Tropical Health Matters

Press Release: Artificial Intelligence and Innovations in Public Health Promotion Practice to Take Center Stage in Ibadan

The growing role of Artificial Intelligence in public health will take centre stage in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, as the Health Promotion and Education Alumni Association, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan (HPEAAICM), kicks off her 2024 Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference, between September 24 to 26, 2024, from 9 am daily, at the Koltol Hotel, Ikolaba, Ibadan.

The hybrid event brings together public health practitioners, program managers, researchers, policymakers, and students from across Nigeria and internationally. The conference will focus on an increasingly critical topic: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its innovative applications in public health promotion.

Bright Orji, HPEAAICM president says “this year’s theme, “Artificial Intelligence and Innovations in Public Health Promotion Practice,” reflects the growing role AI plays in transforming healthcare systems globally. AI-driven innovations are not only revolutionizing disease detection, diagnosis, and treatment but are also enhancing the ability of public health practitioners to design, implement, and evaluate health promotion programs”.

AI and Public Health

Artificial Intelligence, often referred to as the driving force behind the “Fourth Industrial Revolution,” is revolutionizing every sector, including healthcare. In public health, AI’s ability to process large amounts of data rapidly and with remarkable accuracy makes it a game-changer. Its applications span across:

• Disease Surveillance and Prevention: AI systems can analyze vast quantities of data to predict disease outbreaks, track epidemic patterns, and monitor real-time public health issues. This capacity for early detection is particularly relevant in the global fight against pandemics, as seen during the COVID-19 crisis.
• Personalized Health Promotion: AI-powered tools can tailor public health interventions to individual or community needs, improving health outcomes by promoting behaviors that are most effective for specific populations. These tools can analyze data from various sources such as social media, wearable health devices, and electronic health records, providing public health professionals with actionable insights.
• Health Communication and Education: AI chatbots and virtual health assistants are enhancing patient engagement and communication. These tools help in delivering health education to people, addressing misconceptions, and providing reliable health information in real-time. They are proving especially useful in low-resource settings, where healthcare personnel are often overstretched.
• Predictive Analytics in Health Promotion: AI algorithms can help anticipate health risks based on behavioral patterns, enabling health professionals to implement targeted preventive interventions. These predictive models can guide public health strategies for addressing lifestyle-related diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.

Dr. Orji emphasizes that the use of AI in these capacities promises to strengthen health systems, improve efficiency, and ensure that public health interventions are data-driven and evidence-based. However, “these technologies also raise important questions regarding equity, privacy, and ethical use, which will be key points of discussion during the conference”, he adds.

The event will feature keynote presentations, panel discussions, and breakout sessions that explore cutting-edge AI innovations and their real-world applications in public health. Eminent scholars from Nigeria and abroad will lead conversations on various aspects of AI in health promotion, shedding light on the opportunities and challenges these technologies present.

Why You Should Attend

This year’s Conference will bring key thematic opportunities to attendees including:

1. Networking Opportunities: Engage with a diverse group of public health practitioners, technology innovators, policymakers, and academics to discuss collaborative solutions to global health challenges.
2. Knowledge Exchange: Gain insights into how AI is being integrated into public health strategies, from improving surveillance and health promotion to transforming patient care and health education.
3. Influencing Policy: Participate in discussions that can help shape the future of health policy, especially concerning the ethical use of AI in public health promotion.
4. Capacity Building: Discover AI-driven tools and technologies that can enhance the effectiveness of public health programs, especially in resource-constrained settings like sub-Saharan Africa.
5. Global Perspective with Local Impact: The event will contextualize AI advancements within the Nigerian and broader African public health systems, ensuring that discussions remain relevant to local needs and priorities.

AI in Nigerian Public Health

In Nigeria, where public health systems face significant challenges, AI offers tremendous potential to strengthen health promotion efforts. The country continues to battle high maternal and child mortality rates, infectious disease outbreaks, and the rise of non-communicable diseases. However, AI innovations can improve data management and health service delivery in these areas, allowing health officials to track outbreaks, assess health risks, and intervene promptly, says Dr. Orji.

AI-powered telemedicine is already transforming healthcare delivery in remote regions of Nigeria, where access to physical health facilities is limited. During the COVID-19 pandemic, AI-assisted health surveillance tools helped track and predict outbreaks, leading to more effective responses.

The 2024 HPEAAICM Scientific Conference will delve into these success stories, highlighting the lessons learned and offering a roadmap for future AI integration in public health, Dr. Orji added.

Signed

Dr. Bright Orji, MPH, Ph.D
President, HPEAAICM

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Registration and Contact Information:

Registration for the event is now open. Participants can register for either in-person or virtual attendance via the HPEAAICM website (https://hpeaaicm.org/2024-agm/registration/).

For further inquiries and to confirm your participation, please contact:

Dr. Bright Orji, MPH, Ph.D
President, HPEAAICM
Phone: +234 803 709 6014
Email: OrjiBright.Clement@jhpiego.org

About HPEAAICM:

The Health Promotion and Education Alumni Association of the University of Ibadan College of Medicine (HPEAAICM) is dedicated to advancing the field of public health through education, innovation, and collaboration. The association brings together alumni who are leading public health professionals, researchers, and educators from across Nigeria and beyond.  Join us as we explore the intersection of AI and public health promotion—an exciting journey towards a healthier future driven by technology and innovation!

World Malaria Day 2023 is focusing on three key themes, Investment, Innovation, and Implementation, the 3 I’s. The recently approved malaria vaccines and those still under development embody these themes fully.  They all represent decades of investment in innovation, research, and now implementation.

After extensive several decades of clinical research and three years of field implementation in Ghana, Malawi, and Kenya by the World Health Organization and National Malaria and Immunization Programs, the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine is being rolled out with assistance of GAVI, the Global Vaccine Alliance. During the malaria vaccine implementation program (MVIP) and also based on GAVI’s philosophy for vaccine programs generally, a key strategy was to provide RTS,S as routine immunization services alongside other essential services including a comprehensive package of malaria control and elimination interventions. RTS,S is not only being made available to the three MVIP countries, but as supplies come on board, other falciparum malaria endemic countries have started to apply for supplies and funding through GAVI.

It was well known from the beginning that although RTS,s might be first out the gate, other vaccines would be following closely on its heels. The benefits as well as the efficacy limitations of RTS,S were well known.  Therefore, talk was common for new products being available by 2026. Now in 2023, countries have started to move ahead on another vaccine candidate.

BBC reported that “Ghana is the first country to approve a(nother) new malaria vaccine that has been described as a ‘world-changer’ by the scientists who developed it.” R21 appears to be more effective than its predecessor, so Ghana’s drug regulators moved ahead quickly using final trial data on the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness, which is not even public, to approve it. Interestingly, this move is in parallel to the World Health Organization’s consideration of approving the vaccine.  Shortly thereafter, Nigerian medicine regulators also approved R21. Reuters noted that these “approvals are unusual as they have come before the publication of final-stage trial data for the vaccine.” The actual roll out will ultimately depend on official publication of the safety data and sourcing of funds.

As mentioned above, these malaria vaccines represented considerable investment of time and resources, embody the kind of innovation that is needed to tackle malaria as drug and insecticide resistance threaten progress toward elimination, and require detailed planning right down to the grassroots levels to ensure that a malaria vaccine delivery is part of a comprehensive package of malaria and child health services.

We need to return to the theme of investment. While international organizations, universities, ministries of health, and of course pharmaceutical companies have been investing in developing a safe, effective, and feasible product, these innovative products will not save lives until funds are invested for both purchase and service delivery are guaranteed. GAVI and Partners have put together over $200 million in support for RTS,S implementation for three years. The first window was open in September 2022 for the initial three MVIP countries, and a second window for others, depending on available supplies was open in December 2022.

Investment FOR implementation is a challenging subject because GAVI and collaborating agencies are not a bottomless well of money. What level of national investment by a country to protect its own children is feasible? Is there the national political will to contribute and invest in children in endemic countries, and not continue depending heavily on donors?

Malaria vaccines are a perfect example of what the 3 I’s can achieve. But beyond celebrating this addition to the malaria elimination toolkit, will we also be celebrating commitments by endemic countries of local funds to make zero malaria a reality?