The lessons of COVID-19 pandemic for communicable diseases surveillance system in Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the opportunities of and barriers to communicable diseases surveillance system (CDSS) during the COVID-19 pandemic and the extent to which the disease integrated into the CDSS in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

Study Design: A descriptive qualitative approach was applied.

Methods: We conducted seven semi-structured interviews and seven interviewee in a focus group discussion (FGD) with purposefully identified Key Informants (KI) from June to December 2020.

An Assessment of Timeliness and Quality of Communicable Disease Surveillance System in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Background: The quality of the surveillance system can be defined by attributes such as completeness, timeliness, usefulness, simplicity, flexibility, acceptability, and reliability. This study aims to assess these quality features of the communicable disease surveillance system (CDSS) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Methods: This study was conducted using a retrospective review of records and documents, and the interviews with the surveillance staff (n = 82) of the Kurdistan governorates during 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Assessment of core and support functions of the communicable disease surveillance system in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Early detection and prompt response are crucial measures to prevent and control outbreaks. Public health agencies, therefore, designed the Communicable Disease Surveillance System (CDSS) to obtain essential data instantaneously to be used for appropriate action. However, a periodic evaluation of CDSS is indispensable to ensure the functionality of the system.