About the Project
Approximately 700,000 deaths occur globally annually due to infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) pathogens. In Africa, western sub-Saharan Africa,
is disproportionately affected by AMR relative to other regions. The pervasiveness of AMR in this region threatens to reverse health gains made over the past years,
curtailing the achievement of sustainable development goals. Thus, a robust surveillance system to the emergence and spread of AMR, particularly in bloodstream
infections (BSIs) which are associated with high morbidity and mortality is much needed. In this project, genomic sequencing technologies will be employed to rapidly analyse genomic sequences, identify markers of resistance, and facilitate timely data sharing to support evidence-based decision-making for public health
interventions.

The post The Africa Pathogen Genomics Initative (Africa PGI) Integrated Genomic Surveillance and Data Sharing Platform (IGS) appeared first on Africa CDC.

About the Project
In 2023, 166 outbreaks and public health events were reported in Africa. This calls for a resilient laboratory systems for timely detection and reporting of current and future outbreaks. This project aims to scale up molecular diagnostic and genomic sequencing-based detection and characterization of outbreaks.
Africa CDC is working with Member States to develop guidance, diagnostic algorithm, training and capacity building to enable outbreak detection, and reporting to inform public health response.

The post The Africa Pathogen Genomics Initative (Africa PGI) Integrated Genomic Surveillance for Outbreak Detection (DETECT) appeared first on Africa CDC.

Non-communicable diseases, injuries, and mental health conditions (NCDI/MH) are substantial diseases and economic threats across African Union (AU) Member States (MS). The conditions are estimated to disable and prematurely end millions of lives across Africa each year. They constitute a serious impediment to achieving the vision of the Agenda 2063 of building an integrated, prosperous, and peaceful Africa driven by its citizens.
The existing data and estimates leave little doubt about the general trajectory of an increasing disease and mortality burden from NCDI/MH on the continent over
the next decades. Despite these predictions, recently collected population-based data for NCDI/MH and their risk factors and determinants remain scarce in many AU MS.
This guidance document for Member States was developed in evidence-based and consultative processes. It aims to support AU MS to progressively strengthen their NCDI/MH surveillance systems in line with national and continental strategies. Furthermore, this document is guided by and seeks to contribute to the realization of the Agenda 2063, the Africa Health Strategy 2016-2030), and Africa’s New Public Health Order.
Most specifically, this guidance document supports the implementation of the Africa CDC Non-Communicable Diseases, Injuries Prevention and Control and Mental Health Promotion Strategy 2022-26. The guidance also complements existing technical surveillance documents and links to global and regional monitoring frameworks.
This document concerns the surveillance of i) non-communicable diseases, injuries, and mental health conditions, ii) their risk factors and determinants, and iii) the national response to these threats. It also informs the integration of NCDI/MH indicators into the national Health information system (HIS) in order to strengthen the surveillance systems to support evidence-based decision-making for NCDI/MH prevention and control in AU MS. The target audiences for this document include ministries of health (MoH) and National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs) as well as additional ministries and national public institutions with mandates related to NCDI/MH surveillance.
This document has three core sections: Recommendations, Implementation support tools and outlook; Definitions and a complementary annex – a repository of practical documents. The recommendations to Member States are structured under 4 major headings:
A. Indicators, data sources and data types,
B. Surveillance system capacities,
C. Surveillance integration with existing systems, and
D. Data use. A summary of the key recommendations is highlighted in text box below.

The post Guidance for Strengthening Non-Communicable Diseases, Injuries and Mental Health Surveillance Systems appeared first on Africa CDC.

Challenges
Establishing suitable training centres face challenges including building a facility that can adequately simulate real production processes, the creation of course content and the development of sustainable business models as the overall biomanufacturing ecosystem is established.
At present, several initiatives across Africa, including Institut Pasteur Dakar in Senegal, CSIR in South Africa, the University of the Western Cape also in South Africa, the Kemri Welcome Trust Research Program in Kenya, the EAC Regional Centre of Excellence for Vaccines, Immunization and Health Supply Chain Management in Rwanda, and the Kina Foundation in Ghana, are exploring options to establish such training centres. These
initiatives have secured some funding, although at the time or writing it is not clear what funding is for onetime capital investment and what is committed for continuous support for ongoing training. PAVM proposes to develop Regional Capability and Capacity Centre Networks (RCCCNs) to resolve the three main challenges in talent development: lack of coordination between local talent development initiatives, brain-drain of local
talent, and sustainable financing.

The post Business and Operational Models for African Biomanufacturing Training Centres appeared first on Africa CDC.

In 2006, the Special Session of African Union Health Ministers adopted the Maputo Plan of Action for implementing the Continental Policy Framework on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), which expired at the end of 2015. The goal was for all stakeholders and partners to join forces and re-double efforts, so that together, the effective implementation of the Continental Policy framework including universal access to sexual and reproductive health by 2015 in all countries in Africa can be achieved. The Revised Maputo Plan of Action (MPoA) 2016 – 2030 was subsequently endorsed by the African Union Heads of State at the 27th AU Summit in July 2016 in Kigali, Rwanda. The plan reinforces the call for universal access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services in Africa and lays foundation to the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 3 and 5, as well as the African Union Agenda 2063.

However, seven years into the SDGs, key RH indicators are off track for Africa: Maternal Mortality ratio for Africa is 542/100, 000 live births (Global average 211/100, 000, and SDG target 70/100, 000), universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services for sub-Saharan Africa is 28%, north Africa is 35% (Global average 44%) and Universal Health Coverage index for Africa is 46% (Global average 66%).

Africa CDC is very strong in responding to infectious disease outbreaks on the continent, but these outbreaks directly and indirectly cripple SRH services, and supporting SRH services during these emergency situations is not prioritised. Countries affected by humanitarian crisis disproportionately contribute to global maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity; 61 per cent of global maternal deaths occurred in
countries affected by humanitarian crises, whilst more than 80% of countries with the highest newborn mortality have suffered from recent conflict, natural disaster or both.1 2

Emergent humanitarian settings and situations of conflict, post-conflict, disease outbreaks and disaster significantly hinder maternal and newborn health (MNH) improvement efforts required to meet global targets. 4,5 More than 235 million people (75%) in need of humanitarian assistance globally are women and children. 6 To compound the situation further, women, newborns, their families and health care providers are grappling with the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic, projected to negatively impact coverage of maternal and newborn health services, with a resultant increase in mortality. 7,8 For example, evidence shows a significant increase in clinically relevant anxiety, depression and intimate partner violence in the first 9 months of the pandemic – all of which are concerningly relevant to perinatal health .9 Using COVID 19 pandemic over the last 2 years as an emergency situation scenario, against the back drop of the predicted impact of covid-19 on sexual and reproductive health services/maternal and newborn health services, an in-depth analysis of the impact of covid-19 on SRHR/MNH/Adolescent health in the continent, including in humanitarian settings is required.

The post Africa CDC Reproductive Health | Strategic Priorities 2022-2026 appeared first on Africa CDC.

In recent years, African countries have made great advances in capacity for laboratory testing for clinical use, surveillance and public health emergency management, and for research and development through substantial investments in infrastructure, including the deployment of large numbers of laboratory analyzers. However, weaknesses in laboratory equipment management remain key concerns and threaten to undermine these advances. Challenges include lack of appropriate maintenance, limited formal equipment operation and maintenance training, failure to implement regular calibration and institute service contracts, and inadequate designated equipment space, among others. Equipment management, which includes the administration, monitoring and maintenance of laboratory equipment, is an essential component of patient care, public health research, technology transfer, and public health emergency management.

Significant experience in equipment management has been gained in some settings in recent years and this provides a source for best practices that member states can adapt to support the establishment of well-organised equipment management programs. These include key considerations for procurement and acquisition of laboratory equipment, equipment operation, maintenance and calibration and retirement and disposal of equipment. Documentation and records are also essential management requirements, including a full and accurate inventory of all laboratory equipment, materials provided by the manufacturer on operation, maintenance and troubleshooting, and records of all preventive maintenance and repair actions.

This document assembles these best practices and provides a resource for the proper management of equipment in the laboratory to ensure accurate, reliable and timely testing, and maintain a high level of laboratory performance. Improved equipment management also lowers repair costs, lengthens instrument life, reduces interruption of services due to breakdowns and failures, and enables laboratory accreditation and the achievement of high-quality and accessible laboratory
services at all levels of healthcare service delivery.

The post Laboratory Equipment Management, A Guidance to African Union Member States appeared first on Africa CDC.

L’évaluation externe conjointe de l’Organisation mondiale de la Santé (OMS) menée entre 2016 et 2019, l’Indice de sécurité sanitaire mondiale (GHSI) et les consultations régionales coordonnées par les Centres africains de contrôle et de prévention des maladies (CDC Afrique), une institution technique spécialisée de l’Union africaine (UA), ont mis en évidence des lacunes des capacités en matière de biosécurité et de biosûrêté parmi les États membres de l’UA. Pour remédier à ces lacunes et aider les États membres à renforcer leurs capacités à se conformer aux exigences et réglementations internationales en matière de biosécurité et de biosûreté, le CDC Afrique, le Centre panafricain de vaccins vétérinaires de l’Union africaine (AU-PANVAC) et le Bureau interafricain des ressources animales de l’Union africaine (UA-BIRA), en collaboration avec les États membres de l’UA, et ses centres de collaboration régionaux (CCR), a lancé l’Initiative régionale sur la biosécurité et la biosûreté (BBI). L’un de ses principaux objectifs est de développer un cadre juridique régional pour la biosécurité et la biosûreté (BSBS) qui puisse être adopté, pour être ensuite incorporé et transposé dans la législation nationale.

Le cadre juridique BSBS fournira des orientations et soutiendra les opérations de biosécurité et de biosûreté dans les États membres de l’UA en en expliquant comment les laboratoires, les institutions peuvent gérer les agents pathogènes à haut risque. Il définira la manière dont les établissements de formation et les organismes de réglementation pourraient renforcer les pratiques de biosécurité et de biosûreté à l’aide d’une approche ” Une seule santé ” englobant les secteurs humain, animal, végétal et environnemental. Il définira les exigences techniques globales pour les laboratoires et les établissements qui manipulent et/ou stockent des agents et des toxines à haut risque (HCAT). Il définira les normes de formation et les exigences en matière de renforcement des capacités et les spécifications des
professionnels de la biosécurité et de la biosûreté. Les États membres dotés d’une architecture juridique préexistante devraient utiliser ce cadre juridique BSBS comme référence pour examiner l’adéquation de la portée et du détail et mettre à jour leurs dispositions juridiques en conséquence. Lorsqu’il n’existe pas de documents juridiques sur la biosécurité et la biosûreté, les États membres peuvent adopter ce cadre juridique BSBS pour élaborer leur législation nationale.

The post Le Cadre Juridique de la Biosécurité et de la Biosûreté pour les Etats Membres de l’Union Africaine appeared first on Africa CDC.

The post Optimizing Strategies for COVID-19 Vaccine Roll-out in Benin and Ghana appeared first on Africa CDC.

As such, healthcare facilities play a key role in effective preparedness and response. By ensuring IPC standards are implemented appropriately, healthcare facilities can provide safe services not only on a daily basis but also when there is a surge in healthcare need.

The post IPC | Legal Framework, Background and Annotations appeared first on Africa CDC.

Timeline – Slide 3

economyHiring of Consulting Firms – Consultancy Services – Slide 4

Procurement of Goods – Slide 5

TimelineProcurement of Goods and Services under Workshop/Technical Assistance/Training – Slide 6

The post Africa CDC Procurement Process Mapping appeared first on Africa CDC.