Abstract:
Epidemiological publications are generally published at national level as a source of feedback for surveillance
data provided by the preventive health sector at regional and local levels. In this connection, WER and QEB
published by the Epidemiology unit are considered as the chief source of current epidemiological information
in Sri Lanka. This study explores the significance of these epidemiological publications, examines the
awareness and utilisation of these publications among health staff, analyses the perception of health staff
regarding the quality of information carried in these publications and assesses the influence of these
publications on policy decisions. This study was carried out among health staff engaged in notifiable disease
surveillance activities in Jaffna District, Sri Lanka. A qualitative approach, using in-depth semi-structured
interviews was used. Even though WER and QEB are published to serve the purpose of disseminating
epidemiological information related to Sri Lanka, their outreach is not satisfactory. In Jaffna, the factors such
as limited circulation, lack of awareness, problems in accessibility, time delay in publication and language
barrier are contributing to the poor utilisation of these publications among health professionals and health
workers. Efforts should be taken at national level to ensure the accessibility and to improve the utilisation of
these epidemiological publications. Initiatives at regional level to collect, collate and publish epidemiological
information is also essential.
