Rational
In Afghanistan, the current influenza surveillance system operates as a part of the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS), which consists of over 140 National Influenza Centers (NICs) around the world that collect and test clinical specimens, submitting a sample to WHO Collaborating Centers (WHO CC) for further characterization (WHO, 2014).
In Afghanistan, this system is managed by the General Directorate of M&E-HIS at the Ministry of Public Health and is an integral part of the National Disease Surveillance and Response (NDSR) System.
Objectives of the influenza surveillance system:
Identify types and subtypes of locally circulating viruses, and their relationship to global and regional patterns
Detect unusual and unexpected events, such as outbreaks of influenza
Generate influenza data that can be used to estimate disease burden and help decision-makers prioritize resources and plan public health interventions
Provide candidate viruses for vaccine production
Contribute to global health security by ensuring early detection of emerging respiratory pathogens with pandemic potential.
Strengthen Afghanistan’s core capacities under the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005), specifically in surveillance, laboratory detection, and timely response to public health events.
Surveillance
Sentinel surveillance system:
|
Type of surveillance |
Sentinel |
|
Year of establishment |
2009 |
|
WHO Case definitions for integrated surveillance |
Yes (SARI, ILI and SARS CoV 2) |
|
Number of sites |
10 |
|
Integrated surveillance |
Yes |
|
Event based surveillance |
No |
|
Universal testing for COVID-19 |
Yes |
Integrated surveillance:
|
Pathogens |
Year |
Case definitions |
Integration details |
|
COVID-19 |
2023 |
Same SARI/ILI case definitions used to enroll COVID-19 and other respiratory disease patients |
The COVID-19 reporting is with the national surveillance system of the MOPH in 2023. there is a total of 613 surveillance sites in the country reporting on weekly basis. |
Laboratory capacities
|
Year of recognition by WHO |
2009 |
|
Subnational lab |
No |
|
National testing algorithm |
Influenza A (H1, H3, H5) and Influenza B (Victoria and Yamagata) |
|
Sub-national testing algorithm |
NA |
|
Virus isolation/culture |
Yes |
|
Virus/antibody neutralization or hemagglutination assay |
No |
|
Antiviral susceptibility testing |
No |
|
Microneutralization assay |
No |
|
Sequencing capacity (specify pathogens) |
COVID-19 |
|
Genomic sequencing for antiviral susceptibility |
No |
Influenza Pandemic Preparedness plans and vaccination policy
|
National IPPP |
|
|
Year of issue |
2009 |
|
Year of update |
2016 |
|
Seasonal influenza vaccination policy |
|
|
NA |
|
National bulletins published and BoD estimates links
Burden of Diseases (BoD)
National Bulletins
