Hotspot or blind spot? Historical perspectives on surveillance and response to epidemics in the Central African Republic

Pierre-Marie David (1) , Emmanuel Nakouné (2) , Tamara Giles-Vernick (3)

1 UdeM - Université de Montréal
2 Institut Pasteur de Bangui
3 Anthropologie et écologie de l’émergence des maladies - Anthropology and Ecology of Disease Emergence

The Central African Republic (CAR), a site of recurrent disease emergence, developed a noteworthy epidemiological surveillance system from the colonial period, but its health measures have remained among the world's lowest. To understand this disparity between surveillance and public health, we examined selected moments in its history of surveillance and changing relations with public health structures.

Mots clés: Central Africa; Disease emergence; Epidemics; History; Pasteur; Surveillance

Domaines: Sciences de l'Homme et Société

Pierre-Marie David, Emmanuel Nakouné, Tamara Giles-Vernick. Hotspot or blind spot? Historical perspectives on surveillance and response to epidemics in the Central African Republic. International Journal of Public Health, 2020, 65 (3), pp.241-248. ⟨10.1007/s00038-020-01338-x⟩. ⟨pasteur-03264078⟩