Establishing an early warning event management system at Africa CDC.

Africa is home to hotspots of disease emergence and re-emergence. To adequately detect and respond to these health threats, early warning systems inclusive of event-based surveillance (EBS) are needed. However, data systems to manage these events are not readily available.

An indicator framework for the monitoring and evaluation of event-based surveillance systems.

Event-based surveillance (EBS) systems have been implemented globally to support early warning surveillance across human, animal, and environmental health in diverse settings, including at the community level, within health facilities, at border points of entry, and through media monitoring of internet-based sources. EBS systems should be evaluated periodically to ensure that they meet the objectives related to the early detection of health threats and to identify areas for improvement in the quality, efficiency, and usefulness of the systems. However, to date, there has been no comprehensive framework to guide the monitoring and evaluation of EBS systems; this absence of standardisation has hindered progress in the field.

Continental concerted efforts to control the seventh outbreak of Ebola Virus disease in Uganda: The first 90 days of the response.

On 20th September 2022, Uganda declared the 7th outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) caused by the Sudan Ebola strain following the confirmation of a case admitted at Mubende Regional Referral Hospital. Upon confirmation, the Government of Uganda immediately activated the national incident management system to initiate response activities. Additionally, a multi-country emergency stakeholder meeting was held in Kampala; convening Ministers of Health from neighbouring Member States to undertake cross-border preparedness and response actions.

Evaluating event-based surveillance capacity in Africa: Use of the Africa CDC scorecard, 2022-2023.

Introduction: Event-based surveillance (EBS) is a critical component of Early Warning, Alert and Response (EWAR) capacity needed for outbreak prevention and control. To better understand existing EBS and monitor the progress of capacity-building efforts over time, Africa CDC developed an EBS scorecard as part of a revision to the EBS Framework.

Methods: We distributed the scorecard to African Union (AU) Member States (MSs).

Assessing the impact of regional laboratory networks in East and West Africa on national health security capacities.

National laboratories are a fundamental capacity for public health, contributing to disease surveillance and outbreak response. The establishment of regional laboratory networks has been posited as a means of improving health security across multiple countries. Our study objective was to assess whether membership in regional laboratory networks in Africa has an effect on national health security capacities and outbreak response.

Development of core competencies for field veterinary epidemiology training programs.

A workforce with the adequate field epidemiology knowledge, skills and abilities is the foundation of a strong and effective animal health system. Field epidemiology training is conducted in several countries to meet the increased global demand for such a workforce. However, core competencies for field veterinary epidemiology have not been identified and agreed upon globally, leading to the development of different training curricula.

Comparison of COVID-19 Pandemic Waves in 10 Countries in Southern Africa, 2020-2021.

We used publicly available data to describe epidemiology, genomic surveillance, and public health and social measures from the first 3 COVID-19 pandemic waves in southern Africa during April 6, 2020-September 19, 2021. South Africa detected regional waves on average 7.2 weeks before other countries.

One health zoonotic disease prioritization and systems mapping: An integration of two One Health tools.

One Health is a collaborative approach that requires synergies between human, animal and environmental health sectors, other key sectors, and partners supporting these capacity-building efforts. Multiple One Health capacity-building tools are available that can be used independently or together. Two tools that have been used in sequence to inform each other include the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's One Health Zoonotic Disease Prioritization (OHZDP) Process and University of Minnesota/US Department of Agriculture's One Health Systems Mapping and Analysis Resource Toolkit™ (OH-SMART).

Retrospective molecular investigation of Mayaro and Oropouche viruses at the human-animal interface in West-central Brazil, 2016-2018.

Mayaro virus (MAYV, Togaviridae) and Oropouche orthobunyavirus (OROV, Peribunyaviridae) are emerging enzootic arboviruses in Latin America. Outbreaks of febrile illness associated with MAYV and OROV have been reported among humans mainly in the northern region of Brazil since the 1980s, and recent data suggest these viruses have circulated also in more populated areas of western Brazil. MAYV shares mosquito vectors with yellow fever virus and it has been historically detected during yellow fever epidemics.

Heterogeneity in dog population characteristics contributes to chronic under-vaccination against rabies in Guatemala.

Guatemala has held dog rabies mass vaccination campaigns countrywide since 1984, yet the virus remains endemic. To eliminate dog-mediated human rabies, dog vaccination coverage must reach at least 70%. The Guatemala rabies program uses a 5:1 human:dog ratio (HDR) to estimate the vaccination coverage; however, this method may not accurately reflect the heterogeneity of dog ownership practices in Guatemalan communities.

Strengthening the global one health workforce: Veterinarians in CDC-supported field epidemiology training programs.

Background: Effective prevention, detection, and response to disease threats at the human-animal-environment interface rely on a multisectoral, One Health workforce. Since 2009, the U.S.

Risk factors and genotype distribution of hepatitis C virus in Georgia: A nationwide population-based survey.

In preparation for the National Hepatitis C Elimination Program in the country of Georgia, a nationwide household-based hepatitis C virus (HCV) seroprevalence survey was conducted in 2015. Data were used to estimate HCV genotype distribution and better understand potential sex-specific risk factors that contribute to HCV transmission. HCV genotype distribution by sex and reported risk factors were calculated.

Using a One Health approach to prioritize zoonotic diseases in China, 2019.

Background: China is vulnerable to zoonotic disease transmission due to a large agricultural work force, sizable domestic livestock population, and a highly biodiverse ecology. To better address this threat, representatives from the human, animal, and environmental health sectors in China held a One Health Zoonotic Disease Prioritization (OHZDP) workshop in May 2019 to develop a list of priority zoonotic diseases for multisectoral, One Health collaboration.

Methods: Representatives used the OHZDP Process, developed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC), to prioritize zoonotic diseases for China.

Host selection pattern and flavivirus screening of mosquitoes in a disturbed Colombian rainforest.

Studies on the feeding behavior of hematophagous insects, particularly those of medical importance, are relevant for tracking possible pathogen transmission routes and identifying biases in the choice of vertebrates. We evaluated host selection of blood-feeding mosquitoes in a disturbed forest in the Magdalena Medio valley in Colombia from March 2017 to April 2018, after the introduction of Zika virus to the Americas from the 2015-2016 outbreak. We estimated vertebrate diversity and collected blood-engorged female mosquitoes.

Multisectoral cost analysis of a human and livestock anthrax outbreak in Songwe Region, Tanzania (December 2018-January 2019), using a novel Outbreak Costing Tool.

Objectives: We applied a novel Outbreak Costing Tool (OCT), developed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to estimate the costs of investigating and responding to an anthrax outbreak in Tanzania. We also evaluated the OCT's overall utility in its application to a multisectoral outbreak response.

Methods: We collected data on direct costs associated with a human and animal anthrax outbreak in Songwe Region (December 2018 to January 2019) using structured questionnaires from key-informants.

The first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Although the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic progressed more slowly in Africa than the rest of the world, by December, 2020, the second wave appeared to be much more aggressive with many more cases. To date, the pandemic situation in all 55 African Union (AU) Member States has not been comprehensively reviewed. We aimed to evaluate reported COVID-19 epidemiology data to better understand the pandemic's progression in Africa.

The burden of non-communicable diseases and their related risk factors in the country of Georgia, 2015.

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), mainly cardiovascular diseases, are a substantial cause of mortality in the country of Georgia, accounting for approximately 93% of all deaths (standardized mortality rate 630.7 deaths per 100,000 persons per year) and an important threat to health security. We conducted a nationally representative survey examining the prevalence of NCDs and their risk factors as part of a 2015 Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) serosurvey.

Zika Virus Surveillance at the Human-Animal Interface in West-Central Brazil, 2017-2018.

Zika virus (ZIKV) was first discovered in 1947 in Uganda but was not considered a public health threat until 2007 when it found to be the source of epidemic activity in Asia. Epidemic activity spread to Brazil in 2014 and continued to spread throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. Despite ZIKV being zoonotic in origin, information about transmission, or even exposure of non-human vertebrates and mosquitoes to ZIKV in the Americas, is lacking.

Risk Factors for and Seroprevalence of Tickborne Zoonotic Diseases among Livestock Owners, Kazakhstan.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), Q fever, and Lyme disease are endemic to southern Kazakhstan, but population-based serosurveys are lacking. We assessed risk factors and seroprevalence of these zoonoses and conducted surveys for CCHF-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices in the Zhambyl region of Kazakhstan. Weighted seroprevalence for CCHF among all participants was 1.

Prioritizing Zoonoses for Global Health Capacity Building-Themes from One Health Zoonotic Disease Workshops in 7 Countries, 2014-2016.

Zoonotic diseases represent critical threats to global health security. Effective mitigation of the impact of endemic and emerging zoonotic diseases of public health importance requires multisectoral collaboration and interdisciplinary partnerships. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention created the One Health Zoonotic Disease Prioritization Tool to help countries identify zoonotic diseases of greatest national concern using input from representatives of human health, agriculture, environment, and wildlife sectors.