Strengthening Preparedness for Infectious Disease Outbreaks in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lessons from Recent Outbreaks

One of the major public health emergencies that has affected lives globally is infectious disease outbreaks. These issues are of great concern due to their potential to transcend borders. The control and management of such outbreaks even with the attention channelled towards it globally has been a difficult task in many developing and underdeveloped countries of the world of which the majority of sub-saharan african countries fall under. However, with this review, we aim to contribute to the body of knowledge dedicated towards control of infectious diseases by analyzing the preparedness of Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries in managing infectious disease outbreaks based on lessons from recent outbreaks (with focus on COVID-19, Lassa fever and Ebola outbreaks). In carrying out this narrative review, we make use of PubMed and African Journals Online (AJOL) as the primary literature sources. To ensure we capture publications from reputable organizations that are solely involved in control of infectious diseases in the region, we carried out a grey literature search.<br /> However in this review, we synthesized challenges such as weak healthcare systems, inadequate healthcare infrastructure, inefficient surveillance systems, poor data management and reporting practices, limited laboratory capacity and reliance on external donors for supplies during emergencies.<br /> The review proposes potential interventional measures aimed at addressing these challenges aimed at enhancing the preparedness<br /> The findings from this review provide critical insights into the preparedness gaps and potential interventions, informing policy and practice to enhance the region's resilience future outbreaks.