What should the African health workforce know about disasters? Proposed competencies for strengthening public health disaster risk management education in Africa.

Background: As part of efforts to implement the human resources capacity building component of the African Regional Strategy on Disaster Risk Management (DRM) for the health sector, the African Regional Office of the World Health Organization, in collaboration with selected African public health training institutions, followed a multistage process to develop core competencies and curricula for training the African health workforce in public health DRM. In this article, we describe the methods used to develop the competencies, present the identified competencies and training curricula, and propose recommendations for their integration into the public health education curricula of African member states.

Methods: We conducted a pilot research using mixed methods approaches to develop and test the applicability and feasibility of a public health disaster risk management curriculum for training the African health workforce.

Strengthening health disaster risk management in Africa: multi-sectoral and people-centred approaches are required in the post-Hyogo Framework of Action era.

Background: In November 2012, the 62nd session of the Regional Committee for Africa adopted a comprehensive 10-year regional strategy for health disaster risk management (DRM). This was intended to operationalize the World Health Organization's core commitments to health DRM and the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 in the health sectors of the 47 African member states. This study reported the formative evaluation of the strategy, including evaluation of the progress in achieving nine targets (expected to be achieved incrementally by 2014, 2017, and 2022).

Anopheles coluzzii larval habitat and insecticide resistance in the island area of Manoka, Cameroon.

Background: The effectiveness of Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets and Indoor Residual Spraying in malaria vector control is threatened by vector resistance to insecticides. Knowledge of mosquito habitats and patterns of insecticide resistance would facilitate the development of appropriate vector control strategies. Therefore, we investigated An.

Climate change and vector-borne diseases: what are the implications for public health research and policy?

Vector-borne diseases continue to contribute significantly to the global burden of disease, and cause epidemics that disrupt health security and cause wider socioeconomic impacts around the world. All are sensitive in different ways to weather and climate conditions, so that the ongoing trends of increasing temperature and more variable weather threaten to undermine recent global progress against these diseases. Here, we review the current state of the global public health effort to address this challenge, and outline related initiatives by the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners.

From Manaus to Maputo: toward a public health and biodiversity framework.

The linkages between human health, biodiversity, ecosystems, and the life-supporting services that they provide are varied and complex. The traditional neglect of this nexus by policy-makers perpetuates threats posed to ecosystems with potentially critical impacts on global health. The Convention on Biological Diversity and the World Health Organization recently co-convened two regional workshops on these intricate but vital linkages.

Integrated vector management: the Zambian experience.

Background: The Zambian Malaria Control Programme with the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) partners have developed the current National Malaria Strategic Plan (NMSP 2006-2011) which focuses on prevention based on the Integrated Vector Management (IVM) strategy. The introduction and implementation of an IVM strategy was planned in accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) steps towards IVM implementation namely Introduction Phase, Consolidation Phase and Expansion Phase.

Achievements: IVM has created commitment for Legal and Regulatory policy review, monitoring, Research and a strong stewardship by the chemical suppliers.

Spectrum of metabolic-based resistance to DDT and pyrethroids in Anopheles gambiae s.l. populations from Cameroon.

Some populations of Anopheles gambiae s.l. from Cameroon were reported to develop resistance to DDT or pyrethroids but were free of the kdr mutation "Leucine-Phenylalanine" (Leu-Phe).

A preliminary test of the protective efficacy of permethrin-treated bed nets in an area of Anopheles gambiae metabolic resistance to pyrethroids in north Cameroon.

A trial of permethrin-treated nets (PTNs) versus untreated nets (UTNs) was conducted in Pitoa (north Cameroon), where the main malaria vectors, Anopheles gambiae s.l. and Anopheles arabiensis, show metabolic-based permethrin resistance.

Malaria vectors and transmission dynamics in coastal south-western Cameroon.

Background: Malaria is a major public health problem in Cameroon. Unlike in the southern forested areas where the epidemiology of malaria has been better studied prior to the implementation of control activities, little is known about the distribution and role of anophelines in malaria transmission in the coastal areas.

Methods: A 12-month longitudinal entomological survey was conducted in Tiko, Limbe and Idenau from August 2001 to July 2002.

Reduced bio-efficacy of permethrin EC impregnated bednets against an Anopheles gambiae strain with oxidase-based pyrethroid tolerance.

Background: Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) are an integral component of malaria control programmes in Africa. How much pyrethroid resistance in malaria vectors will impact on the efficacy of ITNs is controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate knockdown and killing effects of ITNs on a metabolic-based resistant or tolerant malaria vector strain.

Bioefficacy of cyfluthrin (SOLFAC EW050) impregnated bed-nets against Anopheles gambiae in southern Cameroon.

The bioefficacy of cyfluthrin-impregnated bed-nets was evaluated in the agro-industrial town of Mbandjock (southern Cameroon). The objectives were to assess the knockdown and mortality rates, the protection against bloodfeeding mosquitoes, and the irritant effect of cyfluthrin (SOLFAC EW050)-impregnated bed-nets against a susceptible strain of Anopheles gambiae. Polyester bed-nets were impregnated and distributed to inhabitants of Mbandjock for use, then nets were retreated after 6 months.

Insecticide susceptibility status of Anopheles gambiae s.l. (Diptera: Culicidae) in the Republic of Cameroon.

A large-scale survey of Anopheles gambiae Giles, 1902 susceptibility to DDT, dieldrin, permethrin, and deltamethrin was conducted in the Republic of Cameroon. 15 field populations from various geographical areas were tested using World Health Organization test kits for adult mosquitoes. The laboratory Kisumu susceptible reference strain was tested as a control.