Form 1). The CPD surveillance system is integrated with scheduled disease surveillance; however, funding for system maintenance is inconsistent. Conclusion: The CPD surveillance system in WMM was useful, flexible, sensitive, and partially met its objectives. However, representativeness and acceptability were poor. The system was fairly simple but unstable.