COVID-19 highlights the need for a strong health laboratories foundation for infectious disease surveillance and control in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

The many challenges in the Eastern Mediterranean region put the involved countries at risk of polio transmission and affect their ability to meet progress targets in eliminating vaccine-preventable diseases. The Global Health Development (GHD) and Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network (EMPHNET) are working together on the project “Strengthening sustainable public health capacity in the Eastern Mediterranean region for polio eradication and routine immunization activities” with an overall goal of improving routine immunization, eradicating poliovirus, and controlling/eliminating or eradicating other vaccine-preventable diseases in the Eastern Mediterranean region. The aim of this manuscript is to describe the project and the achievements of GHD/EMPHNET over the last 3 years (2016-2018) to build effective surveillance and immunization systems in the Eastern Mediterranean region through the development of a sustainable and competent public health system to eradicate polio and control/eliminate vaccine-preventable diseases. This project assists the targeted Eastern Mediterranean region countries to build effective surveillance and immunization systems in an effort to expand their capacities to eradicate polio and control/eliminate other vaccine-preventable diseases. The project is streamlined with the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Strategic Framework for Global Immunization 2016-2020, and the Polio Eradication and Endgame Strategic Plan 2013-2018. The project also supports the Global Health Security Agenda by focusing on efforts to accelerate progress toward a world safe and secure from infectious disease threats. Project activities were designed to respond to countries’ needs and assist them in building their institutional and workforce capacity to effectively plan, implement, and evaluate activities to eradicate polio and strengthen routine immunization activities. The project activities covered a set of areas including surveillance of acute flaccid paralysis and other vaccine-preventable diseases, family and community engagement, workforce capacity building, improvement of data quality, management and use of information systems, use of polio assets to control/eliminate other vaccine-preventable diseases, support of countries to develop national strategies, piloting of innovative initiatives, program evaluation and accountability, and immunization strengthening. The project adopts the Global Polio Eradication Initiative strategies for assisting countries to strengthen routine immunization services, maintain highly sensitive acute flaccid paralysis surveillance, and sustain polio eradication functions.

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Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance and Control in the Mediterranean Region: report of the ARMed Consensus Conference

The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries ◽

10.3855/jidc.210 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 3 (09) ◽

pp. 654-659 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Michael A. Borg ◽

Barry D. Cookson ◽

Peter Zarb ◽

Elizabeth A. Scicluna ◽

ARMed Steering Group & Collaborators *

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

Mediterranean Region ◽

Care Delivery ◽

Eastern Mediterranean ◽

Eastern Mediterranean Region ◽

Consensus Conference ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

And Control

Antimicrobial resistance has become a global threat to effective health care delivery. This is particularly the case within the Mediterranean region, where data from recent studies suggests the situation to be particularly acute. A better knowledge base, as well as a collaborative effort, is therefore required to address this ever increasing challenge to effective patient care. Over its four-year period, the Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance and Control in the Mediterranean Region (ARMed) project investigated the epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance, as well as its contributory factors, in a number of countries in the southern and eastern Mediterranean region through the collection of comparable and validated data. The project culminated in a consensus conference held in Malta in November 2006. The conference provided a forum for expert delegates to agree on a number of priority strategic recommendations that would be relevant to resistance containment efforts in the region. There was general agreement on the need for surveillance and audit to underpin any intervention to tackle antimicrobial resistance, both to monitor changing epidemiological trends in critical pathogens as well as to identify antibiotic consumption practices and effectiveness of prevention and control of health care associated infections. In addition, the importance to convey these data to key users was also stressed in all workshops, as was better education and training of health care workers. The recommendations also made it clear that ownership of the problem needs to be improved throughout the region and that resources, both financial as well as human, must be allocated by the respective policy makers in order to combat it.

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Infectious Disease Surveillance: A Cornerstone for Prevention and Control

Infectious Disease Surveillance ◽

10.1002/9780470692097.ch1 ◽

2008 ◽

pp. 1-17

Author(s):

Nkuchia M. M'ikanatha ◽

Ruth Lynfield ◽

Kathleen G. Julian ◽

Chris A. Van Beneden ◽

Henriette de Valk

Keyword(s):

Infectious Disease ◽

Disease Surveillance ◽

Prevention And Control ◽

Infectious Disease Surveillance ◽

And Control

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Infectious disease surveillance: a cornerstone for prevention and control

Infectious Disease Surveillance ◽

10.1002/9781118543504.ch1 ◽

2013 ◽

pp. 1-20 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nkuchia M. M'ikanatha ◽

Ruth Lynfield ◽

Kathleen G. Julian ◽

Chris A. Van Beneden ◽

Henriette de Valk

Keyword(s):

Infectious Disease ◽

Disease Surveillance ◽

Prevention And Control ◽

Infectious Disease Surveillance ◽

And Control

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Overweight and obesity in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: can we control it?

Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal ◽

10.26719/2004.10.6.789 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 789-793 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

A. O. Musaiger

Keyword(s):

Socioeconomic Factors ◽

Mediterranean Region ◽

Dietary Habits ◽

Eastern Mediterranean ◽

Eastern Mediterranean Region ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

National Programmes ◽

The Status ◽

Prevalence Of Obesity ◽

And Control

Obesity has become an epidemic problem worldwide, and in the Eastern Mediterranean Region the status of overweight has reached an alarming level. A prevalence of 3%-9% overweight and obesity has been recorded among preschool children, while that among schoolchildren was 12%-25%. A marked increase in obesity generally has been noted among adolescents, ranging from 15% to 45%. In adulthood, women showed a higher prevalence of obesity [35%-75%] than men [30%-60%]. Several factors, such as change in dietary habits, socioeconomic factors, inactivity and multiparity [among women] determine obesity in this Region. There is an urgent need for national programmes to prevent and control obesity in the countries of the Region

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Desenvolvimento da Vigilância Epidemiológica de Fronteira no contexto da Globalização: conceitos e marcos teóricos.

Tempus Actas de Saúde Coletiva ◽

10.18569/tempus.v8i3.1565 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 75 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Robson BRUNIERA-OLIVEIRA ◽

Marco Aurelio Pereira HORTA ◽

Vinícius Silva BELO ◽

Eduardo Hage CARMO ◽

José Fernando de Souza VERANI

Keyword(s):

Infectious Disease ◽

Disease Prevention ◽

Disease Surveillance ◽

Prevention And Control ◽

Ad Hoc ◽

Alert System ◽

Health Security ◽

Infectious Disease Surveillance ◽

And Control ◽

Rapid Alert System

Objetivo. Apresentar e analisar as ações desenvolvidas para a implementação e desenvolvimento de Vigilância Epidemiológica de Fronteiras, nos Blocos Econômicos Multinacionais, particularmente na América do Sul e Brasil. Metodologia. Foi realizado um estudo de revisão narrativa incluindo artigos científicos, documentos técnicos, diretrizes, normas, manuais, pautas de reuniões ou qualquer outro documento que fosse relacionado ao desenvolvimento e implementação de ações e programas de Vigilância Epidemiológica em Fronteiras. O estudo foi baseado nos sites das instituições/organizações multinacionais e nas bases MedLine, PubMed, Scielo e Scopus. Resultados. Foram identificados a criação de órgãos e ações no intuito de implementar e desenvolver a vigilância epidemiológica de fronteiras para os seguintes blocos: União Europeia (Health Security Committee, European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Sistema de alerta rápido e resposta, General Rapid Alert System e Rede de Monitoramento Ad Hoc); Tratado Norte-Americano de Livre Comércio (Border Infectious Disease Surveillance, “Projeto de Vigilância e Alerta Rápido de Doenças Infeciosas”) ; Mercado Comum do Sul ( Reunião de Ministros da Saúde do Mercosul, Subgrupo de Trabalho 11 Saúde e Subcomissão Controle Sanitário de Portos, Aeroportos, Terminais e Passos Fronteiriços Terrestres); e União de Nações Sul-Americanas. Conclusões. Os programas e politicas desenvolvidos até o momento refletem o reconhecimento da importância do assunto por parte dos Estados Membros da OMS. Uma maior integração, com troca de informações, incluindo fluxos, frameworks, planos de preparação e o fortalecimento de áreas estratégicas como de energia e transporte deve ser incentivada intra e inter blocos.

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Health consequences of Drought in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region: hotspot areas and needed actions.

10.21203/rs.3.rs-48466/v3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Saverio Bellizzi ◽

Chris Lane ◽

Mohamed Elhakim ◽

Pierre Nabeth

Keyword(s):

Disease Surveillance ◽

Mediterranean Region ◽

Eastern Mediterranean ◽

Eastern Mediterranean Region ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Index Score ◽

Data Availability ◽

World Health ◽

Health Consequences ◽

Vector Borne Diseases

Abstract Background: Over the past four decades, drought episodes in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) of the of the World Health Organization (WHO) have gradually become more widespread, prolonged and frequent. We aimed to map hotspot countries and identified key strategic actions for health consequences.Methods: We reviewed scientific literature and WHO EMR documentation on trends and patterns of the drought health consequences from 1990 through 2019. Extensive communication was also carried out with EMR WHO country offices to retrieve information on ongoing initiatives to face health consequences due to drought. An index score was developed to categorize countries according vulnerability factors towards drought. Results: A series of complex health consequences are due to drought in EMR, including malnutrition, vector-borne diseases, and water-borne diseases. The index score indicated how Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia are “hotspots” due to poor population health status and access to basic sanitation as well as other elements such as food insecurity, displacement and conflicts/political instability. WHO country offices effort is towards enhancing access to water and sanitation and essential healthcare services including immunization and psychological support, strengthening disease surveillance and response, and risk communication. Conclusions: Drought-related health effects in the WHO EMR represent a public health emergency. Strengthening mitigation activities and additional tailored efforts are urgently needed to overcome context-specific gaps and weaknesses, with specific focus on financing, accountability and enhanced data availability.

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High sensitivity for tuberculosis in a national integrated surveillance system in Finland

Eurosurveillance ◽

10.2807/esm.10.06.00546-en ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 3-4 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

M Kokki ◽

P Holmström ◽

P Ruutu

Keyword(s):

Infectious Disease ◽

Surveillance System ◽

Disease Surveillance ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Infectious Disease Surveillance ◽

Notification System ◽

Disease Surveillance System ◽

Highly Sensitive ◽

And Control ◽

Culture Positive

Little is known about the sensitivity of surveillance for tuberculosis after integration of formerly dedicated tuberculosis surveillance and control into the general health care system, an integration which took place in Finland in 1987. We compared routine laboratory notifications to the National Infectious Disease Register (NIDR) for Mycobacterium tuberculosis from January 1, 1995, to December 31, 1996, with data collected independently from all laboratories offering M. tuberculosis culture, and with data from patient records. 1059 culture-positive cases were found. The overall sensitivity of the NIDR was 93 % (984/1059). The positive predictive value of a culture-positive case in the NIDR to be a true culture-confirmed case was 99%. For the culture-confirmed cases in the NIDR, one or more physician notification forms had been submitted for 89%. A highly sensitive notification system for culture-positive tuberculosis can be achieved in an integrated national infectious disease surveillance system based on laboratory notification.

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International infectious disease surveillance during the London Olympic and Paralympic Games 2012: process and outcomes

Eurosurveillance ◽

10.2807/1560-7917.es2013.18.32.20554 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 18 (32) ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

J Jones ◽

J Lawrence ◽

L Payne Hallström ◽

J Mantero ◽

H Kirkbride ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Infectious Disease ◽

Disease Surveillance ◽

Health Management ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Infectious Disease Surveillance ◽

Team Members ◽

Travel Health ◽

And Control ◽

Paralympic Games

Surveillance for possible international infectious disease threats to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London, United Kingdom, was conducted from 2 July to 12 September 2012 by a collaborative team comprising representatives from the Health Protection Agency (Public Health England since April 2013), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the National Travel Health Network and Centre. Team members enhanced their usual international surveillance activities and undertook joint risk assessments of incidents identified as relevant through an agreed set of criteria designed for the Games and using tools developed for this purpose. Although team members responded to a range of international disease incidents as part of their routine roles during this period, no incident was identified that represented a threat to the Games. Six incidents were highlighted by the team that were likely to attract media attention and hence could generate political and public concern. Responding to such concern is an important aspect of the overall public health management of mass gathering events. The lessons learned about the process and outcomes of the enhanced international surveillance will help inform planning by future hosts of similar events.

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