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

• Main Authors: Abdullahi Tunde Aborode (Author), Mohammad Mehedi Hasan (Author), Shubhika Jain (Author), Melody Okereke (Author), Oluwakorede Joshua Adedeji (Author), Ayah Karra-Aly (Author), Ayoola S. Fasawe (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Elsevier, 2021-10-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 2213-3984; 10.1016/j.cegh.2021.100841
• Keywords: COVID-19; Health system; Disease surveillance; Africa; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270
• Source: Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health, Vol 12, Iss , Pp 100841- (2021)

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.