Implementing integrated disease surveillance and response: Four African countries' experience, 1998–2005

Nsubuga, Peter; Brown, Wayne G.; Groseclose, Samuel L.; Ahadzie, Lawson; Talisuna, Ambrose; Mmbuji, Peter; Tshimanga, Mufuta; Midzi, Stanley; Wurapa, Fred; Bazeyo, William; Amri, Michelle; Trostle, Murray; White, Mark

doi:10.1080/17441690903334943

Cited by 58 publications

(78 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…EVD surveillance support functions and response preparedness The findings from this study demonstrate that supervision for surveillance at the district or hospital is rather irregular and also not for Ebola, which supports previous findings (13,14). Although there is some improvement in the training and employment of disease control officers, they remain inefficient and ineffective.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…These problems range from validity and quality of suspected EVD data; to problems regarding specimen taking, analysis, and confirmation and feedback; to problems of inadequate resources. Though some countries in SSA have shown some improvements in disease surveillance activities with increased potential for rapid dissemination of information (11,14,16,31), findings from the current study in northern Ghana rather revealed that late case detection and delays to provide health care services to suspected Ebola patients at health facilities are common practices leading to preventable deaths. There have been reported cases of clinically diagnosed EVD in northern Ghana.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…However, feedback to periphery facilities is still rare and irregular in most of SSA except during epidemics (14,16,20,31). Disease surveillance feedback has been described as one of the most important activities for improving health workers capacities and performance (35).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ebola Virus Disease Surveillance and Response Preparedness in Northern Ghana

Adokiya

Awoonor-Williams

2016

Online Journal of Public Health Informatics

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Background: The recent Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak has been described as unprecedented in terms of morbidity, mortality, and geographical extension. It also revealed many weaknesses and inadequacies for disease surveillance and response systems in Africa due to underqualified staff, cultural beliefs, and lack of trust for the formal health care sector. In 2014, Ghana had high risk of importation of EVD cases. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the EVD surveillance and response system in northern Ghana. Design: This was an observational study conducted among 47 health workers (district directors, medical, disease control, and laboratory officers) in all 13 districts of the Upper East Region representing public, mission, and private health services. A semi-structured questionnaire with focus on core and support functions (e.g. detection, confirmation) was administered to the informants. Their responses were recorded according to specific themes. In addition, 34 weekly Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response reports (August 2014 to March 2015) were collated from each district. Results: In 2014 and 2015, a total of 10 suspected Ebola cases were clinically diagnosed from four districts. Out of the suspected cases, eight died and the cause of death was unexplained. All the 10 suspected cases were reported, none was confirmed. The informants had knowledge on EVD surveillance and data reporting. However, there were gaps such as delayed reporting, low quality protective equipment (e.g. gloves, aprons), inadequate staff, and lack of laboratory capacity. The majority (38/47) of the respondents were not satisfied with EVD surveillance system and response preparedness due to lack of infrared thermometers, ineffective screening, and lack of isolation centres. Conclusion: EVD surveillance and response preparedness is insufficient and the epidemic is a wake-up call for early detection and response preparedness. Ebola surveillance remains a neglected public health issue. Thus, disease surveillance strengthening is urgently needed in Ghana.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

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Ebola Virus Disease Surveillance and Response Preparedness in Northern Ghana

Adokiya

Awoonor-Williams

2016

Online Journal of Public Health Informatics

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“…Lack of on-the-job training for staff who did not attend the training and lack of support through posttraining follow-up and supportive supervision were weaknesses in the intervention. These systemic challenges, reported in other IDSR ( 13 ) and mHealth surveillance ( 14 ) projects, must be addressed to avoid compromising the sustainability of such interventions. Finally, attrition of health workers exposed to the intervention and lack of paper-based tools explain only part of our results.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effectiveness of a Mobile Short-Message-Service–Based Disease Outbreak Alert System in Kenya

Toda¹,

Njeru²,

Zurovac³

et al. 2016

Emerg. Infect. Dis.

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“…58,59 Because of the importance of linking surveillance to public health action, the strategy was later renamed as integrated disease surveillance and response. Action thresholds were then defined for the common epidemic-prone infectious diseases, so Europe PMC Funders Author Manuscripts that epidemic investigation and response could be triggered in settings where the thresholds were exceeded.…”

Section: Components Of Surveillance and Responsementioning

confidence: 99%

Mitigating the threat of artemisinin resistance in Africa: improvement of drug-resistance surveillance and response systems

Talisuna

Karema

Ogutu

et al. 2012

The Lancet Infectious Diseases

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Artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria has emerged in western Cambodia and has been detected in western Thailand. The situation is ominously reminiscent of the emergence of resistance to chloroquine and to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine several decades ago. Artemisinin resistance is a major threat to global public health, with the most severe potential effects in subSaharan Africa, where the disease burden is highest and systems for monitoring and containment of resistance are inadequate. The mechanisms that underlie artemisinin resistance are not fully understood. The main phenotypic trait associated with resistance is a substantial delay in parasite clearance, so far reported in southeast Asia but not in Africa. One of the pillars of the WHO global plan for artemisinin resistance containment is to increase monitoring and surveillance. In this Personal View, we propose strategies that should be adopted by malaria-endemic countries in Africa: resource mobilisation to reactivate regional surveillance networks, establishment of baseline parasite clearance profiles to serve as benchmarks to track emerging artemisinin resistance, improved data sharing to allow pooled analyses to identify rare events, modelling of risk factors for drug resistance, and development and validation of new approaches to monitor resistance.

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Implementing integrated disease surveillance and response: Four African countries' experience, 1998–2005

Cited by 58 publications

References 8 publications

Ebola Virus Disease Surveillance and Response Preparedness in Northern Ghana

Ebola Virus Disease Surveillance and Response Preparedness in Northern Ghana

Effectiveness of a Mobile Short-Message-Service–Based Disease Outbreak Alert System in Kenya

Mitigating the threat of artemisinin resistance in Africa: improvement of drug-resistance surveillance and response systems

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