The importance of community health workers as frontline responders during the Covid-19 pandemic, Somalia, 2020–2021

Dados Bibliográficos

ID22076094
AutoresLilly M Nyagah (0000-0002-3852-6695, autor correspondente), Sulaiman Bangura, Omar Abdulle Omar, Mary Joan Karanja (0000-0001-9521-5773), Mary Karanja, Mashrur Ahmed Mirza, Hossain Shajib, Haron Njiru (0000-0003-4341-4935), Kumlachew Mengistu, Sk Md Mamunur Rahman Malik (0000-0002-4691-492X)
Ano2023
Volume11
Páginas1215620-1215620
Data de publicação2023-08-17
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoFrontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565
EditoraFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpubh.2023.1215620
PMID37663863
OpenAlexW4385932411
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas2
Referências citadas25

Introduction We examined the contribution of community health workers as frontline responders for the community-based surveillance in Somalia during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic for detection of COVID-19 cases and identification of contacts. Methods We retrieved COVID-19 surveillance data from 16 March 2020 to 31 March 2021 from the health ministry’s central database. These data were collected through community health workers, health facilities or at the points of entry. We compared the number of suspected COVID-19 cases detected by the three surveillance systems and the proportion that tested positive using the chi-squared test. We used logistic regression analysis to assess association between COVID-19 infection and selected variables. Results During the study period, 154,004 suspected cases of COVID-19 were detected and tested, of which 10,182 (6.6%) were positive. Of the notified cases, 32.7% were identified through the community-based surveillance system, 54.0% through the facility-based surveillance system, and 13.2% at points of entry. The positivity rate of cases detected by the community health workers was higher than that among those detected at health facilities (8.6% versus 6.4%; p < 0.001). The community health workers also identified more contacts than those identified through the facility-based surveillance (13,279 versus 1,937; p < 0.001). The odds of COVID-19 detection generally increased by age. Community-based surveillance and health facility-based surveillance had similar odds of detecting COVID-19 cases compared with the points-of-entry surveillance (aOR: 7.0 (95% CI: 6.4, 7.8) and aOR: 7.5 (95% CI: 6.8, 8.3), respectively). Conclusion The community health workers proved their value as first responders to COVID-19. They can be effective in countries with weak health systems for targeted community surveillance in rural and remote areas which are not covered by the facility-based surveillance system

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak · Betacoronavirus · Coronavirus Infections · Disease · Outbreak · Pandemic · Pathology · Pneumonia · COVID-19 Digital Contact Tracing · COVID-19 epidemiological studies · Medicine · Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research · Virology