Surveillance, response & management
Primary Health Care is a critical foundation for the direct surveillance, response and management of outbreaks.
Globally, countries have adopted various strategies for responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Control measures such as community testing, contact tracing, outbreak communication, isolation, and other public health and social measures have been crucial in slowing down disease transmission and reducing mortality.
As a person’s first entry point into the health system, PHC not only provides a platform for ensuring access to essential and routine healthcare but is also a critical foundation for the direct surveillance, response and management of outbreaks. PHC, by nature of its community orientation, allows for the multi-sectoral action needed to reduce vulnerability and build resilience of communities. The central role of PHC is perhaps best illustrated by the consequences of its absence, as was the case during the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak in Guinea, when a lack of trust in PHC led to delays in reporting and treatment of cases which increased morbidity and mortality, and prolonged the duration of the outbreak.
Leveraging PHC for outbreak response is particularly important in low- and middle-income countries where there is often limited access to healthcare overall, and in particular to highly specialized tertiary care and intensive care units that have been the primary focus of COVID-19 response in higher income settings. Below, we highlight three strategies—drawing from PHCPI’s Improvement Strategies—for how PHC systems can be leveraged for COVID-19 surveillance, response and management.
In addition to these strategies on surveillance, response, and management, users can access COVID-19 Improvement Strategies related to maintaining access to routine and essential services.
PHC systems can help diagnose, track and stop the spread of local outbreaks while providing essential health services.
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Risk Communication
Utilizing primary health care channels for community engagement to provide health education on how to mitigate risk of COVID-19 infection and to address fears and stigma brought about by the outbreak. In public health emergencies such as COVID-19, communicating clearly with the public about risks builds trust and allows people to make informed decisions to prevent avoidable sickness and death. -
Risk Communication in Senegal
Risk communication has been a core strategy of Senegal’s response to COVID-19. Leveraging its existing community networks and committees for multisectoral action, Senegal has rapidly implemented communication strategies adapted to the local context, including through the use of national broadcasts, traditional storytellers, and community-based education. -
Testing & Contact Tracing
Expanding the capacity of PHC to adopt community disease testing and surveillance for COVID-19 through proactive population outreach and information systems use. Testing and contact tracing are COVID-19 surveillance measures that can disrupt the disease transmission chain and control infectious disease outbreaks in the population. -
Leveraging Testing and Contact Tracing in Ghana
Testing and contact tracing rest at the center of Ghana’s response to COVID-19. Ghana has demonstrated rapid response to COVID-19 through anchoring these efforts in existing PHC infrastructure. The country has also utilized the strength in rapid innovation and learning to enhance both testing and contact tracing through the iterative development of mobile applications, partial transition to electronic health records, and pool testing to address resource limitations. -
Case Management and Transmission Control
Case management and transmission control are key strategies needed to isolate, treat, and monitor known and suspected COVID-19 patients. These interventions aim to slow down disease transmission and prevent unwanted morbidities and mortalities. -
Adapting Case Management and Transmission Control in Tarlac, Philippines
Tarlac Province in the Philippines has prioritized the isolation and monitoring of known and suspected COVID-19 cases through vigilant case management and transmission control. The province has significantly limited the spread of COVID-19 through case management mechanisms anchored in grass-roots community engagement, rapid information sharing, and strengthening PHC pillars by continuing UHC initiatives during the pandemic.
PHC Advocacy & Engagement Resources
Blog Primary Sources
Voices of practitioners and others on the front lines of PHC who are working tirelessly to deliver essential health care
PHCPI Newsletter What We're Reading
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Online Forum PHCPI Community of Practice
Share experiences, stories, tools, approaches and resources via the online forum.
Toolkit PHCPI Messaging Materials
Foundational messages about how and why stakeholders can – and must – center PHC as a key component of the COVID-19 response.