Ahmed Abani Maazou
Country Office, World Health Organization, Quartier Plateau, Avenue Mohamed VI 1204, Niamey, Niger
Batouré Oumarou
Country Office, World Health Organization, Quartier Plateau, Avenue Mohamed VI 1204, Niamey, Niger
Baruani Bienvenu
Country Office, World Health Organization, Quartier Plateau, Avenue Mohamed VI 1204, Niamey, Niger
Blanche-Philomene Melanga Anya
Country Office, World Health Organization, Quartier Plateau, Avenue Mohamed VI 1204, Niamey, Niger
Tambwe Didier
Country Office, World Health Organization, Quartier Plateau, Avenue Mohamed VI 1204, Niamey, Niger
El Khalef Ishagh
Country Office, World Health Organization, Quartier Plateau, Avenue Mohamed VI 1204, Niamey, Niger
Biey Joseph Nsiari-muzeyi
Sub-Regional Office for West Africa, World Health Organization, Independence Street, Gate 0058, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Patrick Katoto
Centre for Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Francie Van Zijl Drive, Tygerberg 7505, Cape Town, South Africa; Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, Catholic University of Bukavu, Bugabo 02, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo; Department of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Francie Van Zijl Drive, Tygerberg 7505, Cape Town, South Africa; Cochrane South Africa, South African Medical Research Council, Francie Van Zijl Drive, Parow Valley 7501, Cape Town, South Africa
Charles Shey Wiysonge
Department of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Francie Van Zijl Drive, Tygerberg 7505, Cape Town, South Africa; Cochrane South Africa, South African Medical Research Council, Francie Van Zijl Drive, Parow Valley 7501, Cape Town, South Africa; School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, Anzio Road, Observatory 7935, Cape Town, South Africa
Abstract
Introduction: the COVID-19 pandemic has spread across all countries in Africa, with much of the model forecasting disastrous results owing to weak health services and political uncertainty. In Niger, an adaptive solution to the COVID-19 pandemic has been implemented by community-based surveillance system (CBS) to complement passive case-finding in health systems.
Methods: the CBS program was designed to use the current CBS polio network spanning 37 health districts in six regions. Between April and November 2020, 150 community health workers (CHWs) were equipped to improve integrated disease surveillance and response (IDSR) preparedness and response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We retrospectively analysed the health data of the National Health Information System to describe the effect of CBS in COVID-19 surveillance.
Results: overall, trained CHWs were able to raise awareness among 2,681,642 persons regarding COVID-19 preventions and controls strategies. They reported 143 (84%) valid alerts resulting in two positive COVID-19 cases missing in the community. In addition, CHWs added to the contact tracing of 37 individuals and informed about the deaths in the community.
Conclusion: community-based surveillance improved COVID-19 response in Niger. Logistic assistance and ongoing training are the foundations for increasing and sustaining the sensitivity of CBS systems in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to deter hotspots across countries.
