Academic Journal
Operationalizing public health emergency operations centers in Somalia: a scoping review of challenges and strategies.
| Τίτλος: | Operationalizing public health emergency operations centers in Somalia: a scoping review of challenges and strategies. |
|---|---|
| Συγγραφείς: | Tahlil AA; Ministry of Health and Human Services, Federal Government of Somalia, Mogadishu, Somalia. abdullahi.tahlily@gmail.com.; Department of Public Health, Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, Somali National University, Mogadishu, Somalia. abdullahi.tahlily@gmail.com.; Center for Epidemic Intelligence, Preparedness & Response, Mogadishu, Somalia. abdullahi.tahlily@gmail.com., Mohamed MA; Ministry of Health and Human Services, Federal Government of Somalia, Mogadishu, Somalia., Ali H; Ministry of Health and Human Services, Federal Government of Somalia, Mogadishu, Somalia., Anebonam U; Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia., Watare SH; Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia., Sonko I; Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia., Sultan KM; African Field Epidemiology Network, Mogadishu, Somalia., Mankoula W; Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia., Osman AY; Ministry of Health and Human Services, Federal Government of Somalia, Mogadishu, Somalia.; Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, University of London, London, UK., Kamil MA; World Health Organization, Country Office, Mogadishu, Somalia., Adam AH; Ministry of Health and Human Services, Federal Government of Somalia, Mogadishu, Somalia. |
| Πηγή: | Tropical medicine and health [Trop Med Health] 2026 Aug 02; Vol. 54 (1). Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Aug 02. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article; Review |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: BioMed Central Ltd Country of Publication: Japan NLM ID: 101215093 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 1348-8945 (Print) Linking ISSN: 13488945 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Trop Med Health Subsets: PubMed not MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: <2016- > : London : BioMed Central Ltd. Original Publication: Nagasaki, Japan : Japanese Society of Tropical Medicine, [2004]- |
| Περίληψη: | Background: Public Health Emergency Operations Centers (PHEOCs) are central to national health security systems, enabling coordinated preparedness, surveillance, and response to public health emergencies. However, their operationalization remains particularly challenging in fragile and conflict-affected settings such as Somalia, where systemic constraints, governance fragmentation, and limited resources undermine emergency coordination capacity. This study aimed to systematically map the existing evidence on the challenges and strategies for operationalizing PHEOCs in Somalia and comparable fragile settings, and to identify priority areas for strengthening emergency preparedness and response systems. Methods: This scoping review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA-ScR guidelines to systematically map the evidence on challenges and strategies related to PHEOC operationalization in Somalia and comparable settings. A structured search of peer-reviewed and grey literature was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, as well as in institutional repositories, covering publications from January 2010 to March 2025. A total of 43 documents met the inclusion criteria. Data were charted using a standardized framework and synthesized using an inductive thematic approach. Results: The reviewed literature consistently identifies five interrelated domains of challenges affecting PHEOC operationalization: (1) operational and infrastructure constraints, including weak legal frameworks and inadequate facilities; (2) financing and sustainability challenges, characterized by heavy reliance on donor funding and absence of dedicated domestic financing; (3) human resources and system capacity gaps, including workforce shortages, training limitations, and weak laboratory and surveillance systems; (4) political and security barriers, including limited political prioritization, fragmented federal governance, and insecurity; and (5) information systems and digital constraints, including fragmented and non-interoperable data systems and limited operationalization of One Health approaches. These challenges are systemic and mutually reinforcing, significantly constraining effective emergency coordination. A detailed mapping of included studies and extracted findings is provided in Supplementary Table S1. Conclusion: Strengthening PHEOC systems in Somalia requires comprehensive, multisectoral interventions addressing governance, financing, workforce, infrastructure, and digital systems. Institutionalizing legal frameworks, enhancing sustainable financing, investing in workforce development, improving data interoperability, and integrating One Health approaches are critical for building resilient emergency preparedness and response systems in fragile settings. (© 2026. The Author(s).) |
| Competing Interests: | Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study is a comprehensive literature review and analysis based on publicly available data, official reports, and peer-reviewed publications. As such, it does not involve direct research involving human participants, animals, or identifiable personal data. No ethical approval or consent to participate was required for this research. All referenced sources were accessed in accordance with applicable copyright and licensing regulations, and proper acknowledgment has been provided. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. |
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| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Emergency preparedness; Fragile and conflict-affected settings; Health security; One Health; PHEOC; Public Health Emergency Operations Center; Scoping review; Somalia |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260804 Date Completed: 20260804 Latest Revision: 20260813 |
| Update Code: | 20260814 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC13430748 |
| DOI: | 10.1186/s41182-026-01032-3 |
| PMID: | 42547872 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
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