title: Need of surveillance response systems to combat Ebola outbreaks and other emerging infectious diseases in African countries.
abstract: There is growing concern in Sub-Saharan Africa about the spread of the Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, and the public health burden that it ensues. Since 1976, there have been 885,343 suspected and laboratory confirmed cases of EVD and the disease has claimed 2,512 cases and 932 fatality in West Africa. There are certain requirements that must be met when responding to EVD outbreaks and this process could incur certain challenges. For the purposes of this paper, five have been identified: (i) the deficiency in the development and implementation of surveillance response systems against Ebola and others infectious disease outbreaks in Africa; (ii) the lack of education and knowledge resulting in an EVD outbreak triggering panic, anxiety, psychosocial trauma, isolation and dignity impounding, stigmatisation, community ostracism and resistance to associated socio-ecological and public health consequences; (iii) limited financial resources, human technical capacity and weak community and national health system operational plans for prevention and control responses, practices and management; (iv) inadequate leadership and coordination; and (v) the lack of development of new strategies, tools and approaches, such as improved diagnostics and novel therapies including vaccines which can assist in preventing, controlling and containing Ebola outbreaks as well as the spread of the disease. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop and implement an active early warning alert and surveillance response system for outbreak response and control of emerging infectious diseases. Understanding the unending risks of transmission dynamics and resurgence is essential in implementing rapid effective response interventions tailored to specific local settings and contexts.
  (i) national and regional inter-sectorial and trans-disciplinary surveillance response systems that include early warnings, as well as critical human resources development, must be quickly adopted by allied ministries and organisations in African countries in epidemic and pandemic responses; (ii) harnessing all stakeholders commitment and advocacy in sustained funding, collaboration, communication and networking including community participation to enhance a coordinated responses, as well as tracking and prompt case management to combat challenges; (iii) more research and development in new drug discovery and vaccines; and (iv) understanding the involvement of global health to promote the establishment of public health surveillance response systems with functions of early warning, as well as monitoring and evaluation in upholding research-action programmes and innovative interventions.
authors.affiliation: Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Wits 21st Century Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa ; Center for Sustainable Malaria Control, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa ; National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the WHO Collaborating Centre on Malaria, Schisostomiasis and Filariasis, Shanghai 200025, PR China.
authors.forename: Ernest
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tambo
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Department of Human Biochemistry, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Nnewi Campus, Nigeria ; National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the WHO Collaborating Centre on Malaria, Schisostomiasis and Filariasis, Shanghai 200025, PR China.
authors.forename: Emmanuel Chidiebere
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Ugwu
authors.affiliation: Faculté des Sciences Biomédicales, Département de Biochimie, Université de Yaoundé, Yaoundé, République du Cameroun.
authors.forename: Jeane Yonkeu
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Ngogang
keywords: Africa; Ebola; Emerging infectious diseases; Outbreak; Surveillance response system