The World Health Organisation (WHO) Africa region is deploying new technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), to strengthen the continent's integrated disease surveillance and response capabilities.
This is one of the highlights of the organisation's operations in the fourth quarter of 2024, with the rollout continuing this year.
“The expansion of an innovative artificial intelligence project designed to predict cholera outbreaks was an exciting development during the quarter,” said Dr Abdou Salam Gueye, WHO regional emergency director for Africa.
He also noted that by using machine learning algorithms to analyse time-series data, the technology could enable new preventative interventions and speed up reaction efforts.
The project was initially launched in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is now being implemented in Mozambique, with plans to expand to other countries.
During this time, the WHO Regional Office for Africa also collaborated with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit and the West African Health Organisation to implement an electronic public health emergency management information system in West Africa.
This system is now operational in Burkina Faso, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
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