Disease Control and Prevention

Mary Ajwang ’17 supported the capture and documentation of best practices in the management and containment of Ebola and COVID-19 in Uganda, including community surveillance systems. This information will help the management of future pandemics and epidemics in Uganda and beyond.

The province of Isabela in Cagayan Valley in the Philippines was declared malaria-free. Razel Nikka Hao ’19, Cagayan Valley Center for Health Development (CVCHD) Regional Director at the time, attributed this success to strengthening border operations, implementing checkpoints and establishing malaria diagnostic facilities in the endemic barangays.

Though the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated social, economic and health-related inequalities that disproportionately affected people in vulnerable situations, the free national COVID-19 vaccination campaign led by Jonatan Konfino ’18 in Quilmes, Argentina, was implemented with an equity perspective with no significant gaps observed between different socioeconomic levels.

Gilberto Lopez ’20 manages COVIDLatino, an award-winning health communication campaign that combines science and the arts to create effective, evidence-based, culturally tailored COVID-19 messaging. Animations, explainer videos and artwork provide essential information in easy-to-understand ways to help Latinos stay informed and safe from COVID-19.

Maureen Milanga ’20 researched the future of HIV testing in eastern and southern Africa. One of her findings was that scaling up HIV testing services led to an increase in the proportion of people with HIV who knew their status and accessed HIV treatment. She also found that linking individuals to prevention and treatment services and supporting them in remaining engaged in care is critically essential.

Ifeanyi Nsofor ’19 shared key insights gleaned through a survey on enhancing HPV vaccination efforts in Nigeria, such as the key messages used to motivate caregivers. Each insight is accompanied by its practical implications, offering guidance. These insights reflect the survey findings and suggest actionable strategies to improve vaccine uptake among the target population.

The U.S. government allocated significant amounts of money to modernize health departments and systems. Sara Selig ’17 co-authored a case study that recounted the effort to equip the Pima County Health Department with a sophisticated COVID-19 Vaccines Solutions Dashboard. The study shares vital successes and challenges in process and outcomes that can guide other such dashboard initiatives in other health departments.