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. 2021 Oct-Dec:12:100841.
doi: 10.1016/j.cegh.2021.100841. Epub 2021 Aug 3.

Impact of poor disease surveillance system on COVID-19 response in africa: Time to rethink and rebuilt

Abdullahi Tunde Aborode  1   2 , Mohammad Mehedi Hasan  3   4 , Shubhika Jain  5 , Melody Okereke  6 , Oluwakorede Joshua Adedeji  6 , Ayah Karra-Aly  7 , Ayoola S Fasawe  8
Affiliations

Impact of poor disease surveillance system on COVID-19 response in africa: Time to rethink and rebuilt

Abdullahi Tunde Aborode et al. Clin Epidemiol Glob Health. 2021 Oct-Dec.

Abstract

Infectious disease outbreaks have long posed a public health threat, especially in Africa, where the incidence of infectious outbreaks has risen exponentially. Although, Africa has witnessed several outbreaks of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases such as Ebola virus disease and other epidemic-prone diseases, little attention has been given towards strengthening the health surveillance systems. However, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has uncovered the region's already due to inefficient and ineffective health surveillance systems. However, the impact posed by the COVID-19 pandemic on health systems in the region has been catastrophic, it has also stressed the importance of rethinking and focusing on lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, we examine how Africa's poor disease surveillance systems affected the responses and strategies aimed at COVID-19 containment. To ensure early disease outbreak identification and prompt public health interventions in Africa, the current disease surveillance and response mechanisms must be strengthened.

Keywords: Africa; COVID-19; Disease surveillance; Health system.

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