scholarly journals Infectious disease outbreaks in the African region: overview of events reported to the World Health Organization in 2018

2019 ◽  
Vol 147 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Mboussou ◽  
P. Ndumbi ◽  
R. Ngom ◽  
Z. Kassamali ◽  
O. Ogundiran ◽  
...  

Abstract The WHO African region is characterised by the largest infectious disease burden in the world. We conducted a retrospective descriptive analysis using records of all infectious disease outbreaks formally reported to the WHO in 2018 by Member States of the African region. We analysed the spatio-temporal distribution, the notification delay as well as the morbidity and mortality associated with these outbreaks. In 2018, 96 new disease outbreaks were reported across 36 of the 47 Member States. The most commonly reported disease outbreak was cholera which accounted for 20.8% (n = 20) of all events, followed by measles (n = 11, 11.5%) and Yellow fever (n = 7, 7.3%). About a quarter of the outbreaks (n = 23) were reported following signals detected through media monitoring conducted at the WHO regional office for Africa. The median delay between the disease onset and WHO notification was 16 days (range: 0–184). A total of 107 167 people were directly affected including 1221 deaths (mean case fatality ratio (CFR): 1.14% (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07%–1.20%)). The highest CFR was observed for diseases targeted for eradication or elimination: 3.45% (95% CI 0.89%–10.45%). The African region remains prone to outbreaks of infectious diseases. It is therefore critical that Member States improve their capacities to rapidly detect, report and respond to public health events.

PLoS ONE ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. e0198125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan L. Norris ◽  
Veronica Ivey Sawin ◽  
Mauricio Ferri ◽  
Laura Raques Sastre ◽  
Teegwendé V. Porgo

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Katz ◽  
Colin J Carlson ◽  
Munir C Pavez ◽  
Jessica Lin ◽  
Max A Palys ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The World Health Organization’s Disease Outbreak News (DONs) reports are the world’s primary source of official information on global disease outbreaks. Access to this information is crucial for informing research analyses, global health priorities, and decision making. However, in its current form, the utility of the DONs reports for research and analysis is limited as a result of their reporting format. To this end, we designed a standardized methodology for codifying the data contained in DONs reports and created an online, searchable database. Methods: We coded DONs reports published between the years 1996 and 2019, systematically collecting data from each individual report using a standardized methodology and tabulating data into a single spreadsheet. We created a Year-Pathogen-Country taxonomy to group related disease events and circumvent issues related to reporting inconsistencies in DONs reports.Results: In total, we reviewed 2,806 DONs reports corresponding to 1,105 unique infectious disease outbreaks from 1996-2019. Overall, H5N1 represented the most frequently reported disease, while China was the country with the most reports. We observed the DONs reports to contain numerous issues relating to the standardization, accuracy, and transparency of reporting procedures.Conclusions: Our database represents a new, accessible resource for research that improves the accessibility of the data contained in DONs reports. The World Health Organization should consider standardizing reporting practices, protocols, and procedures as a means of improving the reporting and transparency of infectious disease outbreaks.Trial Registration: N/A


PLoS ONE ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. e0202782
Author(s):  
Susan L. Norris ◽  
Veronica Ivey Sawin ◽  
Mauricio Ferri ◽  
Laura Reques Sastre ◽  
Teegwendé V. Porgo

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Demitry ◽  
Darren McKnight ◽  
Erin Dale ◽  
Elizabeth Bartlett

This project integrated tools and hybrid methodologies historically used for early warning, intelligence, counter space, public health, informatics, and medical surveillance applications. A multidiscipline team assembled and explored non-medical prediction and analytical techniques that successfully predict critical events for low probability but high-regret national and global scenarios. The team then created novel approaches needed to fill nuanced and unique gaps for the infectious disease prediction challenge. The team adopted and applied those proven procedures to determine which would be efficacious in foretelling infectious disease outbreaks around the world. One outcome of that effort was a successful two-year development and validation project designated ‘RAID’ (Risk Awareness Framework for Infectious Diseases), which focused on malaria prediction. The project’s objective was to maximize the warning (prediction) window of impending malaria epidemic outbreaks with sufficient time to allow meaningful preventive intervention before widespread human infection. It is generally recognized the more protracted the prediction window extends before an event, the more time available for health authorities to muster and deploy resources, which lessen morbidity, mortality, and harmful economic effects. Also, the value of early warning for an imminent epidemic must have mitigation options, or the warning window would have no beneficial impact on health outcomes. Finally, early notice is preferable over surprise epidemics, as unexpected waves of patients seeking acute care can easily overwhelm most local medical systems, as history repeatedly teaches. This cliché keeps repeating, with recurring Ebola epidemics and the recent COVID-19 pandemic as prominent exemplars. Predictive lead times need to be adequate for an intervention to be relevant. RAID’s focus on malaria prediction met these criteria from a relevant clinical and humanitarian perspective. Subsequent papers will address successful external generalization of these methods in predicting other similar infectious diseases. The model presented in this manuscript supports the conclusion that an additional two weeks advance notice could be available to public health authorities utilizing these techniques. This foreknowledge would allow the deployment of limited health resources into areas where they would do the most good and just in time. The geographical specificity was examined down to 5 km x 5 km grid squares overlaid anywhere in the world. Most of the model’s input data were derived from remote sensing satellite sources that could combine with historical WHO (World Health Organization) or nation-reported existential pathogen loads to improve model accuracy; however, such data harmonization is not required. If ground sensors were integrated into the modeling, the confidence of the risk of infection would logically improve. The model provides a successful global risk assessment via commercially available remote space sensors, even without ground sensing. RAID provides a necessary and useful preliminary means to predictive situational awareness. This improved predictive awareness is sufficiently granular to identify last chance windows for public health interventions globally. This need will become even more pronounced as infectious diseases evolve biologically and migrate geographically at ever-increasing rates.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer B. Nuzzo ◽  
Diane Meyer ◽  
Michael Snyder ◽  
Sanjana J. Ravi ◽  
Ana Lapascu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The 2014–2016 Ebola outbreak was a wake-up call regarding the critical importance of resilient health systems. Fragile health systems can become overwhelmed during public health crises, further exacerbating the human, economic, and political toll. Important work has been done to describe the general attributes of a health system resilient to these crises, and the next step will be to identify the specific capacities that health systems need to develop and maintain to achieve resiliency. Methods We conducted a scoping review of the literature to identify recurring themes and capacities needed for health system resiliency to infectious disease outbreaks and natural hazards and any existing implementation frameworks that highlight these capacities. We also sought to identify the overlap of the identified themes and capacities with those highlighted in the World Health Organization’s Joint External Evaluation. Sources of evidence included PubMed, Web of Science, OAIster, and the websites of relevant major public health organizations. Results We identified 16 themes of health system resilience, including: the need to develop plans for altered standards of care during emergencies, the need to develop plans for post-event recovery, and a commitment to quality improvement. Most of the literature described the general attributes of a resilient health system; no implementation frameworks were identified that could translate these elements into specific capacities that health system actors can employ to improve resilience to outbreaks and natural hazards in a variety of settings. Conclusions An implementation-oriented health system resilience framework could help translate the important components of a health system identified in this review into specific capacities that actors in the health system could work to develop to improve resilience to public health crises. However, there remains a need to further refine the concept of resilience so that health systems can simultaneously achieve sustainable transformations in healthcare practice and health service delivery as well as improve their preparedness for emergencies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doret de Rooij ◽  
Evelien Belfroid ◽  
Renske Eilers ◽  
Dorothee Roßkamp ◽  
Corien Swaan ◽  
...  

Background. As demonstrated during the global Ebola crisis of 2014–2016, healthcare institutions in high resource settings need support concerning preparedness during threats of infectious disease outbreaks. This study aimed to exploratively develop a standardized preparedness system to use during unfolding threats of severe infectious diseases. Methods. A qualitative three-step study among infectious disease prevention and control experts was performed. First, interviews (n=5) were conducted to identify which factors trigger preparedness activities during an unfolding threat. Second, these triggers informed the design of a phased preparedness system which was tested in a focus group discussion (n=11). Here preparedness activities per phase and per healthcare institution were identified. Third, the preparedness system was completed and verified in individual interviews (n=3). Interviews and the focus group were recorded, transcribed, and coded for emerging themes by two researchers independently. Data were analyzed using content analysis. Results. Four preparedness phases were identified: preparedness phase green is a situation without the presence of the infectious disease threat that requires centralized care, anywhere in the world. Phase yellow is an outbreak in the world with some likelihood of imported cases. Phase orange is a realistic chance of an unexpected case within the country, or unrest developing among population or staff; phase red is cases admitted to hospitals in the country, potentially causing a shortage of resources. Specific preparedness activities included infection prevention, diagnostics, patient care, staff, and communication. Consensus was reached on the need for the development of a preparedness system and national coordination during threats. Conclusions. In this study, we developed a standardized system to support institutional preparedness during an increasing threat. Use of this system by both curative healthcare institutions and the (municipal) public health service, could help to effectively communicate and align preparedness activities during future threats of severe infectious diseases.


2019 ◽  
Vol 374 (1776) ◽  
pp. 20180431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin N. Thompson ◽  
Oliver W. Morgan ◽  
Katri Jalava

The World Health Organization considers an Ebola outbreak to have ended once 42 days have passed since the last possible exposure to a confirmed case. Benefits of a quick end-of-outbreak declaration, such as reductions in trade/travel restrictions, must be balanced against the chance of flare-ups from undetected residual cases. We show how epidemiological modelling can be used to estimate the surveillance level required for decision-makers to be confident that an outbreak is over. Results from a simple model characterizing an Ebola outbreak suggest that a surveillance sensitivity (i.e. case reporting percentage) of 79% is necessary for 95% confidence that an outbreak is over after 42 days without symptomatic cases. With weaker surveillance, unrecognized transmission may still occur: if the surveillance sensitivity is only 40%, then 62 days must be waited for 95% certainty. By quantifying the certainty in end-of-outbreak declarations, public health decision-makers can plan and communicate more effectively.This article is part of the theme issue ‘Modelling infectious disease outbreaks in humans, animals and plants: epidemic forecasting and control’. This issue is linked with the earlier theme issue ‘Modelling infectious disease outbreaks in humans, animals and plants: approaches and important themes’.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madison Milne-Ives ◽  
Simon Rowland ◽  
Alison McGregor ◽  
J Edward Fitzgerald ◽  
Edward Meinert

BACKGROUND The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines mHealth as medical and public health practice supported by mobile devices. A number of mHealth devices, primarily apps designed to support contact tracing, have been utilised as part of the public health response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The value of mHealth devices in augmenting public health practice is however yet to be defined. OBJECTIVE The study aims to address three research questions: (1) What digital technologies are being used to track the symptoms and spread of infectious disease outbreaks and what strategies do they use to do so? (2) How effective and cost-effective are digital technologies at tracking the spread of infectious disease outbreaks and what are their strengths and limitations? (3) What are the user perspectives on the usability and effectiveness of these technologies? METHODS The PICOS template and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA-P) will be followed for this systematic review. The review will be composed of a literature search, article selection, data extraction, quality appraisal, data analysis, and a discussion of the implications of the data for the current COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS N/A CONCLUSIONS This systematic review will summarise the available evidence for use of mHealth devices for tracking the spread of infectious disease outbreaks. These results are potentially valuable for informing public health policy during infectious disease outbreaks such as the current Covid-19 pandemic.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1263
Author(s):  
Stephanie PD ◽  
Enjelina S ◽  
Angelica MF ◽  
Imelda Martinelli

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines the 2019-nCoV type of corona virus as a pandemic of a new type of disease spread throughout the world, this is not only a public health case, but will touch every sector. The COVID-19 (cov-19) pandemic has resulted in an emergency for the healthy condition of the Indonesian people, so President Joko Widodo has issued Presidential Decree No. 11/2020. In "procuring vaccines and implementing vaccinations for the prevention of the COVID-19 pandemic" President Joko Widodo stipulates Presidential Decree No. 14/2021. In choosing health facilities and infrastructure independently & responsibly, every human being has the right to choose according to his wishes, due to the pandemic conditions that concern the interests of the people and the state, so giving vaccinations is actually voluntary because emergency conditions can be forced. Although there is already a legal umbrella for Law No. 4/1984: "Infectious Disease Outbreaks" and Law No. 6/2018: "Health Quarantine", many in the field agree and vice versa on the implementation of vaccination in the community. The purpose of the study is to understand the nature of the administration of the corona vaccine according to the laws and regulations adopted and the factors that occur in society. Using a normative method with a qualitative approach. Giving vaccines to the community is forced. limited availability of vaccines; there are those who support there are those who are antipathy from the community regarding the implementation of vaccination; uneven distribution. The reason for the community's refusal to receive the Covid-19 vaccine is due to different trusts, this is supported by the lack of communication channels as well as the delivery of information that is not well targeted, the data on the type of vaccine is limited in information, the availability of the Covid-19 vaccine, as well as safe conditions. The government should fully support the Nusantara vaccine and the Merah Putih vaccine developed by Indonesian researchers. World Health Organizatioan (WHO) mendefinisikan Virus corona jenis Virus 2019-nCoV sebagai pandemi jenis penyebaran penyakit baru keseluruh dunia, hal ini bukan hanya kasus kesehatan masyarakat, tapi akan menyentuh setiap sektor. Pandemi covid-19(cov-19) mengakibatkan kedaruratan kondisi sehat khalayak Indonesia, sehingga Presiden Joko Widodo menetapkan KeppresNo.11/2020. Dalam “pengadaan vaksin dan pelaksanaan vaksinasi untuk penanggulangan pandemi covid-19” Presiden Joko widodo menetapkan Perpres No.14/2021. Dalam memilih sarana juga prasarana kesehatan secara mandiri & bertangggungjawab tiap manusia punya hak memilih sesuai dengan keinginannya, berhubung kondisi pandemi yang menyangkut kepentingan rakyat dan negara lebih diutamakan, jadi pemberian vaksinasi yang sebenaranya bersifat volunteer karena kondisi darurat bisa bersifat dipaksakan. Meskipun sudah ada payung hukum UU No.4/1984:”Wabah Penyakit Menular” serta UU No.6/2018:“Kekarantinaan Kesehatan”, tapi dilapangan banyak yang setuju dan sebaliknya pada pelaksanaan vaksinasi dimasyarakat. Tujuan penelitian untuk memahami sifat dari pemberian vaksin corona menurut peraturan perundangan yang dianut dan faktor- faktor yang terjadi di masyarakat.  Memakai metode normatif dengan pendekatan kualitatif. Pemberian vaksin kepada masyarakat bersifat memaksa. keterbatasan ketersedian vaksin; ada yang mendukung ada yang antipati dari masyarakat terkait pelaksanaan vaksinasi; penyaluran yang tidak merata. Alasan penolakan masyarakat dalam menerima vaksin Covid-19 dikarenakan adanya trust yang berbeda,  hal ini didukung kurangnya alur komunikasi juga cara penyampaian informasi yang kurang tepat sasaran, data jenis vaksin terbatas informasinya, ketersediaan vaksinCov-19, juga syarat aman. Pemerintah selayaknya mendukung penuh vaksin Nusantara dan vaksin Merah Putih  yang dikembangkan para peneliti Indonesia.


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