Epidemiological Surveillance of Notifiable Communicable Diseases: A Multi-Center Cross-Sectional Analysis

Purpose: The aim of this study to examined notifiable disease surveillance data from multiple healthcare facilities in Zawia, Libya, spanning January to October 2024. 
Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on surveillance records from eight facilities under the Zawia Center for Communicable Diseases. Data extraction encompassed 42 notifiable diseases categorized under the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) framework. Analyses addressed temporal trends, geographic distribution, demographic characteristics, and reporting completeness. 
Results: Viral hepatitis B and C exhibited the highest notification rates, with 65 and 30 cases reported, respectively. Influenza-like illness displayed pronounced seasonal variation, peaking during August–September 2024 with 62 cases documented at Zawia Central facility alone. Trachoma, chickenpox, and gastroenteritis demonstrated sporadic occurrence with facility-specific clustering. Strikingly, 28 diseases (66.7%) recorded zero cases across all facilities throughout the surveillance period, prompting consideration of whether this reflects genuine disease absence or surveillance system deficiencies. Zawia Central facility and Juddaim Primary Healthcare Center maintained the most consistent reporting patterns, whereas several peripheral facilities exhibited considerable reporting gaps.  
Conclusion: This multi-center analysis reveals substantial heterogeneity in disease surveillance performance throughout Zawia's healthcare network. While specific communicable diseases indicate active transmission warranting targeted intervention, the predominance of zero-reporting for the majority of notifiable conditions suggests either effective disease control or, more plausibly, systematic under-detection. Enhancing surveillance infrastructure particularly at peripheral facilities and instituting routine system evaluations constitute essential priorities for strengthening Libya's capacity to detect and respond to public health threats in alignment with International Health Regulations (2005) requirements. (Open J Biomed Res 2026;5:3-11)