scholarly journals COVID-19 data reporting systems in Africa reveal insights for pandemic preparedness

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth D Judson ◽  
Judith Torimiro ◽  
David M Pigott ◽  
Apollo Maima ◽  
Ahmed Mostafa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Awareness ◽  
Diagnostic Testing ◽  
Quality Of Data ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Data Reporting ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Patient Demographics ◽  
Reporting Systems ◽  
Share Data ◽  
Data Content

Background: Throughout the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there have been a variety of practices for international reporting of COVID-19 data. African countries have used different national reporting systems to publicly share data. Analyzing the content, format, and frequency of these systems could elucidate lessons for future pandemics. Methods: We examined national COVID-19 reporting practices across 54 African countries through 2020. Reporting systems were compared by type of report, frequency, and data content. We also compared reporting of metrics such as a patient demographics and co-morbidities, healthcare capacity, and diagnostic testing. We further evaluated regional and country-specific reporting practices in Cameroon, Egypt, Kenya, Senegal, and South Africa as examples from different sub-regions. Results: National COVID-19 reporting systems were identified in 53/54 (98.1%) countries in 2020. Reporting systems were diverse and could be categorized into social media postings, websites, press releases, situation reports, and online dashboards. Of countries with reporting systems, 36/53 (67.9%) had recurrent situation reports and/or online dashboards which provided the highest quality of data. Conclusions: African countries created diverse reporting systems to share COVID-19 data. Many countries used routinely updated situation reports or online dashboards. However, few countries reported patient demographics, co-morbidities, diagnostic testing practices, and healthcare capacity. Including these metrics as well as improving standardization and accessibility of data reporting systems could augment research and decision-making, as well as increase public awareness and transparency for national governments.

scholarly journals 45. COVID-19 Vulnerability and Data Reporting in Africa: Reflections from Cameroon

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S32-S33
Author(s):  
Seth D Judson ◽  
Kevin Njabo ◽  
Judith Torimiro
Keyword(s):  
Health Surveys ◽  
Healthcare Access ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Emerging Diseases ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Data Reporting ◽  
Populations At Risk ◽  
Reporting Systems ◽  
National Expert ◽  
Using Data

Abstract Background At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic there were many questions about vulnerability and data reporting among African countries. We previously found that policymakers in Cameroon value region-specific risk maps for emerging diseases. Therefore, we created regional vulnerability indices for COVID-19 in Cameroon. As the pandemic grew, we aimed to compare how these predictions related to reported COVID-19 cases in Cameroon and whether additional African countries had available data to assess vulnerability for COVID-19. Methods Using data from the Cameroon 2018 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), we had constructed an epidemiological vulnerability index based on comorbidities potentially associated with COVID-19 severity. Similarly, we had created a healthcare access index. We then compared these indices with regional COVID-19 cases per population from weekly situation reports in Cameroon. Finally, we identified the availability of DHS data and COVID-19 reporting systems in other African countries. Vulnerability Indices for COVID-19 in Cameroon The epidemiological and healthcare access vulnerability indices constructed for Cameroon are shown along with COVID-19 cases per population. Results Adjusting for data reporting limitations, regions in Cameroon that scored higher on the epidemiological vulnerability index were associated with greater COVID-19 cases per population. We also identified regions with mismatches between high epidemiological vulnerability and low healthcare access. COVID-19 data reporting systems varied among African countries. 29/54 (53.7%) of African countries had recurrent situation reports or online dashboards with subnational COVID-19 data in 2020. Meanwhile, 36/54 (66.7%) of African countries had DHS data reported in the last decade. Conclusion We found that vulnerability indices could be a rapid way of identifying populations at risk for emerging diseases such as COVID-19. This method could be used in other countries that have both recent health surveys from programs such as the DHS and subnational reporting of COVID-19 cases. Indices could be useful for decision-making, but they will need to be refined with national expert input. National situation reports and online dashboards provided subnational COVID-19 data in approximately half of African countries. Therefore, increased baseline health surveys as well as expanded reporting of COVID-19 case data could inform future vulnerability assessments in other countries. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

scholarly journals The state of business sustainability reporting in sub-Saharan Africa: an agenda for policy and practice

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol A. Tilt ◽  
Wei Qian ◽  
Sanjaya Kuruppu ◽  
Dinithi Dissanayake
Keyword(s):  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
New Institutional Economics ◽  
The State ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Sub Saharan

Purpose Developing countries experience their own social, political and environmental issues, but surprisingly limited papers have examined sustainability reporting in these regions, notably in sub-Saharan Africa. To fill this gap and understand the state of sustainability reporting in sub-Saharan Africa, this paper aims to investigate the current state of reporting, identifies the major motivations and barriers for reporting and suggests an agenda of future issues that need to be considered by firms, policymakers and academics. Design/methodology/approach This paper includes analysis of reporting practices in 48 sub-Saharan African countries using the lens of New Institutional Economics. It comprises three phases of data collection and analysis: presentation of overall reporting data collected and provided by Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). analysis of stand-alone sustainability reports using qualitative data analysis and interviews with key report producers. Findings The analysis identifies key issues that companies in selected sub-Saharan African countries are grappling within their contexts. There are significant barriers to reporting but institutional mechanisms, such as voluntary reporting frameworks, provide an important bridge between embedding informal norms and changes to regulatory requirements. These are important for the development of better governance and accountability mechanisms. Research limitations/implications Findings have important implications for policymakers and institutions such as GRI in terms of regulation, outreach and localised training. More broadly, global bodies such as GRI and IIRC in a developing country context may require more local knowledge and support. Limitations include limited data availability, particularly for interviews, which means that these results are preliminary and provide a basis for further work. Practical implications The findings of this paper contribute to the knowledge of sustainability reporting in this region, and provide some policy implications for firms, governments and regulators. Originality/value This paper is one of only a handful looking at the emerging phenomenon of sustainability reporting in sub-Saharan African countries.

scholarly journals Disparity in the quality of COVID-19 data reporting across India

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Varun Vasudevan ◽  
Abeynaya Gnanasekaran ◽  
Varsha Sankar ◽  
Siddarth A. Vasudevan ◽  
James Zou
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
National Level ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The State ◽  
Unified Framework ◽  
Quality Of Data ◽  
Data Reporting ◽  
Union Territory

Background. Transparent and accessible reporting of COVID-19 data is critical for public health efforts. Each state and union territory (UT) of India has its own mechanism for reporting COVID-19 data, and the quality of their reporting has not been systematically evaluated. We present a comprehensive assessment of the quality of COVID-19 data reporting done by the Indian state and union territory governments. This assessment informs the public health efforts in India and serves as a guideline for pandemic data reporting by other governments. Methods. We designed a semi-quantitative framework to assess the quality of COVID-19 data reporting done by the states and union territories of India. This framework captures four key aspects of public health data reporting - availability, accessibility, granularity, and privacy. We then used this framework to calculate a COVID-19 Data Reporting Score (CDRS, ranging from 0 to 1) for 29 states based on the quality of COVID-19 data reporting done by the state during the two-week period from 19 May to 1 June, 2020. States that reported less than 10 total confirmed cases as of May 18 were excluded from the study. Findings. Our results indicate a strong disparity in the quality of COVID-19 data reporting done by the state governments in India. CDRS varies from 0.61 (good) in Karnataka to 0.0 (poor) in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, with a median value of 0.26. Only ten states provide a visual representation of the trend in COVID-19 data. Ten states do not report any data stratified by age, gender, comorbidities or districts. In addition, we identify that Punjab and Chandigarh compromised the privacy of individuals under quarantine by releasing their personally identifiable information on the official websites. Across the states, the CDRS is positively associated with the state's sustainable development index for good health and well-being (Pearson correlation: r=0.630, p=0.0003). Interpretation. The disparity in CDRS across states highlights three important findings at the national, state, and individual level. At the national level, it shows the lack of a unified framework for reporting COVID-19 data in India, and highlights the need for a central agency to monitor or audit the quality of data reporting done by the states. Without a unified framework, it is difficult to aggregate the data from different states, gain insights from them, and coordinate an effective nationwide response to the pandemic. Moreover, it reflects the inadequacy in coordination or sharing of resources among the states in India. Coordination among states is particularly important as more people start moving across states in the coming months. The disparate reporting score also reflects inequality in individual access to public health information and privacy protection based on the state of residence. Funding. J.Z. is supported by NSF CCF 1763191, NIH R21 MD012867-01, NIH P30AG059307, NIH U01MH098953 and grants from the Silicon Valley Foundation and the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative.

scholarly journals Practitioners’ opinions on the presentation of ocular pathology and ametropia in patients wearing ready-made reading spectacles

2008 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
K. C. Phillips ◽  
P. C. Clarke-Farr
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Visual Acuity ◽  
Diabetic Retinopathy ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Ocular Diseases ◽  
Patient Demographics ◽  
Education Campaign ◽  
Ocular Pathology ◽  
Eye Examination ◽  
Perceived Costs

This paper presents the findings of a study to determine optometrists’ opinions on the presentation of ocular pathology and ametropia in patients wearing ready-made reading spectacles. Ninety-seven optometrists completed a questionnaire pertaining to ametropia and ocular diseases among these patients. The questionnaire contained information regarding patient demographics, ocular pathology, ocular ametropia and the regulatory and public health aspects of ready-made readers.Ninety-five percent of respondents stated that they had seen patients with ready-made readers in their practice and 62% of these stated that they had found the presence of ocular pathology in these patients. The pathologies most commonly reported as seen by practitioners were dry eye (86% of practitioners), cataracts (80%) and diabetic retinopathy (54%). In addition, 39% of practitioners reported seeing patients with anisometropia. The majority of practitioners (71%) stated that they sold ready-made readers in their practice. Sixty-three percentof practitioners indicated that they would be prepared to offer a service whereby a reduced consultation fee and a pair of ready-made readers could be incorporated into an indigent “package”. An overwhelming 88% of the practitioners felt that the sale of ready-made readers should be more regulated and 74% of practitioners felt that the Professional Board for Optometry and Dispensing Opticians should be responsible for monitoring their sale. The research suggests that wearers of ready-made readers should be screened for ocular pathology, reduced visual acuity and amblyopia. Current regulations should be tightened and a public awareness education campaign should be initiated. The use of ready-made reading spectacles, in deference to an eye examination by an optometrist, appears to be largely as a result of the perceived costs of pri-vate practice combined with ignorance and apathy

scholarly journals Reproducibility and reporting practices in COVID-19 preprint manuscripts

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josh Sumner ◽  
Leah Haynes ◽  
Sarah Nathan ◽  
Cynthia Hudson-Vitale ◽  
Leslie D. McIntosh
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Open Science ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Important Research ◽  
Public Officials ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Share Data ◽  
Funding Information ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

AbstractThe novel coronavirus, COVID-19, has sparked an outflow of scientific research seeking to understand the virus, its spread, and best practices in prevention and treatment. If this international research effort is going to be as swift and effective as possible, it will need to rely on a principle of open science. When researchers share data, code, and software and generally make their work as transparent as possible, it allows other researchers to verify and expand upon their work. Furthermore, it allows public officials to make informed decisions. In this study, we analyzed 535 preprint articles related to COVID-19 for eight transparency criteria and recorded study location and funding information. We found that individual researchers have lined up to help during this crisis, quickly tackling important public health questions, often without funding or support from outside organizations. However, most authors could improve their data sharing and scientific reporting practices. The contrast between researchers’ commitment to doing important research and their reporting practices reveals underlying weaknesses in the research community’s reporting habits, but not necessarily their science.

scholarly journals GEOMETRIC QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF LIDAR DATA BASED ON SWATH OVERLAP

2016 ◽  
Vol XLI-B1 ◽  
pp. 93-99
Author(s):  
A. Sampath ◽  
H. K. Heidemann ◽  
G. L. Stensaas
Keyword(s):  
Data Acquisition ◽  
Airborne Lidar ◽  
Lidar Data ◽  
Quality Of Data ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Accuracy Measurement ◽  
Geometric Quality ◽  
Acquisition Processes

This paper provides guidelines on quantifying the relative horizontal and vertical errors observed between conjugate features in the overlapping regions of lidar data. The quantification of these errors is important because their presence quantifies the geometric quality of the data. A data set can be said to have good geometric quality if measurements of identical features, regardless of their position or orientation, yield identical results. Good geometric quality indicates that the data are produced using sensor models that are working as they are mathematically designed, and data acquisition processes are not introducing any unforeseen distortion in the data. High geometric quality also leads to high geolocation accuracy of the data when the data acquisition process includes coupling the sensor with geopositioning systems. Current specifications (e.g. Heidemann 2014) do not provide adequate means to quantitatively measure these errors, even though they are required to be reported. Current accuracy measurement and reporting practices followed in the industry and as recommended by data specification documents also potentially underestimate the inter-swath errors, including the presence of systematic errors in lidar data. Hence they pose a risk to the user in terms of data acceptance (i.e. a higher potential for Type II error indicating risk of accepting potentially unsuitable data). For example, if the overlap area is too small or if the sampled locations are close to the center of overlap, or if the errors are sampled in flat regions when there are residual pitch errors in the data, the resultant Root Mean Square Differences (RMSD) can still be small. To avoid this, the following are suggested to be used as criteria for defining the inter-swath quality of data: <br><br> a) Median Discrepancy Angle <br><br> b) Mean and RMSD of Horizontal Errors using DQM measured on sloping surfaces <br><br> c) RMSD for sampled locations from flat areas (defined as areas with less than 5 degrees of slope) <br><br> It is suggested that 4000-5000 points are uniformly sampled in the overlapping regions of the point cloud, and depending on the surface roughness, to measure the discrepancy between swaths. Care must be taken to sample only areas of single return points only. Point-to-Plane distance based data quality measures are determined for each sample point. These measurements are used to determine the above mentioned parameters. This paper details the measurements and analysis of measurements required to determine these metrics, i.e. Discrepancy Angle, Mean and RMSD of errors in flat regions and horizontal errors obtained using measurements extracted from sloping regions (slope greater than 10 degrees). The research is a result of an ad-hoc joint working group of the US Geological Survey and the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) Airborne Lidar Committee.

scholarly journals Expired Medication: Societal, Regulatory and Ethical Aspects of a Wasted Opportunity

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 787 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faez Alnahas ◽  
Prince Yeboah ◽  
Louise Fliedel ◽  
Ahmad Yaman Abdin ◽  
Khair Alhareth
Keyword(s):  
Recent Literature ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Pharmacy Students ◽  
Ethical Aspects ◽  
Epistemic Values ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Global Challenge ◽  
Pharmaceutical Waste ◽  
Unused Medications

A massive volume of expired medications amasses annually around the world because of pharmaceutical overprescription, combined with overproduction. The accumulation of pharmaceutical waste imposes ecological, economic and social/ethical burdens. Managing this presumed “waste” has developed into a global challenge due to the absence of specific regulations, unreasonable behavior of the patients, and an improper understanding of the concept of “expired medications” in general. This paper summaries, first, the recent literature reporting practices related to the disposal of unused medications. In this context, 48 papers from 34 countries with a total of 33,832 participants point towards a significant lack of public awareness regarding the appropriate disposal of such biologically potent chemicals. These findings are corroborated by a local survey on the disposal practices of unused medicines among pharmacy students at Saarland University. The regulatory aspects surrounding this topic, often based on the official guidelines for the disposal of expired medications and local waste management strategies, are then discussed in light of these findings. Finally, a closer inspection of the epistemic values of expired medications and different strategies for managing expired medications have been reviewed.

scholarly journals Knowledge of Lassa Fever Disease and Its Risk Factors Among Rural People in a Nigerian Community

Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Abdulrazaq Abdullahi Gobir ◽  
Clara Ladi Ejembi ◽  
Aliyu Abubakar Alhaji ◽  
Muhammad Bello Garba ◽  
Chinedu John -Camillus Igboanusi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Lassa Fever ◽  
Lassa Virus ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Public Health Importance ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Effective Prevention

Introduction: Lassa fever disease (LFD) is an acute viral haemorrhagic fever caused by Lassa virus. It is a disease of public health importance in West Africa and a global health threat. It is endemic in some West African countries like Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria, where an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 cases occur every year with an estimated 5000 annual deaths. Persons living in rural areas and health care workers are at greatest risk. Public awareness and knowledge of the LFD and its risk factors are some of the important factors that determine disease transmission and success of preventive/control efforts. This study was therefore conducted to assess LFD-related awareness and knowledge in Gangara, a rural agrarian community in Giwa Local Government Area of Kuduna State, NorthWest Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional, community based descriptive study conducted in Gangara community. An interviewer- administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 556 adult respondents, selected using systematic random sampling technique. Data was analyzed using SPSS (version 20). Results: A majority of the respondents were females (52.9%) with a mean age of 37.0 ± 15.2. The level of awareness of LFD was high (66.7%) among respondents and there was a statistically significant association between awareness of LFD and not having any form of education (P < 0.00). However, most of the respondents (79.0%) have poor knowledge of LFD. Knowledge of risk factors for LFD was also poor with 59.4% not knowing that drying grains and foodstuffs on the ground is a risk factor for LFD. Conclusions: Awareness of the disease was quite high but knowledge of the disease and its risk factors was poor. For effective prevention of future outbreaks, the community needs to be properly educated on LFD and its risk factors.

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