Assessment of the core functions of hepatitis B surveillance system in the southeastern Iran: a qualitative study

Introduction: Viral hepatitis has been declared as one of the major health problems by World Health Organization. Hepatitis B surveillance system is one of the most important tools for managing the disease and achieving the targets of disease elimination. Despite its high efficiency, hepatitis B surveillance system has always been faced with many challenges. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the core functions of the hepatitis B surveillance system in southeastern region of Iran. Method: Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 14 hepatitis B surveillance experts in five counties of Sistan and Baluchestan Province, southeast Iran. The data were analyzed using content analysis method, based on the structure of the disease surveillance system. Purposeful sampling method was carried out and continued until saturation of the themes was achieved. Results: The main studied themes were case finding, case reporting, case registration, and case confirmation, data analysis, sending feedback, and implementing interventions. The results of this study showed that all of the core functions of the hepatitis B surveillance system were running in the studied counties, although they did not meet the relevant standards in some cases. Conclusion: It seemed that, despite the numerous efforts and activities, it was still far from reaching the targets of the program. Considering the goal of World Health Organization to eliminate hepatitis B by 2030, it is essential to address these challenges and make attempt to overcome them.