Ernest Tambo

BACKGROUND: There is exponential growth in the interest and implementation of genomics research in Africa. This growth has been facilitated by the Human Hereditary and Health in Africa (H3Africa) initiative, which aims to promote a contemporary research approach to the study of genomics and environmental determinants of common diseases in African populations. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to describe important challenges affecting genomics research implementation in Africa. METHODS: The observations, challenges and recommendations presented in this article were obtained through discussions by African scientists at teleconferences and face-to-face meetings, seminars at consortium conferences and in-depth individual discussions. RESULTS: Challenges affecting genomics research implementation in Africa, which are related to limited resources include ill-equipped facilities, poor accessibility to research centers, lack of expertise and an enabling environment for research activities in local hospitals. Challenges related to the research study include delayed funding, extensive procedures and interventions requiring multiple visits, delays setting up research teams and insufficient staff training, language barriers and an underappreciation of cultural norms. While many African countries are struggling to initiate genomics projects, others have set up genomics research facilities that meet international standards. CONCLUSIONS: The lessons learned in implementing successful genomics projects in Africa are recommended as strategies to overcome these challenges. These recommendations may guide the development and application of new research programs in low-resource settings.

Increasing diversified world, era of international power diffusion and regionalisation as the world muddles through travel and trade to climate change requires promoting a more cohesive global regime to ameliorate the deficiencies in local and global 2013-2015 and 2015-2016 Ebola and Zika virus epidemics public health emergency of international concern respectively. Zika epidemics devastating and complex complications exposed the flaws in the global surveillance architecture to deal with cross-border health pandemics prevention and containment. This paper examines trade-off between technology-based data access and dissemination, Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemics complications and digital implications in care delivery solutions in pre-, during and post epidemics response and rebuilding. Our findings showed that IT-based health informatics and mobile applications are evolving and minimum global standards to open access and sharing of relevant epidemics data and information on risk communication. Public awareness and alertness, health promotion and education, counselling and guidelines on integrated syndrome surveillance and response were the most common goals and objectives during viral epidemics reduce and avert further transmission. The uses in healthcare services delivery, management, and planning was also documented and have played a critical role in raising awareness EVD and ZIKV travel restriction and delay pregnancy to women at reproductive age, effective use of personal protective equipment and cultural practices against EVD and ZIKV infections spread. Importantly, IT-based enhanced frontline improved collaborative data sharing and communication, coordinated response and recovery. The efficiency of IT-based data and information sharing and communication practices is of critical benefits for evidence informed early warning, social mobilization, advocacy, monitoring and evaluation capabilities. Mobile-based applications innovations during Zika and Ebola epidemics were very crucial for better evidence-based local and global preparedness and solutions to prevent and control epidemics impacts, promote shared benefits and economic growth.

The significant economic imperatives and ramifications of rising emerging chronic disease epidemics unmet health needs and persisting infectious diseases public health burden is huge across Africa. The article assesses unmet chronic diseases threats and epidemics need and potential threats and emerging issues in strengthening and deepening pragmatic health policy reforms and contextual transformations needed. We call for immediate collective partnership and action to implement innovative and pragmatic initiatives to various facets of personalized telemedicine and artificial intelligence for health to community-centered health systems policy reforms and transformations. Strengthening inter-sectoral partnerships and collaboration is crucial in creating value-needs investment and new perspectives in improving quality preparedness, prevention and smart response needed in achieving the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Research collaboration and transformative solutions on preparedness, smart health system preventive and management solutions is critical needed multifaceted risk factors and emerging epidemics-related impacts in Africa. Hence, leveraging on telemedicine and artificial intelligence innovative and smart healthcare solutions are highlighted in tackling emerging and rising non-communicable disease epidemics, infectious diseases threats/epidemics related child-maternal mortality to health system drawbacks and ageing population dilemma. Also, the need to advance in Africa traditional medicine and digital health communication approaches integration and practice in promoting health information for all in remote Africa communities for national and global health security, ecological development and economic prosperity.