Publications by authors named "Emil Asamoah-Odei"

Background: Inadequate access to quality health care services due to weak health systems and recurrent public health emergencies are impediments to the attainment of Universal Health Coverage and health security in Africa. To discuss these challenges and deliberate on plausible solutions, the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa, in collaboration with the Government of Cabo Verde, convened the second Africa Health Forum in Praia, Cabo Verde on 26-28 March 2019, under the theme Achieving Universal Health Coverage and Health Security: The Africa We Want to See.

Methods: The Forum was conducted through technical sessions consisting of high-level, moderated panel discussions on specific themes, some of them preceded by keynote addresses.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Universal Health Coverage (UHC)is central to the health Sustainable Development Goals(SDG). Working towards UHC is a powerful mechanism for achieving the right to health and promoting human development which is a priority area of focus for the World Health Organization WHO. As a result, the WHO Regional Office for Africa convened the first-ever Africa Health Forum, co- hosted by the government of Rwanda in Kigali in June 2017 with the theme The Forum aimed to strengthen and forge new partnerships, align priorities and galvanize commitment to advance the health agenda in Africa in order to attain UHC and the SDGs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Expansion of HIV surveillance in sub-Saharan Africa has led to adjustments in understanding the AIDS epidemic, revealing nuanced trends in HIV prevalence through data from antenatal clinics.
  • Data collected from 140,000 pregnant women across 22 countries between 1997 and 2003 shows varying trends, with southern Africa experiencing a slight increase, while eastern Africa saw a notable decrease in prevalence.
  • Long-term urban trend data suggests stabilization in HIV prevalence rates, but significant regional differences necessitate targeted responses to effectively address the diverse dynamics of the epidemic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This paper seeks to outline the key elements of the expanded surveillance efforts recommended by the second-generation HIV surveillance approach. Second-generation systems focus on improving and expanding existing surveillance methods and combine them in ways that have the greatest explanatory power. The main elements of this approach include: considering biological surveillance - HIV, AIDS, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) - and behavioural surveillance as integral components, targeting surveillance efforts at segments of the population where most new infections are concentrated - which might differ depending on the stage and type of the epidemic - and providing the rationale for the optimal use of data generated for monitoring the HIV epidemic and evaluating national AIDS control programmes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF