The World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting the wider use of an innovative data collection system to create a global data warehouse. The aim is to promote prompt, accurate reporting of leishmaniasis cases from countries endemic for all forms of the disease.
“We are working to support the use of the DHIS2 that will allow for prompt collection, flow, analysis and sharing of data by national programmes” said Dr Jose Postigo, acting Team Leader, Global Leishmaniasis Control and Surveillance Programme, WHO Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases. “Implementation of appropriate control programmes in endemic countries requires immediate, reliable and more responsive methods of reporting.”
Wider use of the District Health Information System (DHIS, version 2) enables swift, more accurate and timely dissemination of crucial data and has already been implemented by health ministries in about 50 countries endemic for leishmaniasis.
DHIS2 has many features, and allows the management of aggregate and individual data with a flexible data model through a user interface. It also offers advanced dashboard features for data visualization and sharing, such as charts, pivot tables and maps at the subnational level. Furthermore, it can capture data on any type of device, including desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones and feature phones. Most solutions work offline, enabling improved reach in areas with poor connectivity.
WHO has sponsored two workshops (in Kampala, Uganda and Shimla, India) to train personnel involved in data collection and management.
Accurate, sustained data flow can contribute to improved understanding of the problem posed by all forms of the disease. To help better manage data collection, WHO will soon publish a manual on epidemiological surveillance, monitoring and evaluation of leishmaniasis control.
“We appreciate the support of partners for antileishmanial medicines that has been ongoing for several decades” said Dr Dirk Engels, Director of the WHO Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases. “Sharing information can greatly help in defining a coordinated and coherent strategy.”
“This manual will describe the kind of data that need to be collected on every case of the various forms of leishmaniasis” said Dr Daniel Dagne Argaw, Coordinator of WHO’s Innovative and Intensified Disease Management unit. “It will greatly help disaggregation and despatch of important data to relevant authorities and administrators of control programmes.”
Better data collection will allow countries to identify and improve their surveillance systems. WHO is working closely with other countries where the leishmaniases are endemic to establish the same level of reporting and analysis; regular collection and dissemination of surveillance data will strengthen control programmes worldwide.
The Weekly Epidemiological Record
Recent data collected through a relatively traditional method (using Excel sheets) in 25 countries with high prevalence of both cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis show the pattern of both forms of the disease in different settings.
Details of the findings, published in the recent Weekly Epidemiological Record, show an estimated 399 million people at risk of cutaneous leishmaniasis in 11 high-burden countries1 while 556 million are exposed to visceral leishmaniasis in 12 high-burden countries2.
Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis is caused by protozoan Leishmania parasites that are transmitted by the bite of infected female phlebotomine sandflies. The most severe (visceral) form attacks the internal organs. The most prevalent (cutaneous) form causes face ulcers, disfiguring scars and disability.
There are three main forms of the leishmaniases: visceral (also known as kala-azar, the most serious form of the disease), cutaneous (the most common) and mucocutaneous. The disease affects some of the poorest people on earth, and is associated with malnutrition, population displacement, poor housing, a weak immune system and lack of financial resources.
Leishmaniasis is also linked to environmental changes such as deforestation, building of dams, irrigation schemes, and urbanization. An estimated 900 000–1.3 million new cases and 20 000–30 000 deaths occur annually.
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1Afghanistan, Algeria, Brazil, Colombia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia and Turkey.
2Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Ethiopia, Georgia, India, Kenya, Nepal, Paraguay, Somalia, South Sudan, Spain, Sudan and Uganda.