Journal of
Public Health and Epidemiology

  • Abbreviation: J. Public Health Epidemiol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 2141-2316
  • DOI: 10.5897/JPHE
  • Start Year: 2009
  • Published Articles: 661

Review

Covid-19 infection: Successful global spread, challenges to public health surveillance, and lessons learnt

Taofik Ogunkunle
  • Taofik Ogunkunle
  • Department of Paediatrics, Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, P. M. B 007, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.
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Surajudeen Bello
  • Surajudeen Bello
  • Department of Paediatrics, Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, P. M. B 007, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.
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Rasheedat Ibraheem
  • Rasheedat Ibraheem
  • Department of Paediatrics, College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin and University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria.
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Sherifat Katibi
  • Sherifat Katibi
  • Department of Paediatrics, College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin and University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria.
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Tajudeen Ibrahim
  • Tajudeen Ibrahim
  • Department of Paediatrics, Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, P. M. B 007, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.
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Abdulazeez Imam
  • Abdulazeez Imam
  • Health Systems Collaborative, Nuffield Department of Medicine, The University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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Rasaq Olaosebikan
  • Rasaq Olaosebikan
  • Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
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  •  Received: 16 January 2023
  •  Accepted: 16 March 2023
  •  Published: 30 April 2023

Abstract

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 is a highly communicable disease that emerged in the twilight of 2019 in Wuhan, China but rapidly spread globally, resulting in a pandemic. Given its novelty, scientific information about its origin, biology, spread and preventive measures trickled over time, which could have been responsible for the successful global spread. In this paper, relevant literature related to the spread of the disease was reviewed. A list of factors associated with the successful spread among the human population was documented and the challenges with public health surveillance systems and the lessons learnt were highlighted.

Key words: Covid-19, coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2 virus), pandemic, surveillance, zoonosis.