Schools of public health as a cornerstone for pandemic preparedness and response: the Africa COVID-19 experience

Ndejjo et al. Globalization and Health (2024) 20:82 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-024-01087-z Globalization and Health Open Access REVIEW Schools of public health as a cornerstone for pandemic preparedness and response: the Africa COVID-19 experience Rawlance Ndejjo1*, Honore Kabwebwe Mitonga2, Woldekidan Amde3, Grace Biyinzika Lubega1, Adamson S. Muula4, Damen Haile Mariam5, Steven N. Kabwama6, Sean Mark Patrick7, Desderius Haufiku2, Maryam Amour8, Marc Bosonkie9, Trasias Mukama1, Segun Bello10, Duah Dwomoh11, Glory Mbe Egom Nja12,28, Douglas Bulafu1, Dabo Galgalo Halake13, Gasto Frumence14, Mamadou Makhtar Mbacke Leye15, Ndasilohenda Katangolo-Nakashwa2, Samson Wakuma Abaya27, Issakha Diallo15, Landry Egbende9, Netsanet Worku16, Oumar Bassoum15, Branly Mbunga9, David Musoke1, Hussein Mohamed17, Ibrahima Seck15, Julius Fobil18, Suzanne N. Kiwanuka19, Olufunmilayo I. Fawole10, Mala Ali Mapatano9, Tobias Alfven20,21, Lucy Gilson22, Jacinta Victoria Syombua Muinde23, Harm van Marwijk24, Uta Lehmann3, Niko Speybroeck25, Margaret Kaseje26 and Rhoda K. Wanyenze1 Abstract Background The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused significant morbidity and mortality in Africa, in addition to other socio-economic consequences. Across the continent, Schools of Public Health (SPHs) played several roles in supporting national, regional, and global response to the pandemic. Following a published and grey literature search, this paper reviews and analyses the contribution of SPHs in Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. Contribution of the Schools of Public Health SPH faculty in most countries contributed their expertise through COVID-19 task forces and advisory committees where they guided and supported decision-making. Faculty also supported the identification, review, and synthesis of rapidly evolving global and local evidence, adapting it to the local context to guide policy decisions. Through research, SPHs contributed to a better understanding of the disease epidemiology, response interventions, as well as prevention and control measures. SPHs engaged in training field epidemiologists, frontline health workers, and district response teams. SPH staff, students and field epidemiology trainees also supported field activities including surveillance, contact tracing, as well as managing quarantine facilities and points of entry. SPHs engaged in public education and awareness-raising initiatives to share information and dispel misinformation. In partnership with other stakeholders, SPHs also developed important innovations and technologies. Conclusion SPHs are a critical pillar for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, that support health systems with important functions. To further enhance their capacity, efforts to improve coordination of SPHs, strengthen collaboration among schools, harmonize training and curricula, and enhance capacity for advanced *Correspondence: Rawlance Ndejjo Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © The Author(s) 2024. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Ndejjo et al. Globalization and Health (2024) 20:82 Page 2 of 10 research are needed. There is also a need to bridge the inequities in capacity and resources that exist among SPHs across regions and countries. Keywords COVID-19, Schools of public health, Africa, Training, Research Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant morbidity and mortality in Africa and led to stringent public health and social measures to support the continent’s fragile health systems [1, 2]. Across the continent, the response to COVID-19 resulted in both direct and indirect effects, leading to undesirable health, social, and economic consequences [3, 4]. The pandemic also exposed the vulnerabilities of Africa’s healthcare system and highlighted the urgent need for robust technology and innovations, as well as effective public health systems [5, 6]. The lack of access to personal protective equipment, insufficient training for healthcare workers, and inadequate treatment facilities for infected patients all contributed to undermining the reputation and capabilities of the African countries in responding to the pandemic [7, 8]. As with previous outbreaks, one crucial component of Africa’s COVID-19 pandemic response was the significant role played by academic institutions, notably the SPHs. Within countries, SPHs support training, research, monitoring and evaluation of health systems, and providing services in addition to generating and sharing evidence for decision-making and fostering global health partnerships [9–11]. As centers of excellence in public health, SPHs have historically been a foundation of pandemic and epidemic response, supporting country health systems to deal with Ebola, Marburg, Cholera, Measles, Diphtheria, and Lassa Fever among others [12, 13]. Despite the invaluable importance of SPHs to epidemic preparedness and response, their contribution has often not been comprehensively documented and discussed. Recent literature highlights the role of national public health institutes [14], field epidemiology training programmes [15], actors such as civil society organisations [16] and specific professions. However, the roles and contributions of the SPHs, more so in resourcelimited settings, has not received much attention. In this paper, we review and analyse the contribution of SPHs in Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. By showcasing innovative approaches, research, and capacity-building efforts, we aim to highlight the role of SPHs in preparedness and response to current and future complex public health challenges globally. Methods We searched PubMed and Google Scholar for published articles that discussed contributions to the COVID-19 pandemic response attributed to SPHs. Owing to the limited literature, we developed a reporting template that we shared with members of the SPHs in different countries to provide a summary of their contributions as well as documents and links to country-specific information they were aware of. The template had several sections including the research conducted, response committees engaged in, policy support provide (...truncated)