Keyword: Sub-Saharan Africa

ABSTRACT: Background: Gender-based violence (GBV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) are critical public health issues in Sub-Saharan Africa, disproportionately affecting women. Gender-based violence (GBV)—including intimate partner violence and sexual assault—fuels HIV transmission via trauma, coercion, and healthcare barriers. This syndemic demands urgent, evidence-based solutions to break the cycle of risk.
Objectives: This study aims to explore the prevalence, types, and socio-cultural, economic, and power-related factors linking GBV to HIV risk among women in Sub-Saharan Africa, and to assess the effectiveness of integrated interventions addressing both issues.
Methodology: In carrying out this review, a scoping review design was employed. PubMed, African Journals Online (AJOL), and Google Scholar were searched for peer-reviewed studies conducted across Sub-Saharan Africa focusing on association of GBV and HIV risks. Data was extracted on the prevalence of HIV cases linked to GBV, and interventions addressing such prevalence. A thematic synthesis was used to identify common trends and gaps in the literature.
Findings: This study found GBV prevalence rates ranging from 3.4–89.3% across included studies, with significant geographic and population-based variations. GBV was identified as a major risk factor for HIV, particularly in settings with high economic dependence and gender inequality. Integrated interventions combining HIV care and GBV services were found to improve health outcomes, though access remains limited in rural areas.
Conclusion: This study underscores the urgent need for integrated, multi-sectoral approaches to address both GBV and HIV. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies and the scalability of successful interventions in diverse settings. Policymakers must prioritize these intersections to reduce the burden on women’s health in Sub-Saharan Africa.

ABSTRACT: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global threat, and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) bears a disproportionate share of this burden. This narrative review examines how deficiencies in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) contribute to AMR in SSA. It draws on peer-reviewed literature, institutional reports, and regional policy documents published between 2015 and 2025. Sources were identified through databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and WHO/UN databases using combinations of keywords including ‘AMR’, ‘WASH’, ‘Sub-Saharan Africa’, and ‘One Health’. We survey recent literature on the regional AMR problem, the role of inadequate WASH in propagating resistant infections among humans, animals, and the environment, and the relevance of a One Health approach. Key themes include the high AMR mortality in Africa, the persistence of antibiotic residues and pathogens in poorly managed water and sanitation systems, and how poverty-related WASH gaps drive frequent infections that require antibiotics. Evidence suggests that unsafe water and sanitation facilitate the environmental circulation of resistant bacteria and genes. The One Health framework is highlighted as essential for addressing these links, since AMR crosses human, animal, and ecological domains. We conclude that improving WASH infrastructure and practices, alongside integrated AMR strategies, is critical to curb resistance in the region. Focusing on WASH under a One Health perspective can reveal overlooked pathways of AMR spread and inform targeted interventions in SSA.

ABSTRACT: One of the major public health emergencies that has affected lives globally is infectious disease outbreaks. These issues are of great concern due to their potential to transcend borders. The control and management of such outbreaks even with the attention channelled towards it globally has been a difficult task in many developing and underdeveloped countries of the world of which the majority of sub-saharan african countries fall under. However, with this review, we aim to contribute to the body of knowledge dedicated towards control of infectious diseases by analyzing the preparedness of Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries in managing infectious disease outbreaks based on lessons from recent outbreaks (with focus on COVID-19, Lassa fever and Ebola outbreaks). In carrying out this narrative review, we make use of PubMed and African Journals Online (AJOL) as the primary literature sources. To ensure we capture publications from reputable organizations that are solely involved in control of infectious diseases in the region, we carried out a grey literature search.
However in this review, we synthesized challenges such as weak healthcare systems, inadequate healthcare infrastructure, inefficient surveillance systems, poor data management and reporting practices, limited laboratory capacity and reliance on external donors for supplies during emergencies.
The review proposes potential interventional measures aimed at addressing these challenges aimed at enhancing the preparedness
The findings from this review provide critical insights into the preparedness gaps and potential interventions, informing policy and practice to enhance the region's resilience future outbreaks.