Latest news with #healthsurveillance
CBC
05-07-2025
- Health
- CBC
How Canada could boost disease surveillance to make up for U.S. health cuts
Canada should do more to strengthen its health surveillance systems as cuts to U.S. health institutions threaten access to crucial monitoring data, experts say in an editorial published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) this week. The editorial says cuts within the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the National Institutes of Health and the federal Department of Health and Human Services could strip Canada and other countries of valuable health data. "We've had a decades-long relationship with the Centers for Disease Control and other organizations in the States," said co-author Dr. Shannon Charlebois, a family physician and CMAJ's medical editor. "As those are dismantled, we're not going to have our early warning systems." For example, when the mpox virus broke out in the U.S., Charlebois said the CDC formally notified the Public Health Agency of Canada. This comes, the authors say, as a "crisis of communicable diseases is unfolding in North America," pointing to increasing rates of syphilis and HIV in Canada, along with measles outbreaks and livestock culls due to avian influenza. "We can't obviously control everything that happens in the U.S., but we can improve our own systems," said co-author Dr. Jasmine Pawa, public health and preventive medicine physician at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. U.S. cuts should 'light a fire' to act on surveillance There have long been calls for Canada to improve surveillance of infectious diseases. "This should really light a fire under policymakers to take very seriously this question of public health surveillance," said Dr. Lorian Hardcastle, associate professor in the Faculty of Law and Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary who specialises in health law and policy. What the U.S. does in public health has a ripple effect, she said. "When you have this major world player pull back out of public health surveillance and is no longer resourcing public health in the manner that they've historically done, then there's a call to others to step up their game." Beyond formal warnings, Charlebois said there are also informal links between the two countries that can help in planning. But with layoffs and budget cuts, now "we don't know who to call to get that informal information," she in an interview with CBC Radio's All in a Day. WATCH | Yukon doctors say territory is vulnerable after U.S. health cuts: Yukon doctors say U.S. CDC and FDA cuts leave territory vulnerable 3 months ago Duration 1:27 Earlier this month, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced thousands of job cuts at the CDC, FDA and National Institutes of Health. Yukon doctors are now saying these cuts leave the territory vulnerable. What can be done here In Canada, one of the major hurdles to increasing surveillance is getting provinces and territories to collaborate and share data in a timely, uniform way, said Hardcastle. "A lot of it is just needing the political will to make it happen, which is a huge challenge," she said. But she said there are also tools Canada could implement, including electronic medical records, and better waste water surveillance for antimicrobial resistance. Hardcastle said that kind of surveillance was done during the COVID-19 pandemic and stepping it up could be beneficial not only for infectious disease monitoring, but for public health in general. That would give policymakers an early alert of problems, she said, "rather than waiting for things to really snowball." Others, like Charlebois, are calling for a national vaccine registry, so patients and medical professionals can keep track of immunizations and pinpoint who is protected and who is at risk. "We don't have a national vaccine registry and we are not meeting our obligation to the World Health Organization on that," said Charlebois. Misinformation crosses borders too The CMAJ editorial said all of this is compounded by another concern: misinformation. "People living in Canada are vulnerable to a cross-border bleed of not only microorganisms, but also of attitudes, health misinformation and exposure to biased U.S. media," the authors wrote. Misinformation can further challenge the health system, said infectious disease physician Dr. Michael Gardam, who has watched as the issue has undermined efforts to control the spread of illnesses, like measles. "People have stopped following what were highly effective control measures. Why have they stopped? Because people are telling them through social media not to follow them anymore," said Gardam. With the changes to health institutions in the U.S., Gardam said Canada and other countries will have a void to fill, but it will take time and effort. "We didn't build up our surveillance because the U.S. had our back," he said. "If they don't have your back anymore, you have to create it yourself or you have to create new partnerships with other countries to do it."
Zawya
10-06-2025
- Health
- Zawya
Lesotho leads Africa in health innovation: pilots Afro Influenza (AFFLU) Surveillance Platform
Lesotho has become the first nation in the WHO African Region to pilot the Afro Influenza (AFFLU) surveillance platform, a cutting-edge initiative aimed at boosting the country's health surveillance system. This platform, developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the African region as an adaptation of the Eastern Mediterranean (EMFLU) Influenza surveillance version, is designed to enhance the collection, management, and analysis of both aggregate and case-based data on influenza and other respiratory viruses (ORVs). The AFFLU platform represents a significant leap forward in the realm of health data management. It facilitates the sharing of epidemiological and virological data, streamlines data management processes, and improves data quality across all levels of the health system. Muza Tendai, Information Systems Specialist from the WHO Regional Office for Africa (AFRO), emphasized the transformative potential of this platform. "This surveillance platform will strengthen the country's respiratory disease surveillance and enable integration capabilities with other surveillance systems and datasets. It will provide real-time and advanced data analytics capabilities, customized to regional and country-specific contexts," Tendai stated. To ensure the successful implementation of the AFFLU platform, WHO has trained 18 end-users in Lesotho. These individuals are tasked with collecting and managing real-time data at four selected surveillance sites within and beyond the Maseru district. This training is crucial for the effective operation of the platform and the accurate collection of data. Dr. Lieketseng Petcane, representing the Director General of Health Services at the Lesotho Ministry of Health, expressed her enthusiasm for the initiative. "It is exciting that we are the first pilot country of this surveillance platform in our region. COVID-19 taught us many lessons, and diagnostics were a major challenge during that time. It revealed the gaps and areas that we needed to address. This platform will strengthen our surveillance and response. This will boost our human resource capabilities as well," Dr. Petcane remarked. The AFFLU platform is expected to have a profound impact on Lesotho's health surveillance system. Malefane Thamae, Maseru District Surveillance Officer, highlighted the benefits of this development. "This will help us in the early detection of an outbreak, hence improved Rapid Response to affected areas. It will provide our office with rapid access to countermeasures, such as the provision of appropriate vaccines," Thamae explained. Lesotho's pioneering efforts in piloting the AFFLU surveillance platform underscore the country's commitment to advancing its health infrastructure. By leveraging this innovative technology, Lesotho is poised to enhance its capacity to respond to respiratory diseases, ultimately improving public health outcomes for its citizens. As the pilot program progresses, the insights gained from Lesotho's experience will be invaluable for other African nations looking to adopt similar surveillance tools. The AFFLU platform not only represents a significant technological advancement but also a promising development for improved health surveillance and response across the continent. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) - Lesotho.
Trade Arabia
08-06-2025
- Health
- Trade Arabia
WHO warns on rising new Covid-19 infections
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned of a rise in Covid-19 infections linked to the emergence of a new variant, NB.1.8.1, which is currently under investigation. While the organisation confirmed that the new variant does not pose a greater health risk than previous strains, it noted that the continued evolution of the virus could lead to new waves of infection. WHO stated that the current increase aligns with the virus's seasonal pattern and emphasised that the need for hospitalisation or intensive care remains limited due to widespread community immunity and vaccination coverage. The global health body classified the overall global risk level as 'high', urging countries to strengthen health surveillance, integrate COVID-19 into seasonal respiratory disease strategies, combat misinformation, and encourage individuals to adhere to preventive measures.
