Strategic Engagement of Technical Surge Capacity for Intensified Polio Eradication Initiative in Nigeria, 2012-2015.

BACKGROUND: Following the 65th World Health Assembly (WHA) resolution on intensification of the Global Poliomyelitis Eradication Initiative (GPEI), the Nigerian government, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners, implemented a number of innovative strategies to curb the transmission of wild poliovirus (WPV) in the country. One of the innovations successfully implemented since mid 2012 is the WHO's engagement of surge capacity personnel. METHODS: The WHO reorganized its functional structure, adopted a transparent recruitment and deployment process, provided focused technical and management training, and applied systematic accountability framework to successfully manage the surge capacity project in close collaboration with the national counterparts and partners. The deployment of the surge capacity personnel was guided by operational and technical requirement analysis. RESULTS: Over 2200 personnel were engaged, of whom 92% were strategically deployed in 11 states classified as high risk on the basis of epidemiological risk analysis and compromised security. These additional personnel were directly engaged in efforts aimed at improving the performance of polio surveillance, vaccination campaigns, increased routine immunization outreach sessions, and strengthening partnership with key stakeholders at the operational level, including community-based organizations. DISCUSSION: Programmatic interventions were sustained in states in which security was compromised and the risk of polio was high, partly owing to the presence of the surge capacity personnel, who are engaged from the local community. Since mid-2012, significant programmatic progress was registered in the areas of polio supplementary immunization activities, acute flaccid paralysis surveillance, and routine immunization with the support of the surge capacity personnel. As of 19 June 2015, the last case of WPV was reported on 24 July 2014. The surge infrastructure has also been instrumental in building local capacity; supporting other public health emergencies, such as the Ebola outbreak response and measles and meningitis outbreaks; and strengthening the integrated disease surveillance and response. Due to weak health systems in the country, it is vital to maintain a reasonable level of the surge capacity for successful implementation of the 2013-2018 global polio endgame strategy and beyond.

The metaverse digital environments: a scoping review of the challenges, privacy and security issues.

The concept of the "metaverse" has garnered significant attention recently, positioned as the "next frontier" of the internet. This emerging digital realm carries substantial economic and financial implications for both IT and non-IT industries. However, the integration and evolution of these virtual universes bring forth a multitude of intricate issues and quandaries that demand resolution. Within this research endeavor, our objective was to delve into and appraise the array of challenges, privacy concerns, and security issues that have come to light during the development of metaverse virtual environments in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through a meticulous review and analysis of literature spanning from January 2020 to December 2022, we have meticulously identified and scrutinized 29 distinct challenges, along with 12 policy, privacy, and security matters intertwined with the metaverse. Among the challenges we unearthed, the foremost were concerns pertaining to the costs associated with hardware and software, implementation complexities, digital disparities, and the ethical and moral quandaries surrounding socio-control, collectively cited by 43%, 40%, and 33% of the surveyed articles, respectively. Turning our focus to policy, privacy, and security issues, the top three concerns that emerged from our investigation encompassed the formulation of metaverse rules and principles, the encroachment of privacy threats within the metaverse, and the looming challenges concerning data management, all mentioned in 43%, 40%, and 33% of the examined literature. In summation, the development of virtual environments within the metaverse is a multifaceted and dynamically evolving domain, offering both opportunities and hurdles for researchers and practitioners alike. It is our aspiration that the insights, challenges, and recommendations articulated in this report will catalyze extensive dialogues among industry stakeholders, governmental bodies, and other interested parties concerning the metaverse's destiny and the world they aim to construct or bequeath to future generations.