The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) with support from World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a national training for trainers on the electronic surveillance (eSURV) Companion App in Swakopmund from 14 – 16 October 2024.

The Polio Eradication Programme (PEP) has put in place several innovative solutions to support regional and national interventions in surveillance, routine immunization, monitoring and evaluation, and polio eradication efforts for the WHO African region. The deployment of mHealth solutions for eSURV and Integrated Supportive Supervision (ISS) is one of the key innovations that has been pivotal in monitoring surveillance activities at the national level and has provided significant evidence of ongoing surveillance for polio certification and to detect other vaccine-preventable diseases. To ensure the sustainable use of this innovative solution and strengthen active surveillance, PEP AFRO introduced the eSURV Companion App as an enhanced solution for active surveillance

Opening the training on behalf of Dr Anna Jonas, Health Director for Erongo region, Ms Margret Kaura underscored the importance of digital technology to support polio and other vaccine preventable diseases. Dr Jonas further encouraged participants and appreciated WHO AFRO for the support in the deployment of these innovative solutions to strengthen surveillance in the country.

The App will support the country to address gaps in the original ODK (Open Data Kit) platform, such as the ability to visualize active surveillance site locations on the map and directly identify sites requiring visits based on their priority schedule. It will also be used to plan visits and generate reports on surveillance indicators, e.g., timeliness and completeness of reports per site and other routine immunization-related indicators. With the new map functionality, field surveillance officers can now navigate to new or unfamiliar sites.

In 2023, the App was deployed in 5 countries and 15 priority countries including Namibia are targeted for deployment in 2024 following the superusers’ training that took place in Douala, Cameroon in July 2024

“With the deployment of the eSURV Companion App in Namibia, WHO is committed to supporting the government in enhancing the quality of active surveillance by creating a master list of health facilities, indicating priority levels and visitation status,” stated Dr. Richard Banda, WHO Representative to Namibia.
A total of 20 participants, including Surveillance Officers, Data Managers, and IT personnel from all the 14 regions, national level, McKing and WHO Namibia were trained to ensure the smooth deployment of the tool across all districts for improved surveillance and supervision. The training focused on practical sessions and field exercises, highlighting the dedication of participants.

Namibia is set to officially launch the eSURV Companion App by March 2025. The App is expected to significantly enhance surveillance capabilities, streamline data verification processes, and contribute to the overarching goal of disease monitoring and prevention. Its functionalities, including mapping and a KPI dashboard, will benefit field surveillance officers, supervisors, and program managers, ultimately promoting system integrity and efficiency across various regions and districts.