African Region scientific conference: Looking Beyond COVID-19 pandemic


AFRICAN REGION SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE:
Looking Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic

Theme: Accelerating recovery of essential immunization services and resilience of health systems in the African Region


Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), South Africa

Postponed due to unforeseen circumstances:
The new dates of the conference will be communicated as soon as possible.

OVERVIEW


COVID-19 has exerted enormous pressure on health systems and also highlighted the need to revitalize the continent’s health systems to meet the public health needs of the population, respond to the evolving patterns of disease, social economic and demographic change. As countries stepped up measures, including surveillance, prevention, clinical care and vaccination in response to the pandemic, the inadequacies of the health systems were exposed. This underscores the importance of robust and resilient health systems.

WHO Regional Office for Africa (WHO/AFRO) and partners have organized this regional scientific conference to provide guidance informed by evidence generated by studies conducted in Africa. The conference will focus on understanding the COVID-19 epidemiology, shaping vaccine strategies and defining research and disease control initiatives. It will advocate for strengthened research on diseases of epidemic potential and vaccine-preventable diseases.  In addition, the conference will review the progress in local vaccine manufacturing and regulatory procedures.  The conference is supported by the Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group (RITAG), Africa CDC, Wellcome Trust, BMGF, USAID, Gavi Alliance, the Federal Republic of Germany and other partners.

Download the information note

SPEAKERS


Biography
Dr Mathume Joseph Phaahla

Mathume Joseph Phaahla  Minster of Health, South Africa

Biography
Dr Matshidiso Moeti

Regional Director,
​​​​​​​WHO Regional Office for Africa  

Biography
Dr Lindiwe Makubalo

Assistant Regional Director,
WHO Regional Office for Africa

Biography
Dr Owen Kaluwa

WHO Representative to South Africa

Biography
Dr Onyango Adelheid

Director, Universal Health Coverage / Healthier Populations Cluster, WHO Regional Office for Africa

Biography
Dr. Impouma Benido

Director, Communicable & Noncommunicable Diseases Cluster, WHO Regional Office for Africa

Biography
Dr Michelle Groome

Head of Division, Public Health Surveillance and Response, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, South Africa

Biography
Prof. Sheetal Silal

Director, Modelling and Simulation Hub, Africa (MASHA) and Associate Professor in the Department of Statistical Sciences at the University of Cape Town (UCT)

Biography
Dr Elise Farley

Epidemiologist, WHO Health Emergencies Programme

Biography
Dr Bwaka Ado Mpia 

Team Lead ai Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (VPD), UCN Cluster  

Biography
Dr. Phionah’s Atuhebwe

New Vaccines Introduction Medical Officer, WHO Regional Office for Africa  

Biography
Dr Saidou Balam

Associate professor of immunology, Faculty of Medicine and Odonto-Stomatology, University of Science and Technology, Mali

Biography
Dr. Oliver (OJ) Watson  Schmidt

Schmidt Science Fellow at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Biography
Prof Mac Mallewa

Founding Chair of the Malawi Immunizations Technical Advisory Group (MAITAG)

Biography
Dr. Besigye Albert Tumusiime

M&E specialist for the Expanded Program for Immunization, Ministry of Health, Uganda

Biography
Dr. Benjamin A Dahl, PhD, MPH

Epidemiologist at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Biography
Dr. Ros Hollingsworth

Senior Program Officer within the Pneumonia & Pandemic Preparedness Team, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

OBJECTIVES


  1. Use of COVID-19 pandemic and other emergency resources to strengthen the resilience of local health systems in the Africanregion
  2. Use lessons learnt and best practices from the COVID-19 pandemic to inform improved strategies for immunization and disease control in the African region.
  3. Use lessons learnt to explore opportunities and propose solutions for building health systems and services that supporteffective and timely detection and response to and recovery from health emergencies while ensuring uninterrupted continuity of delivery of other essential health services.
  4. Use lessons learnt to explore approaches and propose solutions for re-orienting the health systems and services to movecountries in the African Region towards UHC
  5. Provide updates on emerging and re- emerging diseases to better inform the response to vaccine preventable disease outbreaks.
  6. Review the status of vaccine manufacturing and regulation in the African region.
  7. Develop relevant guidance as we transition from COVID-19 pandemic response to strengthened routine public health functions.
  8. Set the guiding principles for an improved health systems approach to disease control.



FOCUS AREAS


  • COVID-19 Epidemiology, Diagnosis and SARS-CoV-2 Genomics, Clinical Case Management, Public Health Control Measures
  • Emerging and Re-emerging Diseases in the African Region
  • Vaccine Deployment, Coordination, Efficacy and Effectiveness, and Safety
  • Knowledge Attitude and Practices, Public Education and Risk Communications, Socio-economic Impact
  • Lessons Learned and Best Practices to guide Health Systems Strengthening
  • Vaccine Manufacturing and Regulation in the African Region
  • Policy Considerations for Transitioning from Emergency to Programmatic Disease control and resilient Health Systems

EVENT AGENDA


The four-day conference will cover the following areas of interest.

Day 1

Scientific aspects of the COVID-19 epidemiology, case management, pathogen genomics, disease burden
Day 2Programmatic and scientific experiences/findings related to COVID-19 vaccines and immunization, acceleration of recovery of immunization services, including vaccine-preventable diseases in the context of resilient health systems, including IA2030
Day 3Research findings from studies conducted in Africa that inform policy formulation and key guidance for more effective public health functions to enhance health system recovery from the pandemic-triggered disruptions and rebuilding health systems
Day 4Health systems strengthening and resilience/ re-orientation for universal health coverage for effective health emergency.
Download the abridged draft agenda

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1 January 2022