Disease surveillance for malaria elimination: operational manual
A malaria surveillance system consists of the tools, procedures, people and structures that generate information on malaria cases and deaths, which can be used for planning, monitoring and evaluating malaria control programmes. An effective malaria surveillance system enables programme managers to:
- identify the areas or population groups most affected by malaria;
- identify trends in cases and deaths that require additional intervention, e.g. epidemics; and
- assess the impact of control measures.
With this information, programmes can direct resources to the populations most in need and respond to unusual trends, such as outbreaks of cases or the absence of a decrease in the number of cases despite widespread implementation of interventions. As a result, progress in malaria control can be accelerated and wastage of resources avoided.