Publications by authors named "J M Rude"
Agri-food supply chains in North America have become remarkably efficient, supplying an unprecedented variety of items at the lowest possible cost. However, the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and the near-total temporary loss of the foodservice distribution channel, exposed a vulnerability that many found surprising. Instead of continued shortages, however, the agri-food sector has since moved back to near normal conditions with prices and production levels similar to those typically observed in years prior to the pandemic.
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- Early detection of meningococcal disease outbreaks is crucial, as seen in January 2018 when nine cases with four deaths emerged in Liberia's Lofa County, raising concerns about potential spread due to nearby borders.
- A coordinated response was activated through a management system, with daily meetings and data collection to track cases, revealing a high attack rate and fatalities mostly among young males aged 3 to 14.
- The findings highlighted a lack of recent vaccinations and stressed the importance of improving surveillance and preparedness for meningitis in areas not typically affected.
Introduction: Although Liberia adapted the integrated diseases surveillance and response (IDSR) in 2004 as a platform for implementation of International Health Regulation (IHR (2005)), IDSR was not actively implemented until 2015. Some innovations and best practices were observed during the implementation of IDSR in Liberia after Ebola virus disease outbreak. This paper describes the different approaches used for implementation of IDSR in Liberia from 2015 to 2017.
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- * A Data Quality Assessment (DQA) is necessary to identify the strengths and weaknesses in Liberia's disease surveillance information system and enhance the accuracy and reliability of health data.
- * The pilot assessment in Montserrado County highlighted limitations in data usage for decision-making at lower levels of health governance, with only 23% of health facilities having a dedicated phone for reporting and a notable absence of mobile network access in some locations.
Introduction: The 2014-2016 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in Liberia highlighted the importance of robust preparedness measures for a well-coordinated response; the initially delayed response contributed to the steep incidence of cases, infections among health care workers, and a collapse of the health care system. To strengthen local capacity and combat disease transmission, various healthcare worker (HCW) trainings, including the Ebola treatment unit (ETU) training, safe & quality services (SQS) training and rapid response team (RRT), were developed and implemented between 2014 and 2017.
Methods: Data from the ETU, SQS and RRT trainings were analyzed to determine knowledge and confidence gained.