COVID-19 in the Middle East and North Africa region: an urgent call for reliable, disaggregated and openly shared data

Sarah Wehbe; Sasha A Fahme; Anthony Rizk; Ghina R Mumtaz; Jocelyn DeJong; Abla M Sibai

doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2021-005175

COVID-19 in the Middle East and North Africa region: an urgent call for reliable, disaggregated and openly shared data

Sarah Wehbe, Sasha A Fahme, Anthony Rizk, Ghina R Mumtaz, Jocelyn DeJong, Abla M Sibai

Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate › Communication

22 Citations (Scopus)

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Abstract

In contrast to other regions, most Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region do not publicly report comprehensive and disaggregated epidemiological data on COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic exemplifies long-standing underinvestment and undervaluation of routine sources of data, a paucity of available disaggregated data and challenges to data sharing across several countries of the MENA region, notably those that are long stricken by conflicts and displacement.

The COVID-19 pandemic should serve as an impetus for more comprehensive, robust, disaggregated and publicly available evidence, and this can be addressed through prioritised governmental expenditure and use of available digital technologies.

Comprehensive and reliable data are essential in understanding the implications of the health crises, generating meaningful epidemiological research and developing prompt and contextualised responses.

Original language	English
Journal	BMJ Global Health
Volume	6
Issue number	2
Number of pages	4
ISSN	2059-7908
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2021-005175
Publication status	Published - 2021
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Africa, Northern
COVID-19
Databases, Factual
Female
Humans
Information Dissemination
Male
Middle East
Public Health

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10.1136/bmjgh-2021-005175Licence: CC BY

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Cite this

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abstract = "In contrast to other regions, most Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region do not publicly report comprehensive and disaggregated epidemiological data on COVID-19.The COVID-19 pandemic exemplifies long-standing underinvestment and undervaluation of routine sources of data, a paucity of available disaggregated data and challenges to data sharing across several countries of the MENA region, notably those that are long stricken by conflicts and displacement.The COVID-19 pandemic should serve as an impetus for more comprehensive, robust, disaggregated and publicly available evidence, and this can be addressed through prioritised governmental expenditure and use of available digital technologies.Comprehensive and reliable data are essential in understanding the implications of the health crises, generating meaningful epidemiological research and developing prompt and contextualised responses.",

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T2 - an urgent call for reliable, disaggregated and openly shared data

AU - Wehbe, Sarah

AU - Fahme, Sasha A

AU - Rizk, Anthony

AU - Mumtaz, Ghina R

AU - DeJong, Jocelyn

AU - Sibai, Abla M

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - In contrast to other regions, most Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region do not publicly report comprehensive and disaggregated epidemiological data on COVID-19.The COVID-19 pandemic exemplifies long-standing underinvestment and undervaluation of routine sources of data, a paucity of available disaggregated data and challenges to data sharing across several countries of the MENA region, notably those that are long stricken by conflicts and displacement.The COVID-19 pandemic should serve as an impetus for more comprehensive, robust, disaggregated and publicly available evidence, and this can be addressed through prioritised governmental expenditure and use of available digital technologies.Comprehensive and reliable data are essential in understanding the implications of the health crises, generating meaningful epidemiological research and developing prompt and contextualised responses.

AB - In contrast to other regions, most Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region do not publicly report comprehensive and disaggregated epidemiological data on COVID-19.The COVID-19 pandemic exemplifies long-standing underinvestment and undervaluation of routine sources of data, a paucity of available disaggregated data and challenges to data sharing across several countries of the MENA region, notably those that are long stricken by conflicts and displacement.The COVID-19 pandemic should serve as an impetus for more comprehensive, robust, disaggregated and publicly available evidence, and this can be addressed through prioritised governmental expenditure and use of available digital technologies.Comprehensive and reliable data are essential in understanding the implications of the health crises, generating meaningful epidemiological research and developing prompt and contextualised responses.

KW - Africa, Northern

KW - COVID-19

KW - Databases, Factual

KW - Female

KW - Humans

KW - Information Dissemination

KW - Male

KW - Middle East

KW - Public Health

U2 - 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-005175

DO - 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-005175

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