Geographic information system and information visualization capacity building: Successful polio eradication and current and future challenges in the COVID-19 era for the World Health Organization's African region

Despite a half-century-long global eradication effort, polio continues to have a devastating impact on individuals and communities worldwide, especially in low-income countries affected by conflict or geographic barriers to immunization programs. In response, the World Health Organization (WHO) Glob...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	PloS one Vol. 19; no. 8; p. e0307001
Main Authors:	Kipterer, John Kapoi, Touray, Kebba, Godwin, Akpan Ubong, Cisse, Aboubakar, Aimee, Babona Nshuti Marie, Busisiwe, Ngobe, Derrick, Chefor Ymele Demeveng, Henry, Green Hugh, Modjirom, Ndoutabe, Seaman, Vince, Ahmed, Jamal
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	United States Public Library of Science 15-08-2024 Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Subjects:	Africa - epidemiology Analysis Biology and Life Sciences Capacity Building Capacity development Computer and Information Sciences COVID-19 COVID-19 - epidemiology COVID-19 - prevention & control Data collection Data entry Disease Eradication - methods Disease Eradication - organization & administration Disease susceptibility Earth Sciences Ebola virus Education Epidemics Eradication Geographic Information Systems Geospatial data Humans Immunization Immunization Programs Initiatives Low income areas Medicine and Health Sciences Methods Mobile devices Natural disasters Nigeria Pandemics Pandemics - prevention & control Paralysis People and Places Poliomyelitis Poliomyelitis - epidemiology Poliomyelitis - prevention & control Privacy Public health Remote sensing SARS-CoV-2 - isolation & purification Scientific visualization Software Spatial data Sub-Saharan Africa Surveillance Vaccination Vaccines Viral diseases Viruses Visualization Visualization (Computers) World Health Organization Africa Nigeria Sub-Saharan Africa United States > US
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Summary:	Despite a half-century-long global eradication effort, polio continues to have a devastating impact on individuals and communities worldwide, especially in low-income countries affected by conflict or geographic barriers to immunization programs. In response, the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) employs disease surveillance and vaccination campaigns coordinated through the WHO Regional Office for Africa (AFRO) Geographic Information System (GIS) Centre. Established in 2017, the AFRO GIS Centre played a key role in the eradication of wild-type polioviruses (WPVs) in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic, emergence of circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses, and transmission of WPV1 from Central Asia have led to a resurgence of polio in Sub-Saharan Africa. The AFRO GIS comprises a set of mobile device or cloud-based tools for geospatial data collection, analysis, and visualization. Using tools such as Auto-Visual Acute Flaccid Paralysis Detection and Reporting, electronic surveillance, and Integrated Supportive Supervision, GIS personnel collect polio case numbers and locations, track field worker activities, follow the movements of nomadic populations vulnerable to polio and other diseases, and determine needs for further healthcare deployments. The system is location specific and operates in real time, enabling the AFRO GIS to promptly target its responses to polio, COVID-19, Ebola virus disease, and other public health crises and natural disasters. The present review describes the components of the AFRO GIS and how the AFRO GIS Centre coordinated on-the-ground polio eradication efforts to help secure Africa's certification as WPV free. It also examines current and prospective challenges regarding other disease outbreaks in the COVID-19 era and how the AFRO GIS Centre is addressing these ongoing public health needs.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 Competing Interests: The authors have no competing interests to declare.
ISSN:	1932-6203 1932-6203
DOI:	10.1371/journal.pone.0307001