Fiona Braka

Datos Biográficos

ID7736005
NOMBREFiona Braka
NOMBRESFiona
APELLIDOBraka
FIRMABRAKA F
AFILIACIONESWorld Health Organization - Nigeria
ORCID0000-0002-4734-9408
VERIFICADOSí
TOTAL DE OBRAS33
TOTAL DE CITAS0
TOTAL COMO AUTOR33
TOTAL COMO EDITOR0
PRIMER AÑO DE PUBLICACIÓN2009
AÑO MÁS RECIENTE DE PUBLICACIÓN2026
ÍNDICE H0

  • Implementing public health emergency operations centres according to an international framework in Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Senegal

    Open AccessSenait Tekeste Fekadu, Jian Li et al.ARTICLEPLOS Global Public Health2026

    A public health emergency operations centre (PHEOC) is a hub for effective coordination of information and resources. Countries have established PHEOCs as part of the effort to strengthen their emergency management capabilities. However, there is limited documented evidence of best practices in PHEOC implementation in accordance with the world health organization PHEOC framework. A survey was conducted to document best practices and experiences i…

  • Managing Infodemics in Africa

    Julienne Ngoundoung Anoko, Aminata Grace Kobie et al.ARTICLEHealth Communication2026

    The context of COVID-19 in the African continent presents a unique blend of challenges and resilience. Compared to other regions, Africa reported lower case numbers and mortality rates, but it still faced significant health system, economic, and social disruptions. By June 2023, the 47 countries of the WHO African Region had recorded 9.5 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and over 175,000 deaths, though under-reporting due to limited testing was li…

  • The regional training centre for the emergency medical teams initiative in the WHO African region

    Open AccessBoniface Oyugi, Lazaro Gilberto Martinez-Monterrey et al.ARTICLEFrontiers in Public Health2025

    Background: A coherent and systematic approach to education and training of the workforce under the EMT initiative has been identified as an imperative step to improve the quality and professionalism of emergency response teams. On April 14 2021, the WHO and the Ethiopian Ministry of Health (MoH) jointly launched a training centre to enhance the delivery of emergency medical and health services in the continent when faced with humanitarian and ot…

  • Assessing the utility of the Covid-19 epidemic Situations of Concern classification system in guiding operational responses to the pandemic in the WHO African region

    Open AccessOpeayo Ogundiran, Jessica L Abbate et al.ARTICLEFrontiers in Public Health2025

    During a public health emergency, early implementation of response activities is crucial for saving lives and protecting livelihoods. The COVID-19 pandemic, declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020, posed a global public health crisis that required timely decision-making despite limited data and capacity. In this context, WHO’s Regional Office for Africa (AFRO) developed the Situations of Concern (SOC) classification syst…

  • An assessment of the progress made in the implementation of the regional framework for cholera prevention and control in the WHO African region

    Open AccessFred Kapaya, Mory Keïta et al.ARTICLEBMJ Global Health2025

    High-burden cholera outbreaks, spreading beyond the traditional cholera-endemic countries, have been reported since 2021 in the WHO African region. Member states in the region have committed to the global goal of cholera elimination by 2030. To track progress towards this goal, WHO-African countries adopted a regional cholera prevention and control framework in 2018. This study reports on 27 countries’ 5-year achievements in implementing the chol…

  • Strengthening and utilizing response groups for emergencies flagship

    Open AccessIshata Nannie M Conteh, Fiona Braka et al.ARTICLEFrontiers in Public Health2024

    The World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO/AFRO) faces members who encounter annual disease epidemics and natural disasters that necessitate immediate deployment and a trained health workforce to respond. The gaps in this regard, further exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, led to conceptualizing the Strengthening and Utilizing Response Group for Emergencies (SURGE) flagship in 2021. This study aimed to present the experience of t…

  • The emergency medical teams initiative in the WHO African region

    Open AccessThierno Balde, Boniface Oyugi et al.ARTICLEFrontiers in Public Health2024

    Background: The WHO Emergency Medical Teams (EMT) Initiative coordinates the deployment of qualified medical teams who promptly respond to public health emergencies (PHEs) and provide quality service during emergencies whilst strengthening capacity. Globally, 40 EMTs have been classified between 2016 and the present (as of the writing of this article in December 2023) and are from across all the WHO regions except the WHO Africa Region (AFRO). Ho…

  • A step towards reinvigorating the Covid-19 response

    Open AccessThierno Balde, Boniface Oyugi et al.ARTICLEBMJ Global Health2023

    The WHO Regional Office for Africa (AFRO) COVID-19 Incident Management Support Team (IMST) was first established on 21 January 2020 to coordinate the response to the pandemic in line with the Emergency Response Framework and has undergone three modifications based on intra-action reviews (IAR). An IAR of the WHO AFRO COVID-19 IMST was conducted to document best practices, challenges, lessons learnt and areas for improvement from the start of 2021…

  • Transitioning the Covid-19 response in the WHO African region

    Open AccessThierno Balde, Boniface Oyugi et al.ARTICLEBMJ Global Health2022

    The onset of the pandemic revealed the health system inequities and inadequate preparedness, especially in the African continent. Over the past months, African countries have ensured optimum pandemic response. However, there is still a need to build further resilient health systems that enhance response and transition from the acute phase of the pandemic to the recovery interpandemic/preparedness phase. Guided by the lessons learnt in the respons…

  • Framing the future of the Covid-19 response operations in 2022 in the WHO African region

    Open AccessThierno Balde, Boniface Oyugi et al.ARTICLEGlobal Health Action2022

    BACKGROUND: With the evolving epidemiological parameters of COVID-19 in Africa, the response actions and lessons learnt during the pandemic's past two years, SARS-COV 2 will certainly continue to circulate in African countries in 2022 and beyond. As countries in the African continent need to be more prepared and plan to 'live with the virus' for the upcoming two years and after and at the same time mitigate risks by protecting the future most vul…

  • Changing epidemiology of yellow fever virus in Oyo State, Nigeria

    Open AccessBassey Enya Bassey, Fiona Braka et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2022

    In conclusion, the increase in the circulation of the yellow fever virus in the state reiterates the state is at a high risk of yellow fever transmission and underlines the need for viable interventions such as environmental hygiene to rid the environment of the disease vector's ecological niche and improving routine EPI coverage to provide population immunity

  • Measles outbreak in complex emergency

    Open AccessAnne Eudes Jean Baptiste, John Wagai et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2021

    The experience in Borno demonstrates that adequate VE can be obtained in conflict-affected areas. In complex emergencies affected by measles outbreaks, health authorities may consider integration with other health strategies and the engagement of security personnel as part of the ORI activities

  • Nigeria’s public health response to the Covid-19 pandemic

    Open AccessChioma Dan-Nwafor, Chinwe Lucia Ochu et al.ARTICLEJournal of Global Health2020

    The novel coronavirus disease 2019, COVID-19, which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome \nvirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) [1] was first reported in December 2019 by Chinese Health Authorities following an outbreak of pneumonia of unknown origin in Wuhan, Hubei Province [2,3]. SARS-CoV-2 is \nlikely of zoonotic origin, similar to SARS and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and transmitted between humans through respiratory droplets and fomit…

  • Transboundary nomadic population movement

    Open AccessSamuel Bawa, Mojisola Afolabi et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2018

    Nomadic pastoralists move across international borders and there is a need for transboundary policies among the countries in the Lake Chad region to improve population immunity and disease surveillance through a holistic approach using the One-health concept

  • Institutionalizing documentation for WHO Nigeria country office visibility and improved donor relations, 2013–2016

    Open AccessCharity Warigon, Wondimagegnehu Alemu et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2018

    Despite several interventions, which worked, made WHO ubiquitous and added awareness and visibility for donors who funded various projects, other factors could have contributed towards achieving results. Notwithstanding, incorporating documentation component into the accountability framework of field staff and clusters has significantly improved communication of WHO's work and promoted healthy competition for increased visibility

  • Polio eradication in Nigeria

    Open AccessAdamu Ningi, Adamu Ibrahim Ningi et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2018

    This study revealed a gap in the quality indicators for polio eradication in the state, especially regarding knowledge and documentation for AFP surveillance at the operational level. Regular training of the DSNOs and focal persons, regular sensitization of clinicians, community education, supplies of reporting tools, and ensuring their judicious use will improve AFP surveillance in the state

  • Targeting the last polio sanctuaries with Directly Observed Oral Polio Vaccination (Dopv) in northern Nigeria, (2014–2016)

    Open AccessCharles Korir, Faisal Shuaib et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2018

    Directly observed polio vaccination strategy improved uptake of polio vaccines and population immunity in high-risk areas for polio transmission

  • Impact of engaging security personnel on access and polio immunization outcomes in security-inaccessible areas in Borno state, Nigeria

    Open AccessLoveday Nkwogu, Faisal Shuaib et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2018

    The engagement of security personnel in immunization activities led to an improved access and improvement in postcampaign evaluation indicators in security-compromised areas of a Nigerian state. This approach promises to be an impactful innovation in reaching settlements in security-compromised areas

  • Environmental, economic and socio-cultural risk factors of recurrent seasonal epidemics of cerebrospinal meningitis in Kebbi state, northwestern Nigeria

    Open AccessSemeeh Akinwale Omoleke, Olatunji Alabi et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2018

    As suggested by participants, there are potential environmental, socio-cultural and economic factors in the study area that might have been driving recurrent epidemics of cerebrospinal meningitis. In a bid to addressing this perennial challenge, governments at various levels supported by health development partners such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nation Habitat, and United National Development Programme can use the findings of…

  • The role of supportive supervision using mobile technology in monitoring and guiding program performance

    Open AccessSisay G Tegegne, Faisal Shuaib et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2018

    The use of handheld devices for supportive supervision provided real-time data from health facilities to state and zonal levels for analysis and feedback. Program officers used the findings to rectify process indicators in time for a better outcome

  • Assessment of unmet needs to address noncompliant households during polio supplemental immunization activities in Kaduna state, 2014–2016

    Open AccessHadiza Aliyu Iyal, Faisal Shuaib et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2018

    Unmet needs interventions were effective in reducing the number of noncompliant households recorded during SIA rounds in Kaduna State. Hence, unmet needs intervention could be adapted at all levels to address challenges faced in other primary healthcare programs in Nigeria

  • Distribution pattern of poliovirus potentially infectious materials in the phase 1b medical laboratories containment in conformity with the global action plan III

    Open AccessBassey Enya Bassey, Fiona Braka et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2018

    This study has revealed the successful containment of all poliovirus infectious materials in the laboratories surveyed. It has also revealed some surveillance gaps. We recommend that the surveillance system be improved to maintain the gains from the containment exercise and avoid reintroduction of infectious materials into biomedical facilities. This reduces the chances of viral reintroduction to the population in general

  • Conduct of vaccination in hard-to-reach areas to address potential polio reservoir areas, 2014–2015

    Open AccessSamuel Bawa, Faisal Shuaib et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2018

    The hard-to-reach project has improved population immunity against polio, as well as other routine vaccinations and delivery of child health survival interventions in the hard-to-reach and underserved communities

  • Lessons learnt from implementing community engagement interventions in mobile hard-to-reach (HTR) projects in Nigeria, 2014–2015

    Open AccessKulchumi Hammanyero, Kulchumi Isa Hammanyero et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2018

    The systematic implementation of a CE strategy that focused on planning and working with community structures and community engagers in immunization activities assisted in increasing OPV and penta3 immunization coverage

  • Towards an effective poliovirus laboratory containment strategy in Nigeria

    Open AccessJohnson Muluh Ticha, Kolawole Olatunji Matthew et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2018

    This article is amongst the first in Africa that relates poliovirus laboratory containment in the context of the tOPV-bOPV switch in alignment with the Global Action Plan III. All identified infectious materials were destroyed and personnel trained to continue to destroy subsequent materials, a process that needs meticulous monitoring to mitigate the risk of poliovirus re-introduction to the population