According to a release distributed by African Media Agency (AMA), metrobusinessnews.com media partner, on behalf of Resolve To Save Lives, the
Epidemics that Didn’t Happen was developed by Resolve to Save Lives to highlight how investing in and prioritizing preparedness and response systems, such as community vaccination and vaccination programs, can save millions of lives and trillions of dollars. As governments contend with the ongoing devastation of COVID-19—and look for lessons for the next pandemic, the report serves as a call to action to global leaders. The world can learn from the experience that African governments have had with infectious diseases including COVID-19, Ebola and monkeypox.The collaboration between a national rapid response team and local officials to contain the 2019 monkeypox outbreak in Akwa Ibom, highlighted in the report, serves as a lesson to governments and health leaders on how to respond to future health threats more efficiently through the use of rapid response teams and risk planning.“Thanks to strong collaboration and coordination among local officials and a rapid response team, a monkeypox outbreak in Akwa Ibom was contained within a month,” said Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. “Our case study in the Epidemics That Didn’t Happen report illustrates how strong risk assessment, planning, and risk communication can help to prevent epidemics.”The case studies described in the new report show that devastating human and economic losses can be avoided with modest investments, improved health systems, and better coordination and communication by determined leaders who put structures in place to find, stop and prevent infectious disease outbreaks before they spread. And although the story of containing COVID-19 has largely been one of failure, countries including Vietnam, Mongolia and Senegal mounted effective responses that reinforce and act upon lessons drawn from earlier outbreaks. The case studies illustrate different aspects of effective public health programs, including:
Building community trust: How Kenya controlled a deadly anthrax outbreak
A risk-based response: How protective actions stopped yellow fever in Brazil
Effective surveillance: How Uganda detected cases of Ebola at the border
Rapid response teams at the ready: Nigeria’s approach to containing monkeypox
Good governance matters: How Senegal saved lives through government action and early testing
Preemptive action: How an early, strategic response in Mongolia averted a COVID-19 nightmare
COVID-19 Cooperation: Africa’s cohesive, continent-wide response to the pandemic
Investment in public health saves lives: Vietnam’s COVID-19 response is proof
“Preparedness combined with action really matters, if the world had been prepared to contain and respond to COVID-19, millions of lives could have been saved” said Amanda McClelland, Senior Vice President of Resolve to Save Lives. “But the reality is that this won’t be the last pandemic in our lives—it is really a constant battle that requires political will, scientific innovation and good public health practices to ensure we are safer next time. When countries can prepare and respond appropriately, even if not perfectly, their communities, neighbors and ultimately the world are safer for it.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the need to work together at the global, regional, country and local levels to build a more resilient response to future health emergencies. It has revealed gaps and weaknesses across high-, middle- and low-income countries. Among the key lessons highlighted from successful responses to public health emergencies:
Improve governance to prioritize public health emergencies and address equity gaps
Invest in preparedness response and technical assistance
Learn from and adapt effective responses from other diseases and other areas
Prioritize early warning and response systems by adopting the “7-1-7” goal by being able to identify any new suspected outbreak within seven days of emergence, start to investigate the event within one day and report and begin response to it then, and mount an effective response within seven days
“All countries can and must improve their systems for preparedness and the quality of their response,” said Dr. Emmanuel Agogo, Nigeria Country Representative at Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies. “The actions highlighted in the report save lives and can fundamentally alter the trajectory of future outbreaks and pandemics.”
The case studies were developed with support from health ministries and global health organizations including, Kenya Red Cross, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Infectious Diseases Institute, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Health, Pan American Health Organization and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
