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Akpan GU, Bello IM, Touray K, Ngofa R, Oyaole D, Maleghemi S, Babona Nshuti MA, Chikwanda CS, Poy A, Roland Mboussou FF, Ogundiran O, Impouma B, Mihigo R, Yao NKM, Ticha JM, Tuma J, Mohammed HFAH, Kanmodi K, Ejiofor NE, Manengu C, Kasolo F, Seaman V, Mkanda P. Leveraging Polio GIS platforms in the African Region for mitigating Covid-19 contact tracing and Surveillance challenges. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2021; 10:e22544. [PMID: 34854813 PMCID: PMC8972111 DOI: 10.2196/22544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Africa is an urgent public health crisis. Estimated models projected over 150,000 deaths and 4,600,000 hospitalizations in the first year of the disease in the absence of adequate interventions. Therefore, electronic contact tracing and surveillance have critical roles in decreasing COVID-19 transmission; yet, if not conducted properly, these methods can rapidly become a bottleneck for synchronized data collection, case detection, and case management. While the continent is currently reporting relatively low COVID-19 cases, digitized contact tracing mechanisms and surveillance reporting are necessary for standardizing real-time reporting of new chains of infection in order to quickly reverse growing trends and halt the pandemic. Objective This paper aims to describe a COVID-19 contact tracing smartphone app that includes health facility surveillance with a real-time visualization platform. The app was developed by the AFRO (African Regional Office) GIS (geographic information system) Center, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) emergency preparedness and response team. The app was developed through the expertise and experience gained from numerous digital apps that had been developed for polio surveillance and immunization via the WHO’s polio program in the African region. Methods We repurposed the GIS infrastructures of the polio program and the database structure that relies on mobile data collection that is built on the Open Data Kit. We harnessed the technology for visualization of real-time COVID-19 data using dynamic dashboards built on Power BI, ArcGIS Online, and Tableau. The contact tracing app was developed with the pragmatic considerations of COVID-19 peculiarities. The app underwent testing by field surveillance colleagues to meet the requirements of linking contacts to cases and monitoring chains of transmission. The health facility surveillance app was developed from the knowledge and assessment of models of surveillance at the health facility level for other diseases of public health importance. The Integrated Supportive Supervision app was added as an appendage to the pre-existing paper-based surveillance form. These two mobile apps collected information on cases and contact tracing, alongside alert information on COVID-19 reports at the health facility level; the information was linked to visualization platforms in order to enable actionable insights. Results The contact tracing app and platform were piloted between April and June 2020; they were then put to use in Zimbabwe, Benin, Cameroon, Uganda, Nigeria, and South Sudan, and their use has generated some palpable successes with respect to COVID-19 surveillance. However, the COVID-19 health facility–based surveillance app has been used more extensively, as it has been used in 27 countries in the region. Conclusions In light of the above information, this paper was written to give an overview of the app and visualization platform development, app and platform deployment, ease of replicability, and preliminary outcome evaluation of their use in the field. From a regional perspective, integration of contact tracing and surveillance data into one platform provides the AFRO with a more accurate method of monitoring countries’ efforts in their response to COVID-19, while guiding public health decisions and the assessment of risk of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Godwin Ubong Akpan
- World Health Organization, Regional Office of Africa, World Health Organization,Regional Office for AfricaCite Du Djoue ,, Brazzaville, CG
| | | | - Kebba Touray
- World Health Organization, Regional Office of Africa, World Health Organization,Regional Office for AfricaCite Du Djoue ,, Brazzaville, CG
| | - Reuben Ngofa
- World Health Organization, Regional Office of Africa, World Health Organization,Regional Office for AfricaCite Du Djoue ,, Brazzaville, CG
| | | | | | - Marie Aimee Babona Nshuti
- World Health Organization, Regional Office of Africa, World Health Organization,Regional Office for AfricaCite Du Djoue ,, Brazzaville, CG
| | - Chanda Sangawambi Chikwanda
- World Health Organization, Regional Office of Africa, World Health Organization,Regional Office for AfricaCite Du Djoue ,, Brazzaville, CG
| | - Alain Poy
- World Health Organization, Regional Office of Africa, World Health Organization,Regional Office for AfricaCite Du Djoue ,, Brazzaville, CG
| | - Franck Fortune Roland Mboussou
- World Health Organization, Regional Office of Africa, World Health Organization,Regional Office for AfricaCite Du Djoue ,, Brazzaville, CG
| | - Opeayo Ogundiran
- World Health Organization, Regional Office of Africa, World Health Organization,Regional Office for AfricaCite Du Djoue ,, Brazzaville, CG
| | - Benido Impouma
- World Health Organization, Regional Office of Africa, World Health Organization,Regional Office for AfricaCite Du Djoue ,, Brazzaville, CG
| | - Richard Mihigo
- World Health Organization, Regional Office of Africa, World Health Organization,Regional Office for AfricaCite Du Djoue ,, Brazzaville, CG
| | - N'da Konan Michel Yao
- World Health Organization, Regional Office of Africa, World Health Organization,Regional Office for AfricaCite Du Djoue ,, Brazzaville, CG
| | - Johnson Muluh Ticha
- World Health Organization, Regional Office of Africa, World Health Organization,Regional Office for AfricaCite Du Djoue ,, Brazzaville, CG
| | - Jude Tuma
- World Health Organization, Geneva, CH
| | - Hani Farouk Abdel Hai Mohammed
- World Health Organization, Regional Office of Africa, World Health Organization,Regional Office for AfricaCite Du Djoue ,, Brazzaville, CG
| | | | - Nonso Ephraim Ejiofor
- World Health Organization, Regional Office of Africa, World Health Organization,Regional Office for AfricaCite Du Djoue ,, Brazzaville, CG
| | - Casimir Manengu
- World Health Organization, Regional Office of Africa, World Health Organization,Regional Office for AfricaCite Du Djoue ,, Brazzaville, CG
| | - Francis Kasolo
- World Health Organization, Regional Office of Africa, World Health Organization,Regional Office for AfricaCite Du Djoue ,, Brazzaville, CG
| | | | - Pascal Mkanda
- World Health Organization, Regional Office of Africa, World Health Organization,Regional Office for AfricaCite Du Djoue ,, Brazzaville, CG
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Talisuna AO, Okiro EA, Yahaya AA, Stephen M, Bonkoungou B, Musa EO, Minkoulou EM, Okeibunor J, Impouma B, Djingarey HM, Yao NKM, Oka S, Yoti Z, Fall IS. Spatial and temporal distribution of infectious disease epidemics, disasters and other potential public health emergencies in the World Health Organisation Africa region, 2016-2018. Global Health 2020; 16:9. [PMID: 31941554 DOI: 10.1186/s12992-019-050-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/30/2019] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Emerging and re-emerging diseases with pandemic potential continue to challenge fragile health systems in Africa, creating enormous human and economic toll. To provide evidence for the investment case for public health emergency preparedness, we analysed the spatial and temporal distribution of epidemics, disasters and other potential public health emergencies in the WHO African region between 2016 and 2018. METHODS We abstracted data from several sources, including: the WHO African Region's weekly bulletins on epidemics and emergencies, the WHO-Disease Outbreak News (DON) and the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) of the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED). Other sources were: the Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases (ProMED) and the Global Infectious Disease and Epidemiology Network (GIDEON). We included information on the time and location of the event, the number of cases and deaths and counter-checked the different data sources. DATA ANALYSIS We used bubble plots for temporal analysis and generated graphs and maps showing the frequency and distribution of each event. Based on the frequency of events, we categorised countries into three: Tier 1, 10 or more events, Tier 2, 5-9 events, and Tier 3, less than 5 or no event. Finally, we compared the event frequencies to a summary International Health Regulations (IHR) index generated from the IHR technical area scores of the 2018 annual reports. RESULTS Over 260 events were identified between 2016 and 2018. Forty-one countries (87%) had at least one epidemic between 2016 and 2018, and 21 of them (45%) had at least one epidemic annually. Twenty-two countries (47%) had disasters/humanitarian crises. Seven countries (the epicentres) experienced over 10 events and all of them had limited or developing IHR capacities. The top five causes of epidemics were: Cholera, Measles, Viral Haemorrhagic Diseases, Malaria and Meningitis. CONCLUSIONS The frequent and widespread occurrence of epidemics and disasters in Africa is a clarion call for investing in preparedness. While strengthening preparedness should be guided by global frameworks, it is the responsibility of each government to finance country specific needs. We call upon all African countries to establish governance and predictable financing mechanisms for IHR implementation and to build resilient health systems everywhere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ambrose Otau Talisuna
- World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa, Health Emergencies programme, Brazzaville, Congo.
| | - Emelda Aluoch Okiro
- Population Health Unit, Kenya Medical Research Institute - Wellcome Trust Research Programme, P.O. Box 43640-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Ali Ahmed Yahaya
- World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa, Health Emergencies programme, Brazzaville, Congo
| | - Mary Stephen
- World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa, Health Emergencies programme, Brazzaville, Congo
| | - Boukare Bonkoungou
- World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa, Health Emergencies programme, Brazzaville, Congo
| | - Emmanuel Onuche Musa
- World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa, Health Emergencies programme, Brazzaville, Congo
| | | | - Joseph Okeibunor
- World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa, Health Emergencies programme, Brazzaville, Congo
| | - Benido Impouma
- World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa, Health Emergencies programme, Brazzaville, Congo
| | - Haruna Mamoudou Djingarey
- World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa, Health Emergencies programme, Brazzaville, Congo
| | - N'da Konan Michel Yao
- World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa, Health Emergencies programme, Brazzaville, Congo
| | - Sakuya Oka
- World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa, Health Emergencies programme, Brazzaville, Congo
| | - Zabulon Yoti
- World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa, Health Emergencies programme, Brazzaville, Congo
| | - Ibrahima Socé Fall
- World Health Organization, Emergency Response Department, Health Emergencies programme, Geneva, Switzerland
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