title: Health & Demographic Surveillance System Profile: Farafenni Health and Demographic Surveillance System in The Gambia.
abstract: The Farafenni Health and Demographic Surveillance System (Farafenni HDSS) is located 170 km from the coast in a rural area of The Gambia, north of the River Gambia. It was set up in 1981 by the UK Medical Research Council Laboratories to generate demographic and health information required for the evaluation of a village-based, primary health care programme in 40 villages. Regular updates of demographic events and residency status have subsequently been conducted every 4 months. The surveillance area was extended in 2002 to include Farafenni Town and surrounding villages to support randomized, controlled trials. With over three decades of prospective surveillance, and through specific scientific investigations, the platform (population ≈ 50,000) has generated data on: morbidity and mortality due to malaria in children and during pregnancy; non-communicable disease among adults; reproductive health; and levels and trends in childhood and maternal mortality. Other information routinely collected includes causes of death through verbal autopsy, and household socioeconomic indicators. The current portfolio of the platform includes tracking Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG4) attainments in rural Gambia and cause-of-death determination.
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council, The Gambia Unit, Fajara, The Gambia, INDEPTH Network, Accra, Ghana, mjasseh@mrc.gm.
authors.forename: Momodou
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jasseh
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council, The Gambia Unit, Fajara, The Gambia.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gomez
authors.affiliation: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: Brian M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Greenwood
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council, The Gambia Unit, Fajara, The Gambia, Department of Paediatrics, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand, Centre for International Health, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Stephen R C
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Howie
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council, The Gambia Unit, Fajara, The Gambia, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.affiliation: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: Paul C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Snell
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council, The Gambia Unit, Fajara, The Gambia.
authors.forename: Kalifa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bojang
authors.affiliation: AFPRC General Hospital, Farafenni, The Gambia and.
authors.forename: Mamady
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cham
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council, The Gambia Unit, Fajara, The Gambia.
authors.forename: Tumani
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Corrah
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council, The Gambia Unit, Fajara, The Gambia, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: D'Alessandro
mesh_terms: D001344:Autopsy; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D005714:Gambia / Q000208:ethnology; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000401:mortality; D008428:Maternal Mortality / Q000639:trends; D009017:Morbidity; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012424:Rural Population; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors