Telemedicine, the European Space Agency, and the Support to the African Population for Infectious Disease Problems

2013 ◽  
pp. 89-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giorgio Parentela ◽  
Pierluigi Mancini ◽  
Franco Naccarella ◽  
Zhang Feng ◽  
Giovanni Rinaldi
Keyword(s):  
Task Force ◽  
European Space Agency ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Satellite Communications ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
World Health ◽  
Space Agency ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Health Organization

Telemedicine and the broader field of eHealth as the application of Information and Communication Technology in the health sector offer opportunities for improving health world-wide. The European Space Agency (ESA) is, since 1996, active in this field and has initiated various projects which have demonstrated that satellite communications is a powerful technology for enlarging the reach of Telemedicine services toward geographically isolated regions, especially those with a high burden of diseases, such as many areas in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2006 the Telemedicine Task Force (TTF) with the mandate to explore the potential of Telemedicine via Satellite for this region has been established on initiative of ESA and the European Commission, with representatives of African stakeholders and the World Health Organization (WHO). After a review of the current situation, the TTF has recommended short-term pilot projects to demonstrate the feasibility of an approach based on user demands, public private partnerships, African ownership, and building on existing successful initiatives. These projects shall begin in 2008, serving selected isolated areas in Sub-Saharan Africa by offering clinical services and eLearning via satellite for infectious diseases, in particular HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria. The projects should and will be presented in China for finding bilateral cooperation between Italian and Chinese Civilian and Military technologies and opportunities present already in the field.

scholarly journals The Relationship Between the Global Burden of Influenza From 2017 to 2019 and COVID-19: Descriptive Epidemiological Assessment (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan David Baral ◽  
Katherine Blair Rucinski ◽  
Jean Olivier Twahirwa Rwema ◽  
Amrita Rao ◽  
Neia Prata Menezes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
World Health ◽  
Respiratory Pathogens ◽  
Modes Of Transmission ◽  
The World ◽  
Influenza Activity ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Health Organization

BACKGROUND SARS-CoV-2 and influenza are lipid-enveloped viruses with differential morbidity and mortality but shared modes of transmission. OBJECTIVE With a descriptive epidemiological framing, we assessed whether recent historical patterns of regional influenza burden are reflected in the observed heterogeneity in COVID-19 cases across regions of the world. METHODS Weekly surveillance data reported by the World Health Organization from January 2017 to December 2019 for influenza and from January 1, 2020 through October 31, 2020, for COVID-19 were used to assess seasonal and temporal trends for influenza and COVID-19 cases across the seven World Bank regions. RESULTS In regions with more pronounced influenza seasonality, COVID-19 epidemics have largely followed trends similar to those seen for influenza from 2017 to 2019. COVID-19 epidemics in countries across Europe, Central Asia, and North America have been marked by a first peak during the spring, followed by significant reductions in COVID-19 cases in the summer months and a second wave in the fall. In Latin America and the Caribbean, COVID-19 epidemics in several countries peaked in the summer, corresponding to months with the highest influenza activity in the region. Countries from regions with less pronounced influenza activity, including South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, showed more heterogeneity in COVID-19 epidemics seen to date. However, similarities in COVID-19 and influenza trends were evident within select countries irrespective of region. CONCLUSIONS Ecological consistency in COVID-19 trends seen to date with influenza trends suggests the potential for shared individual, structural, and environmental determinants of transmission. Using a descriptive epidemiological framework to assess shared regional trends for rapidly emerging respiratory pathogens with better studied respiratory infections may provide further insights into the differential impacts of nonpharmacologic interventions and intersections with environmental conditions. Ultimately, forecasting trends and informing interventions for novel respiratory pathogens like COVID-19 should leverage epidemiologic patterns in the relative burden of past respiratory pathogens as prior information.

Pregnancy intention and gestational age at first antenatal care visit in Lesotho

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Paul Mkandawire ◽  
Joseph Kangmennaang ◽  
Chad Walker ◽  
Roger Antabe ◽  
Kilian Atuoye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antenatal Care ◽  
Gestational Age ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Universal Coverage ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
World Health ◽  
Antenatal Visit ◽  
Life Saving ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Health Organization

Background/aims With coverage of antenatal care in sub-Saharan Africa approaching a universal level, attention is now turning to maximising the life-saving potential of antenatal care. This study assessed the gestational age at which pregnant mothers make their first antenatal visit in the context of high antenatal coverage in Lesotho. Methods For the purposes of this study, secondary data from the Demographic and Health Survey of 2014 was analysed. These data were collected in 2014, via an interviewer administered questionnaire. Survival analysis was applied to the data, using Stata SE 15 to compute time ratios that estimate time to first antenatal visit in Lesotho. Results Despite near universal coverage, only 24% of mothers start antenatal care before 12 weeks of gestation, as recommended by the World Health Organization. In addition, mothers with unwanted pregnancies are most likely to delay antenatal care until later in gestation, followed by mothers with mistimed pregnancies. Education, but not wealth, correlates with the start of antenatal care. Conclusions Having achieved near universal coverage, emphasising a prompt start and adherence to recommended visits could optimise the life-saving potential of antenatal care in Lesotho.

scholarly journals A Systematic Review of the Incremental Costs of Implementing a New Vaccine in the Expanded Program of Immunization in Sub-Saharan Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 238146831989454
Author(s):  
Joe Brew ◽  
Christophe Sauboin
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Interquartile Range ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
World Health ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Vaccine Type ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Cost

Background. The World Health Organization is planning a pilot introduction of a new malaria vaccine in three sub-Saharan African countries. To inform considerations about including a new vaccine in the vaccination program of those and other countries, estimates from the scientific literature of the incremental costs of doing so are important. Methods. A systematic review of scientific studies reporting the costs of recent vaccine programs in sub-Saharan countries was performed. The focus was to obtain from each study an estimate of the cost per dose of vaccine administered excluding the acquisition cost of the vaccine and wastage. Studies published between 2000 and 2018 and indexed on PubMed could be included and results were standardized to 2015 US dollars (US$). Results. After successive screening of 2119 titles, and 941 abstracts, 58 studies with 80 data points (combinations of country, vaccine type, and vaccination approach–routine v. campaign) were retained. Most studies used the so-called ingredients approach as costing method combining field data collection with documented unit prices per cost item. The categorization of cost items and the extent of detailed reporting varied widely. Across the studies, the mean and median cost per dose administered was US$1.68 and US$0.88 with an interquartile range of US$0.54 to US$2.31. Routine vaccination was more costly than campaigns, with mean cost per dose of US$1.99 and US$0.88, respectively. Conclusion. Across the studies, there was huge variation in the cost per dose delivered, between and within countries, even in studies using consistent data collection tools and analysis methods, and including many health facilities. For planning purposes, the interquartile range of US$0.54 to US$2.31 may be a sufficiently precise estimate.

scholarly journals Preventing the re-establishment of malaria in Sri Lanka amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Prasad Ranaweera ◽  
Rajitha Wickremasinghe ◽  
Kamini Mendis
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Police Department ◽  
Control Programme ◽  
Imported Malaria ◽  
World Health ◽  
Cumulative Number ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Health Programmes

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has had a considerable impact on other health programmes in countries, including on malaria, and is currently under much discussion. As many countries are accelerating efforts to eliminate malaria or to prevent the re-establishment of malaria from recently eliminated countries, the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to cause major interruptions to ongoing anti-malaria operations and risk jeopardizing the gains that have been made so far. Sri Lanka, having eliminated malaria in 2012, was certified by the World Health Organization as a malaria-free country in 2016 and now implements a rigorous programme to prevent its re-establishment owing to the high receptivity and vulnerability of the country to malaria. Sri Lanka has also dealt with the COVID-19 epidemic quite successfully limiting the cumulative number of infections and deaths through co-ordinated efforts between the health sector and other relevant sectors, namely the military, the Police Department, Departments of Airport and Aviation and Foreign Affairs, all of which have been deployed for the COVID-19 epidemic under the umbrella of a Presidential Task Force. The relevance of imported infections and the need for a multi-sectoral response are features common to both the control of the COVID-19 epidemic and the Prevention of Re-establishment (POR) programme for malaria. Sri Lanka’s malaria POR programme has, therefore, creatively integrated its activities with those of the COVID-19 control programme. Through highly coordinated operations the return to the country of Sri Lankan nationals stranded overseas by the COVID-19 pandemic, many from malaria endemic countries, are being monitored for malaria as well as COVID-19 in an integrated case surveillance system under quarantine conditions, to the success of both programmes. Twenty-three imported malaria cases were detected from February to October through 2773 microscopic blood examinations performed for malaria in quarantine centres, this number being not much different to the incidence of imported malaria during the same period last year. This experience highlights the importance of integrated case surveillance and the need for a highly coordinated multi-sectoral approach in dealing with emerging new infections. It also suggests that synergies between the COVID-19 epidemic control programme and other health programmes may be found and developed to the advantage of both.

scholarly journals All Nets are Equal, But Some Nets are More Equal Than Others

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-4
Author(s):  
Mark Rowland
Keyword(s):  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
World Health ◽  
Insecticide Treated Nets ◽  
Comparative Performance ◽  
Malaria Burden ◽  
Test Product ◽  
Dramatic Decline ◽  
The World ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Health Organization

Much of the dramatic decline in malaria in sub-Saharan Africa since 2000 is due to the massive investment in long-lasting insecticide treated nets (LLIN). According to the latest figures from the World Health Organization (WHO), over half of Africa's population now has access to LLIN, increasing from 33% in 2010 to 57% in 2019 (WHO 2019). In 2018 alone, 197 million LLINs were delivered to Africa by manufacturers. Despite this, LLIN coverage has improved only marginally since 2015. The malaria burden worldwide has fallen only slightly from an estimated 231 million cases of malaria in 2017 to 228 million in 2018, and is at a standstill in Africa. WHO policy is to assess candidate 2nd-in-class products for entomological efficacy only. Due to the significant variation in the specifications of the candidates, to generate the required assurance of comparative performance to 1st in class, WHO has designed a non-inferiority trial design to demonstrate whether each candidate 2nd-in-class test product is no worse in experimental hut trials.

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