Africa’s Centre for Disease Control recently declared monkeypox a public health emergency. The resurgence of this virus, which has spread to over 100,000 cases worldwide, highlights the critical importance of addressing the inefficiencies of traditional contact tracing. Traditional contact tracing is limited by the risk of privacy breaches, which undermines citizens’ privacy and trust in public health efforts. Adopting an adapted digital contact tracing is more suitable for safeguarding citizens’ privacy and rights. To address this challenge, African governments should adopt privacy-preserving digital tools, strengthen data protection frameworks, and enhance public health education.
Contact tracing involves identifying individuals who may have come into contact with an infected person and monitoring their health status to prevent further transmission. While it has been instrumental in managing past outbreaks like syphilis, and COVID-19, it has also faced significant challenges in Africa due to privacy concerns, data security issues, and limited trust in government institutions.
In the context of monkeypox, the potential for privacy violations and the misuse of personal data is particularly concerning. The sharing and leaking of sensitive information could lead to serious consequences, especially in regions where data security is weak and government surveillance is a concern. For instance, in Nigeria, a journalist accessed the national population database for ₦200, revealing sensitive information. Kenya and Egypt, in East and North Africa respectively, have reported massive data breaches as well. Earlier in June 2024, ransomware compromised South Africa’s national laboratory online services during the mpox outbreak. These privacy breaches highlight the vulnerability of personal data in the region.
Moreover, the ethical implications of infringing on individual freedoms and the pragmatic challenges of building trust with the public must be carefully considered. Mistrust of government can hinder public health interventions, as seen in previous efforts to combat polio and COVID-19. If citizens cannot trust the government with their data, they may resist contact tracing, potentially hindering efforts to control the monkeypox outbreak.
To curb the incidence of data breaches, it is imperative to reform or replace traditional contact tracing methods with more innovative and privacy-preserving approaches. African countries can adopt digital applications designed to protect anonymity and privacy, similar to those used in Australia and England during the COVID-19 pandemic. These decentralized contact tracing apps use encryption to protect user privacy by storing data locally and preventing unauthorized access. South Africa collaborated with Singapore and Rain in 2020 to create a contact tracing app, a model other African countries could emulate. Africa has quite an opportunity since 75 in 100 Africans can access mobile data.
Where data insecurity prevails, the adoption of contact tracing apps will remain inadequate, as distrust will limit usage by citizens. To curb data insecurity, a law and an executor of the law are needed. Therefore, Nigeria has a new data protection act that was passed in 2023, and an independent oversight body, the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), was formed solely to execute the act. Independent bodies like NDPC have autonomous funding, and their appointment processes bypass the government, thereby ensuring private data is kept from government misuse. Other African parliaments should establish similar laws in their countries. The parliaments should also set up similar independent bodies to execute the laws because such independence will prevent exploitation and preserve trust.
Monkeypox, prevalent in West and Central Africa due to factors including bush meat consumption, may also be transmitted through sexual contact. However, only less than 45 percent of African citizens use condoms consistently. Therefore, a prevention-focused approach should be prioritized to curb monkeypox and other health epidemics. Governments, in collaboration with civil organizations, should prioritize prevention through sex education in schools and incentivize awareness campaigns with non-governmental organizations. By providing knowledge and health education to citizens, they can be empowered to take charge of their health and reduce the spread of disease.
To safeguard public health and rebuild trust, African governments must immediately adopt privacy-preserving digital contact tracing tools and enforce robust data protection laws. We urge policymakers to act decisively, ensuring these measures are implemented within a clear, transparent framework to protect citizens and curb disease spread.
Oluwanifemi Osakuade is a writing fellow at African Liberty.
Article first appeared on Modern Ghana.
Photo by National Cancer Institute via Unsplash.