Correlates of Emergency Preparedness and Response to Disease Outbreaks in Kano, Northwest Nigeria

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BACKGROUND: There has been a global noticeable increase in the occurrence of infectious disease outbreaks, compounded by both natural and human-induced disasters. AIMS: We aimed to examine the correlates of emergency preparedness and response to disease outbreaks in Kano, Northwest Nigeria. METHODS: A descriptive cross sectional survey that utilised a two stage sampling technique was conducted among 359 stakeholders from the Ministries of Agriculture, Environment and Health at both State and Local Government Area (LGA) levels. Data were collected through interviewer-administered questionnaires and analysed using SPSS version 22. P ≤0.05 was set to be statistically significant. RESULTS: Participants' ages ranged from 18 to 61 years, with a mean age of 41.0 years and a standard deviation of ±8.7 years. Most respondents (70.5%) reported the presence of an Epidemic Preparedness and Response Committee (EPRC) before 2020, while a slightly larger proportion (73.8%) indicated its existence at the time of the survey. Similarly, a higher number of stakeholders confirmed the current presence of rapid response teams (RRTs) during outbreaks (76.9%) compared to their presence before 2020 (71.6%). We found 44.3% of EPRCs and 41.8% of RRTs to be functional. The presence of RRTs during outbreaks was as an independent predictor of EPRC functionality. Areas with insufficient RRT deployment during outbreaks were significantly less likely to have a functional EPRC. Conversely, areas with timely RRT activation were 20% more likely to have a functioning EPRC (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.2; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.1-0.5). Similarly, RRT functionality was reported more frequently in areas where respondents were uncertain about RRT availability before 2020 (58.8%, P = 0.002). Prior availability of RRTs during outbreaks was identified as an independent predictor of RRT functionality. Areas where respondents were unsure of RRT presence during past outbreaks were 4.7 times more likely to have a functional RRT (aOR = 4.7; 95% CI = 1.2-18.4). CONCLUSIONS: A fairly good proportion of EPRC and RRT were in place; however, their functionality was below optimal. We recommend urgent review of the available Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), and implementation of the relevant guidelines by all the relevant stakeholders for outbreak mitigation, prevention and timely response.