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 Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and mental disorders are on the rise globally; 80% of annual deaths from NCDs occur in low and middle-income countries. In 2019, NCDs, including mental disorders, caused over 2.1 million premature deaths, and more than 204 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were lost due to NCDs…
Context Disease outbreaks and natural and man-made disasters pose severe threats to public health all over the world. Outbreak control, preparedness and response to public health emergencies are therefore needed on a global scale. The Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) is a partnership established by the World Health…
Context During the fight to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, many essential health services and operations have been negatively impacted. For example, progress in reducing TB-related morbidity and mortality has been significantly hindered because vital prevention and control mechanisms have been disrupted. Consequently, TB case detection and reporting decreased substantially, and…
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 In recent years, there have been efforts to upscale HIV treatment and prevention in the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, including conducting studies among men who have sex with men (MSM). One commonly used method to recruit participants for these studies has been respondent-driven sampling. However, this…
Context In the globalised world of the 21st century, public health emergencies are of international concern, as health threats spread easily and rapidly across borders and continents. To ensure the world is prepared and able to respond to potential threats, the International Health Regulations (IHR) were launched in 2005 as…
Context The COVID-19 pandemic put a heavy strain on many public health systems, which had to deal with high numbers of severely ill people and deaths and with challenges regarding vaccination and medical supplies. The Balkan region was seriously affected by the pandemic, highlighting the importance of strengthening preparedness and…