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Introduction: South Sudan has been implementing the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) strategy since 2006, along with Early Warning and Alert Response and Network (EWARN). The IDSR/EWARN stakeholders commissioned an... more
Introduction: South Sudan has been implementing the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) strategy since 2006, along with Early Warning and Alert Response and Network (EWARN). The IDSR/EWARN stakeholders commissioned an independent evaluation to establish performance at national, state, county, health facility, and community levels in the first half of 2021. Methods: the evaluation was conducted between June and September 2021 (during the COVID-19 pandemic) and was based on the World Health Organization (WHO) protocols for monitoring and evaluating communicable disease surveillance and response systems and the guidelines for evaluating EWARN. Results: integrated disease surveillance and response/early warning and alert response and network indicator data showed improving timeliness and completeness from the beginning of 2021 to week 16 and then a slight depression of timeliness by week 32, while completeness remained high. Event-based surveillance was active at the beginning of 2021 and in week 32. However, there was inadequate sample collection to investigate acute watery diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, and acute jaundice syndrome alerts. Respondents in all cadres had substantial experience working in IDSR/EWARN. All respondents performed the various IDSR/EWARN tasks and duties as expected, but needed more resources and training. Conclusion: while IDSR/EWARN is performing relatively well, confirmation of priority diseases by the laboratories needs to be strengthened. Health facilities need more regular supervision from the higher levels. Community health workers need more training on IDSR/EWARN. The whole IDSR/EWARN system needs more resources, particularly for communication and transport and to confirm priority diseases. Staff at all levels requested more training in IDSR/EWARN.
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Research Interests: Applied Ethics, Africa, Cancer, Developing Countries, Biological Materials, and 15 moreDisclosure, Child, Biomedical Research, African American, Cohort Study, Attitude, Data Collection, Cohort, Confidentiality, African Americans, Clinical Sciences, Cancer Patient, Consent Forms, Clinical Trials as Topic, and Blood Specimen Collection
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Research Interests: Medical Sciences, Epidemiology, Incidence Geometry, Malaria, Public Health, and 15 moreAdolescent, Medicine, Hospitals, Humans, Child, Psychological Intervention, Infant, Population Density, Patient Admission, Poisson Distribution, Child preschool, BMC, Hospital Admission, Medical and Health Sciences, and Insecticide treated net
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Research Interests: Business, Malaria, Health, Public sector, Health Policy, and 3 moreSupply Chain, Supply, and Private Sector
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The 2014–2016 West Africa Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Epidemic devastated Guinea’s health system and constituted a public health emergency of international concern. Following the crisis, Guinea invested in the establishment of basic health... more
The 2014–2016 West Africa Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Epidemic devastated Guinea’s health system and constituted a public health emergency of international concern. Following the crisis, Guinea invested in the establishment of basic health system reforms and crucial legal instruments for strengthening national health security in line with the WHO’s recommendations for ensuring better preparedness for (and, therefore, a response to) health emergencies. The investments included the scaling up of Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response; Joint External Evaluation of International Health Regulation capacities; National Action Plan for Health Security; Simulation Exercises; One Health platforms; creation of decentralised structures such as regional and prefectural Emergency Operation Centres; Risk assessment and hazard identification; Expanding human resources capacity; Early Warning Alert System and community preparedness. These investments were tested in the subsequent 2021 EVD outbr...
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Background Supervision of healthcare workers improves performance if done in a supportive and objective manner. Regular supervision is a support function of Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) strategy and allows... more
Background Supervision of healthcare workers improves performance if done in a supportive and objective manner. Regular supervision is a support function of Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) strategy and allows systematic monitoring of IDSR implementation. Starting 2015, WHO and other development partners supported the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) to revitalize IDSR in Sierra Leone and to monitor progress through supportive supervision assessments. We report on the findings of these assessments. Methods This was a cross-sectional study where six longitudinal assessments were conducted in randomly selected health facilities. Health facilities assessed were 71 in February 2016, 99 in July 2016, 101 in May 2017, 126 in August 2018, 139 in February 2019 and 156 in August 2021. An electronic checklist based on selected core functions of IDSR was developed and uploaded onto tablets using the Open Data Kit (ODK) platform. Supervision teams interviewed health c...
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Background The Democratic Republic of Congo declared their tenth outbreak of Ebola in North Kivu in 2018, which was the second-largest in the world and took place in an active conflict zone. Transmission of Ebola occurs by direct contact... more
Background The Democratic Republic of Congo declared their tenth outbreak of Ebola in North Kivu in 2018, which was the second-largest in the world and took place in an active conflict zone. Transmission of Ebola occurs by direct contact with infected bodily fluids and can occur within facilities when infection prevention and control (IPC) precautions are not strictly practised. Methods To develop infection prevention and control (IPC) standards in health facilities, 45 medical students were trained and placed in 101 health facilities to mentor healthcare workers and support IPC practices between February and October 2019. A mixed-methods retrospective evaluation of quality improvement in North Kivu was conducted in October and November 2019 to capture key lessons from such a pilot IPC project. Five focus groups (N=49) and 42 key-informant interviews were conducted in addition to a secondary analysis of surveillance and programmatic data collected during the intervention. Results Th...
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Background In November 2019, an outbreak of Lassa Fever occurred among health workers in a non-endemic district in Sierra Leone. The outbreak resulted in five cases, including two that were exported to the Netherlands. The outbreak tested... more
Background In November 2019, an outbreak of Lassa Fever occurred among health workers in a non-endemic district in Sierra Leone. The outbreak resulted in five cases, including two that were exported to the Netherlands. The outbreak tested multiple technical capacities in the International Health Regulations (2005) in a real-life setting. As such, an after action review (AAR) was undertaken as recommended by World Health Organization. We report on the findings of the AAR including best practices and lessons learnt. Methods A two stage review process was employed. The first stage involved national pillar level reviews for each technical pillar and one review of the district level response. The second stage brought together all pillars, including participants from the national and sub-national level as well as health sector partners. National guidelines were used as references during the deliberations. A standardized template was used to report on the key findings on what happened, wha...
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In December 2019, a new coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and associated disease, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), was identified in China. This virus spread quickly and in March, 2020, it was... more
In December 2019, a new coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and associated disease, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), was identified in China. This virus spread quickly and in March, 2020, it was declared a pandemic. Scientists predicted the worst scenario to occur in Africa since it was the least developed of the continents in terms of human development index, lagged behind others in achievement of the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs), has inadequate resources for provision of social services, and has many fragile states. In addition, there were relatively few research reporting findings on COVID-19 in Africa. On the contrary, the more developed countries reported higher disease incidences and mortality rates. However, for Africa, the earlier predictions and modelling into COVID-19 incidence and mortality did not fit into the reality. Therefore, the main objective of this forum is to bring together infectious diseases and ...
Research Interests: Development Economics, Epidemiology, Immunology, Economic Growth, Africa, and 15 moreChina, Public Health, Infectious Diseases, Medicine, Immunity, Disease, Vaccination, Coverage, Status Quo, Pandemic, Coronavirus, Essential Health Package, CoVid, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), and Medical and Health Sciences
Introduction: Cholera remains one of the major threats to the global health security in the World Health Organization African Region with at least ten Member States being affected yearly. Objective: This study assessed the countries’... more
Introduction: Cholera remains one of the major threats to the global health security in the World Health Organization African Region with at least ten Member States being affected yearly. Objective: This study assessed the countries’ readiness to prevent, detect, respond and recover from cholera outbreaks. Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study targeted 28 countries at risk of cholera. A readiness tool, covering all pillars required by the global health security was developed. Criteria, fit-tested with the regional framework for cholera elimination by 2030, were defined for each pillar. Based on experts’ opinion, each pillar and corresponding criteria were weighted. Data was collected in each country through group discussion of multi-sectoral cholera teams. The data collected were analyzed and visualized through an online Power BI tool. The readiness for each pillar was rated good if the pillar assessment result reached at least 80 % of expected points. The readiness was moderate if ranging between 50 % and 80 %. The readiness was limited if the rating was below 50%. The readiness status of each country was based on the same criteria. Results: The overall countries’ readiness level to detect and respond to cholera was insufficient. Of the 23 responding countries, there was no country with good readiness. Seven countries had moderate readiness while sixteen had limited readiness level. Laboratory was the best performing pillar with good readiness reported in eight countries. Only three countries had good readiness level for surveillance, two countries for infection prevention and control, and one country respectively for coordination and, water sanitation and hygiene. Conclusion: Countries in the WHO African Region were not adequately prepared to prevent or control cholera outbreak. Such readiness assessment provided critical information about areas of improvement across the 11 pillars and should be regularly undertaken to monitor progress in readiness capacity in the Region.
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ObjectivesThe resurgence in cases and deaths due to COVID-19 in many countries suggests complacency in adhering to COVID-19 preventive guidelines. Vaccination, therefore, remains a key intervention in mitigating the impact of the COVID-19... more
ObjectivesThe resurgence in cases and deaths due to COVID-19 in many countries suggests complacency in adhering to COVID-19 preventive guidelines. Vaccination, therefore, remains a key intervention in mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigated the level of adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures and intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine among Ugandans.Design, setting and participantsA nationwide cross-sectional survey of 1053 Ugandan adults was conducted in March 2021 using telephone interviews.Main outcome measuresParticipants reported on adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures and intention to be vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccines.ResultsOverall, 10.2% of the respondents adhered to the COVID-19 preventive guidelines and 57.8% stated definite intention to receive a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Compared with women, men were less likely to adhere to COVID-19 guidelines (Odds Ratio (OR)=0.64, 95% CI 0.41 to 0.99). Participants from the northern (4.0%, OR=0.2...
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ObjectivesWe conducted a review of intra-action review (IAR) reports of the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa. We highlight best practices and challenges and offer perspectives for the future.DesignA thematic analysis... more
ObjectivesWe conducted a review of intra-action review (IAR) reports of the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa. We highlight best practices and challenges and offer perspectives for the future.DesignA thematic analysis across 10 preparedness and response domains, namely, governance, leadership, and coordination; planning and monitoring; risk communication and community engagement; surveillance, rapid response, and case investigation; infection prevention and control; case management; screening and monitoring at points of entry; national laboratory system; logistics and supply chain management; and maintaining essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic.SettingAll countries in the WHO African Region were eligible for inclusion in the study. National IAR reports submitted by March 2021 were analysed.ResultsWe retrieved IAR reports from 18 African countries. The COVID-19 pandemic response in African countries has relied on many existing response systems suc...
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Background The duration of trial follow-up affects the ability to detect recrudescent infections following anti-malarial treatment. The aim of this study was to explore the proportions of recrudescent parasitaemia as ascribed by... more
Background The duration of trial follow-up affects the ability to detect recrudescent infections following anti-malarial treatment. The aim of this study was to explore the proportions of recrudescent parasitaemia as ascribed by genotyping captured at various follow-up time-points in treatment efficacy trials for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Methods Individual patient data from 83 anti-malarial efficacy studies collated in the WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN) repository with at least 28 days follow-up were available. The temporal and cumulative distributions of recrudescence were characterized using a Cox regression model with shared frailty on study-sites. Fractional polynomials were used to capture non-linear instantaneous hazard. The area under the density curve (AUC) of the constructed distribution was used to estimate the optimal follow-up period for capturing a P. falciparum malaria recrudescence. Simulation studies were conducted based on the ...
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Introduction: Cholera is one of the most frequent public health emergencies in Sub Saharan Africa. The disease is targeted for elimination by the World Health Organization and the Global Task Force on Cholera Control. Objective: This... more
Introduction: Cholera is one of the most frequent public health emergencies in Sub Saharan Africa. The disease is targeted for elimination by the World Health Organization and the Global Task Force on Cholera Control. Objective: This study describes the 2021 cholera outbreaks in West Africa and determines their public health implication. Method: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Non-probability method and exhaustive choice of all countries affected by cholera outbreaks in West Africa in 2021 were performed. Data were collected using line-lists, situation reports, meeting and workshops reports. Results: A total of 108,859 cases and 3,711 deaths (case fatality ratio of 3.4%) were reported from 4 January 2021 to 14 November 2021 in seven countries. The outbreak started on 12 December 2020 in Delta State, Nigeria and was reported later in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Mali, Niger and Togo. The global attack rate was 355.7 per 1,000,000 inhabitants and was ranged to 527.2 per 1,000,000 inhabitants in Nigeria. Nigeria was the most affected country with 95% of cases followed by Niger Republic. The outbreak affected 89% of States in Nigeria, 88% of regions in Niger and 58% of departments in Benin. People above 15 years were the most affected (59%) while the under-five accounted for 26% of cases. The sex ratio Female / Male was 1.01 but more deaths were reported within male. The case fatality ratio ranged to 38.5% in Mali. Six countries out of 7 had a case fatality rate above 2%. Low access to safe water and proper sanitation, cross border movements and inadequate behaviors were the main predisposing factors. The magnitude of the outbreaks is unprecedented. The outbreaks were laboratoryconfirmed in all the affected countries. Of the 1,086 stool samples collected, 617 (56.8%) tested positive by culture. The Vibrio cholerae serogroup O1 was identified in all the seven countries. The serotype Ogawa was identified in Burkina Faso, Niger and Togo while the serotype Inaba was identified in Cameroon. Conclusion: African countries are not yet on track to achieve the cholera elimination goal by 2030. Countries should quickly improve the implementation of the global roadmap and African region framework for cholera elimination by 2030.
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Background Plasmodium falciparum malaria is associated with anaemia-related morbidity, attributable to host, parasite and drug factors. We quantified the haematological response following treatment of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria... more
Background Plasmodium falciparum malaria is associated with anaemia-related morbidity, attributable to host, parasite and drug factors. We quantified the haematological response following treatment of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria to identify the factors associated with malarial anaemia. Methods Individual patient data from eligible antimalarial efficacy studies of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria, available through the WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network data repository prior to August 2015, were pooled using standardised methodology. The haematological response over time was quantified using a multivariable linear mixed effects model with nonlinear terms for time, and the model was then used to estimate the mean haemoglobin at day of nadir and day 7. Multivariable logistic regression quantified risk factors for moderately severe anaemia (haemoglobin < 7 g/dL) at day 0, day 3 and day 7 as well as a fractional fall ≥ 25% at day 3 and day 7. Results A total of 70,22...
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IntroductionEstimating COVID-19 cumulative incidence in Africa remains problematic due to challenges in contact tracing, routine surveillance systems and laboratory testing capacities and strategies. We undertook a meta-analysis of... more
IntroductionEstimating COVID-19 cumulative incidence in Africa remains problematic due to challenges in contact tracing, routine surveillance systems and laboratory testing capacities and strategies. We undertook a meta-analysis of population-based seroprevalence studies to estimate SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Africa to inform evidence-based decision making on Public Health and Social Measures (PHSM) and vaccine strategy.MethodsWe searched for seroprevalence studies conducted in Africa published 01-01-2020 to 30-12-2021 in Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and Europe PMC (preprints), grey literature, media releases and early results from WHO Unity studies. All studies were screened, extracted, assessed for risk of bias and evaluated for alignment with the WHO Unity protocol for seroepidemiological investigations. We conducted descriptive analyses of seroprevalence and meta-analysed seroprevalence differences by demographic groups, place and time. We estimated the extent of undetecte...
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Introduction On November 20, 2019, the Sierra Leone International Health Regulations (IHR) National Focal Point was notified of an exported case of Lassa fever in The Netherlands, by a Dutch doctor who previously practiced in a rural... more
Introduction On November 20, 2019, the Sierra Leone International Health Regulations (IHR) National Focal Point was notified of an exported case of Lassa fever in The Netherlands, by a Dutch doctor who previously practiced in a rural hospital in Sierra Leone. This report describes the extent of the outbreak, possible sources of infection, and the outbreak response measures taken. Methods Response measures implemented to control the outbreak included coordination across multiple countries and cities, outbreak investigation, active case finding, contact tracing and monitoring, laboratory investigation, and isolation and treatment of cases. Results We report a hospital-associated outbreak that resulted in 3 confirmed cases (health workers) and 2 probable cases (patients). The case fatality rate was 60%, whereas the secondary attack rate was 14%. Two cases involved exportations to The Netherlands. Failure to detect the index case and poor adherence to infection prevention and control (IPC) protocols contributed to disease spread. Pregnancy status and nonspecific signs and symptoms of the index case contributed to failure in early case detection. Conclusions Rapid activation of national and subnational incident management systems resulted in rapid outbreak control. We recommend regular training for clinicians on surveillance and IPC protocols and strengthening in-country Lassa virus diagnostic capacity.
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Process mapping is a systems thinking approach used to understand, analyse and optimise processes within complex systems. We aim to demonstrate how this methodology can be applied during disease outbreaks to strengthen response and health... more
Process mapping is a systems thinking approach used to understand, analyse and optimise processes within complex systems. We aim to demonstrate how this methodology can be applied during disease outbreaks to strengthen response and health systems. Process mapping exercises were conducted during three unique emerging disease outbreak contexts with different: mode of transmission, size, and health system infrastructure. System functioning improved considerably in each country. In Sierra Leone, laboratory testing was accelerated from 6 days to within 24 hours. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, time to suspected case notification reduced from 7 to 3 days. In Nigeria, key data reached the national level in 48 hours instead of 5 days. Our research shows that despite the chaos and complexities associated with emerging pathogen outbreaks, the implementation of a process mapping exercise can address immediate response priorities while simultaneously strengthening components of a health sy...
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The need for resilient health systems is recognized as important for the attainment of health outcomes, given the current shocks to health services. Resilience has been defined as the capacity to “prepare and effectively respond to... more
The need for resilient health systems is recognized as important for the attainment of health outcomes, given the current shocks to health services. Resilience has been defined as the capacity to “prepare and effectively respond to crises; maintain core functions; and, informed by lessons learnt, reorganize if conditions require it”. There is however a recognized dichotomy between its conceptualization in literature, and its application in practice. We propose two mutually reinforcing categories of resilience, representing resilience targeted at potentially known shocks, and the inherent health system resilience, needed to respond to unpredictable shock events. We determined capacities for each of these categories, and explored this methodological proposition by computing country-specific scores against each capacity, for the 47 Member States of the WHO African Region. We assessed face validity of the computed index, to ensure derived values were representative of the different elem...
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Closing the access barrier for effective anti-malarials in the private sector in rural purchase of ACT within 24 hours of symptom onset; ACT availability and displacement of sub-optimal anti-malarial. Talisuna et al. Malaria Journal 2012,... more
Closing the access barrier for effective anti-malarials in the private sector in rural purchase of ACT within 24 hours of symptom onset; ACT availability and displacement of sub-optimal anti-malarial. Talisuna et al. Malaria Journal 2012, 11:356
Across many malaria-endemic areas in rural Africa, health systems are weak, infrastructure is poor, and poverty is widespread. Traditionally, the communication gap between managers of health services, health workers at the periphery, and... more
Across many malaria-endemic areas in rural Africa, health systems are weak, infrastructure is poor, and poverty is widespread. Traditionally, the communication gap between managers of health services, health workers at the periphery, and the patient population they serve has been a barrier to efficient service delivery [1]. This gap, however, has the potential to be bridged through the rapid expansion of mobile network coverage, availability of inexpensive handsets, and decreasing costs of mobile phone services [2,3]. It has been estimated that over two-thirds of the population in Africa is covered by a
The COVID-19 pandemic is a devastating reminder that mitigating the threat of emerging zoonotic outbreaks relies on our collective capacity to work across human health, animal health and environment sectors. Despite the critical need for... more
The COVID-19 pandemic is a devastating reminder that mitigating the threat of emerging zoonotic outbreaks relies on our collective capacity to work across human health, animal health and environment sectors. Despite the critical need for shared approaches, collaborative benchmarks in the International Health Regulations (IHR) Monitoring and Evaluation Framework and more specifically the Joint External Evaluation (JEE) often reveal low levels of performance in collaborative technical areas (TAs), thus identifying a real need to work on the human–animal–environment interface to improve health security. The National Bridging Workshops (NBWs) proposed jointly by the World Organisation of Animal Health and World Health Organization (WHO) provide opportunity for national human health, animal health, environment and other relevant sectors in countries to explore the efficiency and gaps in their coordination for the management of zoonotic diseases. The results, gathered in a prioritised roa...
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Successive waves of COVID-19 transmission have led to exponential increases in new infections globally. In this study, we have applied a decision-making tool to assess the risk of continuing transmission to inform decisions on tailored... more
Successive waves of COVID-19 transmission have led to exponential increases in new infections globally. In this study, we have applied a decision-making tool to assess the risk of continuing transmission to inform decisions on tailored public health and social measures (PHSM) using data on cases and deaths reported by Member States to the WHO Regional Office for Africa as of 31 December 2020. Transmission classification and health system capacity were used to assess the risk level of each country to guide implementation and adjustments to PHSM. Two countries out of 46 assessed met the criteria for sporadic transmission, one for clusters of cases, and 43 (93.5%) for community transmission (CT) including three with uncontrolled disease incidence (Eswatini, Namibia and South Africa). Health system response's capacities were assessed as adequate in two countries (4.3%), moderate in 13 countries (28.3%) and limited in 31 countries (64.4%). The risk level, calculated as a combination ...
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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to spread throughout the globe and in all African countries with major public health and economic impacts. Methods: We have conducted a detailed synthesis of intra-action review (IAR)... more
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to spread throughout the globe and in all African countries with major public health and economic impacts. Methods: We have conducted a detailed synthesis of intra-action review (IAR) reports from 18 countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region, which were available as of March 2021. We conducted a thematic analysis across ten preparedness and response domains, namely, governance, leadership and coordination; planning and monitoring; risk communication and community engagement; surveillance, rapid response and case investigation; infection prevention and control; case management; screening and monitoring at points of entry; national laboratory system; logistics and supply chain management; and maintaining essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings: The COVID-19 pandemic response in African countries has relied on many existing response systems such as laboratory systems, surveillance systems for previous outbreaks of highly infectious diseases, and a logistics management information system. These best practices were backed by strong political will. The key challenges included low public confidence in governments, inadequate adherence to infection prevention and control measures, shortages of personal protective equipment, inadequate laboratory capacity, inadequate contact tracing, poor supply chain and logistics management systems, and lack of training of key personnel at national and sub-national levels. Interpretation: These findings suggest that African countries’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic was prompt and may have contributed to the lower cases and deaths in the region compared to countries in other regions. The IARs demonstrate that many technical areas still require immediate improvement to guide decisions in subsequent waves or future outbreaks. Funding Information: World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa. Declaration of Interests: We declare no competing interests.
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On 5 March 2020, South Africa recorded its first case of imported COVID-19. Since then, cases in South Africa have increased exponentially with significant community transmission. A multisectoral approach to containing and mitigating the... more
On 5 March 2020, South Africa recorded its first case of imported COVID-19. Since then, cases in South Africa have increased exponentially with significant community transmission. A multisectoral approach to containing and mitigating the spread of SARS-CoV-2 was instituted, led by the South African National Department of Health. A National COVID-19 Command Council was established to take government-wide decisions. An adapted World Health Organiszion (WHO) COVID-19 strategy for containing and mitigating the spread of the virus was implemented by the National Department of Health. The strategy included the creation of national and provincial incident management teams (IMTs), which comprised of a variety of work streams, namely, governance and leadership; medical supplies; port and environmental health; epidemiology and response; facility readiness and case management; emergency medical services; information systems; risk communication and community engagement; occupational health and ...
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The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has rapidly spread in Africa, with a total of 474,592 confirmed cases by 11th July 2020. Consequently, all policy makers and health workers urgently need to be trained and to access the... more
The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has rapidly spread in Africa, with a total of 474,592 confirmed cases by 11th July 2020. Consequently, all policy makers and health workers urgently need to be trained and to access the most credible information to contain and mitigate its impact. While the need for rapid training and information dissemination has increased, most of Africa is implementing public health social and physical distancing measures. Responding to this context requires broad partnerships and innovative virtual approaches to disseminate new insights, share best practices, and create networked communities of practice for all teach, and all learn. The World Health Organization (WHO)-Africa region, in collaboration with the Extension for Community Health Outcome (ECHO) Institute at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center (UNM HSC), the West Africa college of nurses and the East Central and Southern Africa college of physicians, private professional associations, academia and other partners has embarked on a virtual training programme to support the containment of COVID-19. Between 1st April 2020 and 10th July 2020, about 7,500 diverse health professionals from 172 locations in 58 countries were trained in 15 sessions. Participants were from diverse institutions including: central ministries of health, WHO country offices, provincial and district hospitals and private medical practitioners. A range of critical COVID-19 preparedness and response interventions have been reviewed and discussed. There is a high demand for credible information from credible sources about COVID-19. To mitigate the “epidemic of misinformation” partnerships for virtual trainings and information dissemination leveraging existing learning platforms and networks across Africa will augment preparedness and response to COVID-19.
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Field simulation exercises (FSXs) require substantial time, resources, and organizational experience to plan and implement and are less commonly undertaken than drills or tabletop exercises. Despite this, FSXs provide an opportunity to... more
Field simulation exercises (FSXs) require substantial time, resources, and organizational experience to plan and implement and are less commonly undertaken than drills or tabletop exercises. Despite this, FSXs provide an opportunity to test the full scope of operational capacities, including coordination across sectors. From June 11 to 14, 2019, the East African Community Secretariat conducted a cross-border FSX at the Namanga One Stop Border Post between the Republic of Kenya and the United Republic of Tanzania. The World Health Organization Department of Health Security Preparedness was the technical lead responsible for developing and coordinating the exercise. The purpose of the FSX was to assess and further enhance multisectoral outbreak preparedness and response in the East Africa Region, using a One Health approach. Participants included staff from the transport, police and customs, public health, animal health, and food inspection sectors. This was the first FSX of this scal...
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The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) has become a pandemic. There is currently no vaccine or effective treatment for COVID-19. Early diagnosis and management... more
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) has become a pandemic. There is currently no vaccine or effective treatment for COVID-19. Early diagnosis and management is key to favourable outcomes. In order to prevent more widespread transmission of the virus, rapid detection and isolation of confirmed cases is of utmost importance. Real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is currently the “gold standard” for the detection of SARS-COV-2. There are several challenges associated with this test from sample collection to processing and the longer turnaround time for the results to be available. More rapid and faster diagnostic tests that may produce results within minutes to a few hours will be instrumental in controlling the disease. Serological tests that detect specific antibodies to the virus may be such options. In this review, we extensively searched for studies that compared RT-PCR wit...