Big data analytics for integrated infectious disease surveillance in sub-Saharan Africa

Background: Infectious disease outbreaks are common in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Consequently, integrated public health surveillance has become increasingly essential for the region. Health surveillance systems enable early detection and monitoring of emerging and re-emerging disease outbreaks, thus informing preparedness and response measures. However, complex and intertwined factors obstruct a successful integrated public health surveillance in SSA, with dire consequences. Objectives: The objective of this article was to establish how big data analytics can be used to enhance integrated infectious disease surveillance and response in SSA. Method: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was used to identify and select relevant articles. A total of 10 studies that addressed the article's objective were selected. Results: Findings reveal several barriers to the application of big data analytics for public health surveillance in SSA. These include the absence of regulatory and data governance frameworks for big data management in healthcare, disparities in digital health infrastructure across SSA's healthcare systems, and the digital and analytical skills required for data capture and interpretation. The development of regulatory frameworks is essential for the ethical application of analytical technologies such as artificial intelligence. Conclusion: This article's contributions emphasise the need for comprehensive strategies for the application of big data analytics for public health surveillance, as well as addressing barriers to its successful application by highlighting the requirements for an integrated infectious disease surveillance and response system in SSA. Contribution: The article contributes to the body of knowledge on the interplay between the public health space and digital health interventions by emphasising the beneficial applications of big data analytics for surveillance and response to address emerging and re-emerging infectious disease outbreaks in the health systems of sub-Saharan Africa.

Occupational lung diseases in South African miners at autopsy: 2020 surveillance report

The Pathology Division at the National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOH) provides autopsy services for deceased workers who worked in controlled mines or works under the provisions of the South African Occupational Diseases in Mines and Works Act, 1973 (Act No. 78 of 1973). This report describes the ages, commodities, employment durations, and occupational cardio-respiratory diseases in miners whose organs were submitted for autopsies in 2019 and 2020. Data were exported from the PATHAUT database into STATA for analysis. Differences in the proportions of disease (expressed per 1 000) were calculated using the Pearson's chi-square test; significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. There were 759 and 557 records of deceased miners and ex-miners in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Pulmonary tuberculosis decreased from 192/1 000 in 2019 to 153/1 000 autopsies in 2020, and silicosis decreased from 246/1 000 to 223/1 000. However, neither decrease was significant. There was a significant increase in the rate of asbestosis from 50/1 000 in 2019 to 79/1 000 in 2020. Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), emphysema, and silicosis were the most frequent diseases, with high rates. There was a non-significant decrease in occupational respiratory disease rates in 2020 from 2019, but these remain higher than the rates seen in the early 1990s. The NIOH continues to conduct autopsy surveillance on miners to support compensation for families, and the development of policy and intervention programmes in the mining industry