• An example of a surveillance-unit level epidemiological report can be downloaded here.
• An example of a national epidemiological report can be downloaded here.
• These reports were prepared with fictitious data and illustrate how surveillance data can be analysed and interpreted.

Elements to be included in a cholera epidemiological report:

• Place and time
  • Location (including surveillance unit [if applicable], country name)
  • Weekly epidemiological report number
  • Date (including epidemiological week)
• Highlights/Executive Summary
  • Number of suspected cholera cases and deaths reported at health facilities, and case fatality ratio for the reporting week and for the cumulative period (since the beginning of the year or the start of the outbreak)
  • Number of suspected cholera cases and deaths reported in the community in the reporting week and for the cumulative period (since the beginning of the year or the start of the outbreak)
  • For national reports: number and proportion of surveillance units per cholera epidemiological situation (i.e., absence of a probable or confirmed cholera outbreak, presence of a probable or confirmed cholera outbreak [community transmission], clustered transmission)
  • Any key changes in the cholera situation (e.g., detection of a deterioration of the cholera outbreak)
• Background
  • For national reports: ongoing probable or confirmed outbreaks in the country
  • How and when outbreak(s) was/were detected
  • Date and method of laboratory confirmation, if applicable
  • Date of outbreak declaration by Ministry of Health, if applicable
  • Key context relevant to cholera (e.g., seasonality of cholera, previous OCV campaigns if any, etc.)
• Analysis and Interpretation of Epidemiological and Laboratory Data
  • Description of cases by time. Draw and describe the epidemic curve and the case fatality ratio.
  • Cholera testing. Describe the number of suspected cases tested by RDT, the number of suspected cases that tested positive by RDT, and the RDT positivity rate for each surveillance unit. Describe the number of suspected cases tested by culture or PCR, the number of suspected cases that tested positive by culture or PCR, and the culture or PCR test positivity rate for each surveillance unit.
  • Spatial distribution of cases and deaths. Describe the geographical distribution of suspected cholera cases and deaths in each surveillance unit. It is preferable to display this distribution using maps and bar charts.
  • Description of cases and deaths reported in health facilities by age and sex. Describe the number of suspected cases and deaths reported in health facilities, as well as the case fatality ratio (and cumulative incidence rate for surveillance-unit reports) by age group and sex.
  • Description of cases and deaths reported in the community by age group and sex. Describe the number of cases and deaths reported in the community by age group and sex.
  • Severity: Inpatient hospitalization and dehydration level. Describe the proportion of suspected cases hospitalized as inpatients and the proportion of suspected cases by level of dehydration.
• Monitoring of Surveillance Performance
  • Report relevant indicators for the monitoring of cholera surveillance performance.
• Results of investigations
  • Describe the results of case and field investigations, if applicable (e.g., place, date, method of investigation, findings (such as geographic origin of infection of suspected cases), documentation of epidemiological links, hypotheses on potential source(s) of contamination).
• Challenges/Gaps
  • Explain the main challenges and/or gaps in epidemiology and laboratory surveillance.
• Recommendations & Priority Follow-up Actions
  • State any recommendations or priority actions to be taken.
  • Echo key messages for urgent attention.
• Annex
  • Case definitions
  • Testing strategy