Publications by authors named "E L Collard"
Introduction: Combating the several public health threats on the African continent requires trained and equipped workforce. The establishment of the 6-month Africa CDC Public Health Emergency Management (PHEM) fellowship provides a pathway for developing a cadre of workforce that is capable of initiating and leading emergency management programs in Africa.
Objective: We present the process undertaken to draw up a competency-based curriculum for the first continental advanced training program in PHEM.
National public health emergency operations centers (PHEOCs) serve as hubs for coordinating information and resources for effective emergency management. In the a simulation exercise is 1 of 4 components that can be used to test the functionality of a country's emergency response capabilities in a simulated situation. To test the functionality of PHEOCs in World Health Organization African Region member states, a regional functional exercise simulating an Ebola virus disease outbreak was conducted.
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- Seizures trigger both sympathetic and parasympathetic autonomic symptoms, with the vagus nerve playing a crucial role in relaying information between the brain and organs, potentially aiding in seizure detection.
- The study successfully developed a VENG detection algorithm that identified 65% of induced seizures in a rat model, demonstrating a mean detection delay of about 25 seconds but also highlighting that some seizures went undetected due to variability in detection parameters.
- Statistical analysis revealed differences in brain wave activity (Delta, Theta, Beta bands) between detected and undetected seizures, indicating distinct seizure patterns may influence how autonomic responses are activated; however, the lack of respiration data points to future research needs.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted health security program implementation and incremental gains achieved after the West African Ebola outbreak in 2016 across Africa. Following cancellation of in-person events, a multi-faceted intervention program was established in May 2020 by Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the World Health Organisation, and partners to strengthen national COVID-19 response coordination through public health emergency operations centres (PHEOC) utilizing continuous learning, mentorship, and networking. We present the lessons learned and reflection points.
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- The study aimed to evaluate the status of public health emergency operations centres (PHEOCs) across African countries.
- A survey conducted in 2021 received responses from 51 out of 54 countries, revealing that 80% have PHEOCs, with a third meeting at least 80% of required operational standards.
- While progress has been made, many countries still lack fully functional PHEOCs, highlighting the need for collaboration among stakeholders to enhance public health readiness in Africa.