On 19 September join Session 11 of the World Health Organization Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence Innovation Forum for an engaging debate on institutionalizing the use of citizen-generated and inclusive data to combat infectious diseases.
During this session the Global Partnership shares preliminary insights from the ongoing scoping study on citizen data in policymaking to prevent and respond to climate-sensitive infectious diseases. The session includes insights from public health and citizen data stakeholders, and the WHO community of health, pandemic, and epidemic intelligence practitioners on the opportunities, challenges, and capacity-building needs for integrating citizen data.
- How can citizen data influence policy decisions related to infectious disease prevention and response?
- How do we create best practices, what examples are available?
- What skills and capacities are most needed at the community, institutional, and governmental levels to support the use of citizen data in public health policymaking?
- What potential partnerships or collaborations could be fostered to enhance the impact of citizen data on infectious disease prevention?
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Background
Climate change is increasingly impacting communities worldwide, with significant effects on public health. Data is crucial in understanding these changes, guiding actions, and enabling communities to adapt. While all data sources are essential, the role of communities—those most affected by these impacts and adversities—in contributing to data processes is often overlooked. Through citizen data, these communities can tell their own stories and define their realities and solutions.
The Global Partnership, with the support of Wellcome Trust, is currently conducting a scoping study to explore the potential of institutionalizing the use of citizen data in policymaking for the prevention and response to environmentally- sensitive infectious diseases, with a particular focus on Cholera, Schistosomiasis, Leishmaniasis, and arboviruses including dengue, and yellow fever in Kenya, Ghana, Malawi, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Vietnam. This study will inform and help unlock the full potential of citizen data for infectious disease prevention, shift attitudes, increase political commitments, build technical capacity and skills, and foster collaboration and partnerships to sustain inclusive data processes.