Agincourt Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems (HDSS)
The Agincourt HDSS provides a platform for generating extremely high-resolution data leading to new knowledge, and presents opportunities for testing innovative methodology using the latest technology. Here are some quick facts about the HDSS area:
- Site size: 420 Square Kilometres
- 21 000 households
- Thirty-one villages
- 120 000 people
- Semi-arid region
- Located in north-eastern South Africa
- 40 km west of the Mozambican border
- Cross border region of rural Southern Africa
- Third of the population are Mozambican
- High population density of above 200 people per sq. km
- Limited employment opportunities
- High-level of poverty (forms part of the Bushbuckridge poverty node)
The primary driver behind HDSS is the requirement to precisely account for the entire population exposed to a danger or treated to a specific intervention, like a clinical trial. In light of this, a population is precisely identified, routinely observed, and all inflows and outflows of individuals are completely recorded. In most cases, the term “population” refers to everyone who resides in a particular area, and the “flows” are births and in-migration for the “ins” and deaths and out-migration for the “outs”
Making well-characterised data available to research and policy communities is a priority. The Unit builds capacity of local staff, has a data intern programme, and supervises/mentors doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, early and mid-career researchers. It provides leadership to sub-Saharan research networks, and partners with leading African, UK and US institutions.
South African Population Research Infrastructure Network (SAPRIN)
![](https://www.agincourt.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/saprin.jpg)
Funded by the Department of Science and Innovation, and hosted by the SAMRC, SAPRIN now comprises 5 health and socio-demographic surveillance nodes (Agincourt in Mpumalanga, AHRI in KwaZulu-Natal, DIMAMO in Limpopo, GRT-Inspire in Gauteng, C-Sharp in Western Cape). SAPRIN aims to provide high quality science-based information and advice to guide development-oriented decision-making, investments and interventions.