TY - JOUR AU - Bigouette, John Paul AU - Callaghan, Anna AU - Donadel, Morgane AU - Porter, Angela Montesanti AU - Rosencrans, Louie AU - Lickness, Jacquelyn AU - Blough, Sara AU - Li, Xi AU - Perry, Robert AU - Williams, A.J. AU - Scobie, Heather AU - Dahl, Benjamin AU - McFarland, Jeffrey AU - Murrill, Christopher T1 - Effects of COVID-19 on Vaccine-Preventable Disease Surveillance Systems in the World Health Organization African Region, 2020 T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2022 VL - 28 IS - 13 SP - 203 SN - 1080-6059 AB - Global emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 curtailed vaccine-preventable disease (VPD) surveillance activities, but little is known about which surveillance components were most affected. In May 2021, we surveyed 214 STOP (originally Stop Transmission of Polio) Program consultants to determine how VPD surveillance activities were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic throughout 2020, primarily in low- and middle-income countries, where program consultants are deployed. Our report highlights the responses from 154 (96%) of the 160 consultants deployed to the World Health Organization African Region, which comprises 75% (160/214) of all STOP Program consultants deployed globally in early 2021. Most survey respondents observed that VPD surveillance activities were somewhat or severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Reprioritization of surveillance staff and changes in health-seeking behaviors were factors commonly perceived to decrease VPD surveillance activities. Our findings suggest the need for strategies to restore VPD surveillance to prepandemic levels. KW - COVID-19 KW - SARS-COV-2 KW - polio KW - measles KW - rubella KW - surveillance KW - vaccine-preventable diseases KW - viruses KW - coronavirus disease KW - severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 DO - 10.3201/eid2813.220088 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/28/13/22-0088_article ER - End of Reference