Performance of Epidemic Preparedness and Response Committees to Disease Outbreaks in Arua District, West Nile Region.

Performance of Epidemic Preparedness and Response Committees to Disease Outbreaks in Arua District, West Nile Region. J Environ Public Health. 2019;2019:1437920 Authors: Afayo R, Buga M, Alege JB, Akugizibwe P, Atuhairwe C, Taremwa IM Abstract The Epidemic Preparedness and Response Committees (EPPRCs) are at the heart of preventing outbreaks from becoming epidemics by controlling the spread. Evidence-based information regarding factors associated with the performance of EPPRCs in preparedness and response to disease outbreaks is needed in order to improve their performance. A cross-sectional study involving 103 EPPRC members was carried out in Arua district, West Nile region, between the months of July and December 2014. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, and the chi-square test was used to establish associations. Forty-eight percentage of EPPRC members showed a moderate level of preparedness, and only 39.8% of them had a moderate level of response. The performance drivers of preparedness and response were dependent on presence of a budget (χ2 = 10.281, p=0.002), availability of funds (χ2 = 5.508, p=0.019), adequacy of funds, (χ2 = 11.211, p=0.008), support given by health development partners (χ2 = 19.497, p=0.001), and motivation (χ2 = 20.065, p < 0.001). Further, membership duration (χ2 = 13.776, p=0.001) and respondent cadre (χ2 = 12.538, p=0.005) had a significant associat...
Source: Journal of Environmental and Public Health - Category: Environmental Health Tags: J Environ Public Health Source Type: research