Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Capability among Community-level Individuals of Kisumu-Kenya
Authors: Wilbroda Makunda Nancy , Owenga Jane , Omondi Dickens 
Published: December 2024

Introduction: Kenya, like many countries in Africa, faces a range of public health emergencies, including outbreaks of infectious diseases, natural disasters, and environmental health threats. The capacity to respond effectively to such emergencies at the community level is critical for mitigating their impact on health and well-being. Community-level public health emergency response capabilities involve preparedness, resilience, and the ability to mobilize local resources and knowledge. However, despite progress in developing agile national programs and health systems strengthening efforts, significant challenges in their implementation remain. The current study assessed community-level awareness of public health emergencies; response capabilities and community engagement for response in Kisumu County, western Kenya to identify key gaps in knowledge and practice hence propose actionable recommendations for enhancing resilience and effectiveness in addressing public health crises. Understanding these dynamics is essential for informing policy, improving health outcomes, and ultimately safeguarding the health of Kenyan communities in an increasingly uncertain global health environment, and to inform effective and improvement plans to enable designing of contextually specific, acceptable and appropriate interventions.
Methods: Using an analytical cross-sectional with mixed methods approach, data was collected from 507 participants residing within Kisumu County-Kenya. Quantitative data was collected in English through a mobile application (Commcarehq) and analyzed descriptively and relationships among covariates were determined through multivariate analysis. Qualitative data was obtained through Key informant interviews (n= 12) and four focused group discussions, one in each of the four sub-counties and analyzed thematically.
Results: Most participants 213(42.0%) old with 417 (82%) having completed secondary or higher level of education while 281 (55.4%) were self-employed. Among all the participants only 180 (35.5%) were aware of the national public health emergency response and preparedness guidelines while 253 (50%) had ever experienced and participated in a PHE-related response plan. Additionally, only 88 (17.4%) had ever received any training on public health emergency response. Whereas the participants who were aware of PHE had higher odds of better response preparedness, this relationship was not significant (aOR= 2.23; p= 0.078). The qualitative findings showed that despite awareness of PHE events, response preparedness was still sub-optimal with individuals perceiving these events to be less likely to occur frequently to worry about. However, receiving timely information about a PHE event (aOR= 7.74; p<0.001) and more consistent follow up and supervision by government staff (aOR= 6.19; p<0.001) increased chances of enhancing preparedness and capability to respond appropriately during and after PHE events.
Conclusion: Whereas over two thirds had satisfactory level of education, awareness and response preparedness to PHE events was low among this population. People who were aware of the PHE events were more likely to be prepared and capable to respond appropriately with additional efforts to provide timely information and consistent governmental supervision and follow up assistance.