Context Health care facilities around the world are increasingly threatened by the spread of health care-associated infections and antibiotic resistance, which greatly endanger the safety of patients and place an additional burden on national health care systems. In Guinea in particular, the health system is challenged by numerous socio-economic…
Context Madagascar is facing significant institutional and structural challenges in its public health system, due to limited resources and capacities, contributing to the burden of disease in the country. With the numerous epidemics and pandemics caused by polio, plague and, in recent times, COVID-19, the current infrastructure and workforce are…
Context Pathogens with outbreak potential, including zoonotic types, pose severe hazards to public health. This threat gets aggravated when, simultaneously, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs, decreasing options or making it even impossible to treat. For both occurrences, laboratory surveillance is key – either regarding the investigation of pathogens with epidemic potential…
Context The strengthening of national public health institutions (NPHIs) is an essential component of global health protection. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and Robert Koch Institute (RKI) have been working together on issues related to global health security for more than a decade. In 2019, a…
Context Being prepared for pandemics is one of the most important tasks of public health actors globally. Diseases like Lassa fever, Ebola virus disease and other endemic diseases in West Africa have highlighted the crucial importance of a good understanding of the One Health concept combined with a people-centred…
Context Low-quality drugs pose a substantial threat to individual and public health. Issues include incorrect labelling, potentially toxic or wrong active ingredients and unacceptably high levels of impurities. Low-quality anti-infective medicines, in particular, pose a potentially global concern as they can lead to the development of antimicrobial resistance, making the…
Context Global health crises are on the rise, especially those caused by infectious disease outbreaks, and pose a serious threat to health and well-being. WHO estimates that up to 10 million lives could be saved every year if access to safe and effective medicines and vaccines were improved. As a…
Context Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global problem that jeopardises the successful treatment and control of infectious diseases. Each year, millions of people – particularly children under the age of five who are the most vulnerable to resistant pathogens – die of AMR-related infections. Effective surveillance systems are key to…
Context Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, such as COVID-19 in 2021, Ebola virus disease in 2014 and human Mpox in 2023, pose a great threat to the global community not only from a public health perspective, but also from an economic and social standpoint. Furthermore, the changing climate and the…