Strengthening early detection and control of risks that may pose threats to human health is foundational to developing resilience among communities. Many countries in Africa are plagued by natural and environmental disasters, food insecurity, and periodic humanitarian crises, all of which fuel infectious disease outbreaks, exacerbate socio-economic challenges and amplifies vulnerabilities among the population of ~1.4 billion in Africa. Early warning and response systems to disease outbreaks and other hazards have largely been dependent on functional indicator-based surveillance systems. This session will demonstrate the essential role of event-based surveillance (EBS) in preventing, predicting, detecting, and rapidly responding to human health risks and align a way forward for resilient health systems in Africa.

Organized by Jhpiego – a Johns Hopkins University affiliate