Early warning and response systems for respiratory disease outbreaks: lessons learnt from cluster-associated cases of acute respiratory illnesses in Gilgil subcounty, Nakuru County, Kenya, 2021

Investigating acute respiratory illnesses (ARIs) is difficult due to non-specific symptoms, varied health-seeking behaviors, and resource limitations; yet early detection is critical to global health security. Kenya's Ministry of Health (MOH) uses the Integrated Disease Surveillance strategy fo...

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Main Authors: Linus Ndegwa, Philip Ngere, Lyndah Makayotto, Eric Osoro, Elizabeth Kiptoo, Peninah Munyua, Amy Herman-Roloff, Radhika Gharpure, M Kariuki Njenga, Stella Mamuti, Erenius Lochede Nakadio, Rosalia Kalani, Ahmed Abade, Jacob Rotich, Emily Cheruiyot, Gideon O Emukule, Shirley Lidechi, Arunmozhi Arunmozhi Balajee
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2025-02-01
Series:BMJ Global Health
Online Access:https://gh.bmj.com/content/10/2/e016418.full
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author Linus Ndegwa
Philip Ngere
Lyndah Makayotto
Eric Osoro
Elizabeth Kiptoo
Peninah Munyua
Amy Herman-Roloff
Radhika Gharpure
M Kariuki Njenga
Stella Mamuti
Erenius Lochede Nakadio
Rosalia Kalani
Ahmed Abade
Jacob Rotich
Emily Cheruiyot
Gideon O Emukule
Shirley Lidechi
Arunmozhi Arunmozhi Balajee
author_facet Linus Ndegwa
Philip Ngere
Lyndah Makayotto
Eric Osoro
Elizabeth Kiptoo
Peninah Munyua
Amy Herman-Roloff
Radhika Gharpure
M Kariuki Njenga
Stella Mamuti
Erenius Lochede Nakadio
Rosalia Kalani
Ahmed Abade
Jacob Rotich
Emily Cheruiyot
Gideon O Emukule
Shirley Lidechi
Arunmozhi Arunmozhi Balajee
author_sort Linus Ndegwa
collection DOAJ
description Investigating acute respiratory illnesses (ARIs) is difficult due to non-specific symptoms, varied health-seeking behaviors, and resource limitations; yet early detection is critical to global health security. Kenya's Ministry of Health (MOH) uses the Integrated Disease Surveillance strategy for public health surveillance, incorporating event-based surveillance (EBS) and indicator-based surveillance (IBS) for early warning system. MOH, supported by the US-CDC, established Influenza Sentinel Surveillance (ISS) in 2006 and later launched community EBS (CEBS) and health facility EBS (HEBS) pilots to enhance surveillance for COVID-19. On March 2, 2021, the CEBS system detected a signal of “Two or more people presenting with similar signs and symptoms in a community within a week” in a county. Investigations launched on March 4, 2021, investigations revealed unreported ARI cases which had been missed by both the ISS and IBS. A total of 176 ARI cases were line-listed with 91/176 (51.7%) aged <5-years and 46/176 (26.1%) hospitalized. RT-PCR tests confirmed 34/79 (43.0%) SARS-CoV-2 and 1/7 (14.3%) A/H3N2 cases. Of the CEBS, HEBS, IBS, and ISS systems deployed by the county to strengthen the early warning for respiratory diseases, CEBS detected a signal of unreported ARIs that facilitated further investigations and response.
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spelling doaj-art-a169c273438d4f9aacda7a2ec62978e82025-08-20T03:04:58ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Global Health2059-79082025-02-0110210.1136/bmjgh-2024-016418Early warning and response systems for respiratory disease outbreaks: lessons learnt from cluster-associated cases of acute respiratory illnesses in Gilgil subcounty, Nakuru County, Kenya, 2021Linus Ndegwa0Philip Ngere1Lyndah Makayotto2Eric Osoro3Elizabeth Kiptoo4Peninah Munyua5Amy Herman-Roloff6Radhika Gharpure7M Kariuki Njenga8Stella Mamuti9Erenius Lochede Nakadio10Rosalia Kalani11Ahmed Abade12Jacob Rotich13Emily Cheruiyot14Gideon O Emukule15Shirley Lidechi16Arunmozhi Arunmozhi Balajee17Division of Global Health Protection, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nairobi, KenyaGlobal Health Program, Washington State University, Nairobi, KenyaDivision of Disease Surveillance and Response, Ministry of Health, Nairobi, KenyaPaul G Allen School for Global Health, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USADepartment of Health Services, County Government of Nakuru, Nakuru, KenyaDivision of Global Health Protection, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nairobi, KenyaCenters for Disease Control and Prevention, Nairobi, KenyaUS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USAGlobal Health Program, Washington State University, Nairobi, KenyaField Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program, Ministry of Health, Nairobi, KenyaField Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program, Ministry of Health, Nairobi, KenyaDivision of Disease Surveillance and Response, Ministry of Health, Nairobi, KenyaField Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program, Ministry of Health, Nairobi, KenyaDepartment of Health Services, County Government of Nakuru, Nakuru, KenyaDepartment of Health Services, County Government of Nakuru, Nakuru, KenyaInfluenza Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nairobi, KenyaCentre for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kisumu, KenyaDivision of Viral Diseases, CDC, Atlanta, Georgia, USAInvestigating acute respiratory illnesses (ARIs) is difficult due to non-specific symptoms, varied health-seeking behaviors, and resource limitations; yet early detection is critical to global health security. Kenya's Ministry of Health (MOH) uses the Integrated Disease Surveillance strategy for public health surveillance, incorporating event-based surveillance (EBS) and indicator-based surveillance (IBS) for early warning system. MOH, supported by the US-CDC, established Influenza Sentinel Surveillance (ISS) in 2006 and later launched community EBS (CEBS) and health facility EBS (HEBS) pilots to enhance surveillance for COVID-19. On March 2, 2021, the CEBS system detected a signal of “Two or more people presenting with similar signs and symptoms in a community within a week” in a county. Investigations launched on March 4, 2021, investigations revealed unreported ARI cases which had been missed by both the ISS and IBS. A total of 176 ARI cases were line-listed with 91/176 (51.7%) aged <5-years and 46/176 (26.1%) hospitalized. RT-PCR tests confirmed 34/79 (43.0%) SARS-CoV-2 and 1/7 (14.3%) A/H3N2 cases. Of the CEBS, HEBS, IBS, and ISS systems deployed by the county to strengthen the early warning for respiratory diseases, CEBS detected a signal of unreported ARIs that facilitated further investigations and response.https://gh.bmj.com/content/10/2/e016418.full
spellingShingle Linus Ndegwa
Philip Ngere
Lyndah Makayotto
Eric Osoro
Elizabeth Kiptoo
Peninah Munyua
Amy Herman-Roloff
Radhika Gharpure
M Kariuki Njenga
Stella Mamuti
Erenius Lochede Nakadio
Rosalia Kalani
Ahmed Abade
Jacob Rotich
Emily Cheruiyot
Gideon O Emukule
Shirley Lidechi
Arunmozhi Arunmozhi Balajee
Early warning and response systems for respiratory disease outbreaks: lessons learnt from cluster-associated cases of acute respiratory illnesses in Gilgil subcounty, Nakuru County, Kenya, 2021
BMJ Global Health
title Early warning and response systems for respiratory disease outbreaks: lessons learnt from cluster-associated cases of acute respiratory illnesses in Gilgil subcounty, Nakuru County, Kenya, 2021
title_full Early warning and response systems for respiratory disease outbreaks: lessons learnt from cluster-associated cases of acute respiratory illnesses in Gilgil subcounty, Nakuru County, Kenya, 2021
title_fullStr Early warning and response systems for respiratory disease outbreaks: lessons learnt from cluster-associated cases of acute respiratory illnesses in Gilgil subcounty, Nakuru County, Kenya, 2021
title_full_unstemmed Early warning and response systems for respiratory disease outbreaks: lessons learnt from cluster-associated cases of acute respiratory illnesses in Gilgil subcounty, Nakuru County, Kenya, 2021
title_short Early warning and response systems for respiratory disease outbreaks: lessons learnt from cluster-associated cases of acute respiratory illnesses in Gilgil subcounty, Nakuru County, Kenya, 2021
title_sort early warning and response systems for respiratory disease outbreaks lessons learnt from cluster associated cases of acute respiratory illnesses in gilgil subcounty nakuru county kenya 2021
url https://gh.bmj.com/content/10/2/e016418.full
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