Global Health Security
Today’s world is acutely aware of how interconnected we are to each other and to the natural environment. COVID-19 has made the point clear, as have other epidemic-prone diseases such as Ebola, H5N1 Avian Influenza, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Lassa fever, Zika, and Marburg hemorrhagic fever, to name a few.
Globalization increases population mobility. Environmental changes facilitate the movement of mosquitos and other disease vectors into new areas. Many pathogens are zoonotic diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans—and population growth has exacerbated the threat as people live closer to livestock and other animals.
Preventing and reducing the likelihood of disease outbreaks is essential to save lives. Rapid response requires coordination and communication and strong health information systems (HIS) supported by community-based surveillance.
MEASURE Evaluation—funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)—has had a key role in surveillance and response through our focus strengthening capacity; training healthcare workers; establishing surveillance, reporting, and emergency response systems; ensuring laboratory capacity; and strengthening health systems.
To achieve the aims of the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), launched in 2014, the world must continue to move toward a comprehensive system to defend against disease threats. Current and accurate data are fundamental to this aim. MEASURE Evaluation is proud to have played a large role and proud of its legacy of guidance and tools available on these pages.
Here are examples of that work:
- In Senegal, the project strengthened and expanded epidemic surveillance through community-based alerts on human and zoonotic diseases through community-based surveillance systems. This approach embraces the One Health approach to monitor eight priority human diseases and six priority zoonotic diseases. Community surveillance information is reported to and coordinated with the government ministries of health, livestock, and the environment. The project also assessed those departments to gauge the quality of service delivery, data and information systems, and community volunteers.
- The project also supported training in Senegal for nurses and community health workers to identify and report priority human diseases (such as meningitis, Ebola, yellow fever, cholera, polio, diarrhea, measles, and neonatal tetanus) and zoonotic diseases (such as rabies, anthrax, avian flu, bovine tuberculosis, and Rift Valley fever).
- In Mali, MEASURE Evaluation supported the National Directorate of Health to improve the collection, analysis, and availability of epidemiological information in real time within an integrated DHIS2 health data software platform. The effort has enabled community and district health centers nationwide to report into DHIS2.
- In Madagascar, the project helped unify the national HIS, with partners such as the Directorate for Malaria Control, to integrate disease surveillance reporting systems, reduce reporting redundancies, and address data quality shortcomings.
- In Guinea, post-Ebola, MEASURE Evaluation helped create a health information system (HIS) where one had not existed and strengthened health information management, including fostering a culture of data use for decision making.
- In Burkina Faso, the project worked to strengthen the disease surveillance system using the One Health approach; improve the availability of quality health data at all levels of the health system; increase multisectoral coordination; and build capacity to manage the surveillance information system, to enhance resiliency against major disease outbreaks, and improve data-driven decision making and rapid response to disease outbreaks.
- In Côte d’Ivoire, the project supported the National Institute for Public Hygiene to strengthen surveillance systems to detect and rapidly report on Ebola and other epidemic-prone diseases.
- In Liberia after the Ebola epidemic, MEASURE Evaluation worked with the Ministry of Health to develop and initiate a new health information system strategy and costed operating plan, intended to contribute to a strong HIS that would be resilient to public health crises.
- The project provided support to the Nigeria Center for Disease Control to strengthen surveillance capacity around tuberculosis, meningitis, and other infectious diseases.
- Following the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone (2014) in which 4,000 people died, MEASURE Evaluation embedded two HIS experts in the health ministry for four months to contribute toward rebuilding a stronger, better, and more resilient HIS.
Related Content
Manuel des procédures de gestion de l’information sanitaire « One-Health » au Burkina Faso
L’architecture d'entreprise « une seule santé » du Burkina Faso
The One Health Electronic Platform in Burkina Faso
La Surveillance à base communautaire des maladies et zoonoses prioritaires au Sénégal
Community Event-Based Surveillance of Priority Human and Zoonotic Diseases in Senegal: Suggestions for a Model One Health Project (available in French)
Strengthening Community Event- Based Surveillance in Senegal (available in French)
Implementing Event-Based Surveillance in Burkina Faso: Using the “One Health” Approach
Three Government Ministries— One Health
La surveillance à temps réel au niveau communautaire Un SMS pour identifier de façon précoce
Community-based surveillance of priority diseases in Senegal: Lessons learned in pilot districts
La Surveillance de Base Communautaire au Sénégal: Programme de formation (Training curriculum with eight PowerPoint modules)
Strengthening Mali’s Epidemiological Surveillance System (Brief)
Strengthening Mali’s Epidemiological Surveillance System (Article)
Building from One Emergency to the Next
Plan Stratégique de Renforcement du Système d’Information Sanitaire 2018–2022 de Madagascar
Manuel des Normes et Procedures du Système National d’Information Sanitaire à Madagascar
Learning, to Prevent the Next Outbreak (Video)
Apprendre, pour prévenir la prochaine flambée (Video)
