Considering a Public Health Model for Control and Prevention of Emerging Infectious Diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Despite increasing global efforts to contain infectious diseases such as Ebola, HIV, and new strains of Hepatitis Virus, the spread and burden still constitute more than 25% of the global disease picture. In this report, insights on an innovative cost saving evolutionary learning laboratory model (ELS Lab) consisting of a systems approach to the control of infectious diseases are discussed. There have been many science-based analyses from demographic, epidemiologic, disease intervention, and economic control measures in Sub-Saharan Africa to curb infectious diseases, yet the continued spread of new and old infectious diseases poses a serious challenge to public health in SSA. There is persistent typhoid endermicity with emergence of new antibiotic resistant strains of salmonella typhi as well as non typhoidal salmonellosis. There is increasing resistant strains of Entameoba histolytica to metronidazle, poor response of patients to artemisinin based antimalarials and sporadic cholera is spreading. Although disease elimination programs such as against trypanosomiasis (chagas disease), onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, leprosy, trachoma, and measles are succeeding such as drancontiasis elimination process is very successful in northern Nigeria and Cameroon, ebola virus disease, dengue, leishmaniasis, african trypanosomiasis, malaria, diarrheal diseases, helminthes infections, and tuberculosis are re-emerging due to inadequate interventions and control strategies couple with breakdown of health delivery systems. In most countries in SSA, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS is not less than 4% of the total population. The challenges caused by both new and old opportunistic infections in HIV/AIDS couple with increasing resistance to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) calls for serious new intervention strategy. Endemic poverty and increasing changes in climatic pattern in the current control efforts especially with ebola virus are potentially playing a role in the persistence of these infections. We note that application of technologies must be culture driven, cost-effective with intensified research is essential if these and other scourges are to be controlled or eliminated in the 21st century. The process of ELS Lab involves all relevant stakeholders from rural and peri- urban setting, from end users of new medical technology innovations and indigenous management strategies to the developers of the technologies and policy awareness on the integration of safe and productive farm practices with less vulnerability to infections. We propose further capacity building and research into this model.