The article evaluates the effectiveness of Georgia’s surveillance system for acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The study found that while the system was timely in reporting cases, it faced significant challenges in data completeness, case classification, and representativeness. Many cases lacked essential laboratory test results, and the system struggled with underreporting and misclassification of cases. We recommended simplifying the reporting forms, improving training for public health specialists, and ensuring all necessary test results are reported to enhance the accuracy and reliability of the surveillance system.
The investigation was carried out by Lika, a fellow of the training programme MediPIET working in Georgia. It took more than two years to complete the work, from planning until publication. I was coaching Lika in going through this process, step by step. I think this paper could be used as example of a thorough evaluation of a surveillance system. It is very well written, very well structured, and its results already led to improvements of the system. I’m very proud of this scientific achievement.