NewzNAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 19 — The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is stepping up regional efforts to detect animal disease outbreaks before they spread to humans, through a new initiative to strengthen veterinary laboratories and improve cross-border health surveillance across 11 African countries. The programme seeks to build a network of trained laboratory auditors and mentors to improve diagnostic standards, identify gaps in veterinary facilities and support laboratories working towards accreditation. Implemented under the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Programme, with support from the World Bank, the initiative brings together IGAD and the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC) to strengthen regional preparedness through the One Health approach, which links human, animal and environmental health.
A training-of-trainers workshop in Kenya has brought together representatives from nine of the 11 participating countries to develop the expertise needed to assess animal health laboratories, train laboratory personnel and extend technical support to facilities at national and subnational levels. IGAD Senior Medical Epidemiologist Waqo Gufu Boru said stronger animal health surveillance would allow countries to identify potential disease threats earlier and give human health authorities more time to prepare for possible outbreaks. “With a strong surveillance system in animal health, you can pick (up an outbreak) before it reaches human beings,” Boru said.
He cited Ebola, mpox and influenza as examples, highlighting the need for closer collaboration between animal and human health systems, alongside environmental surveillance to identify other potential disease threats.” Boru said IGAD was working with participating countries to strengthen coordination mechanisms that connect institutions responsible for human health, animal health and the environment, enabling them to share information and coordinate emergency responses. IGAD Head of Health Unit Dr Mohamed Elduma said the regional approach was designed to address disease threats at their source rather than concentrate only on treating human infections after an outbreak had occurred. “If we didn’t address the issue at the source, you might not solve the problem.
Treating humans only might not help at all,” Elduma said. The programme will use the QualiPATH framework, … NAIROBI,Kenya, Oct 19 — Kenya has only nine qualified animal health laboratory auditors, a shortage that could hamper efforts to expand accreditation and strengthen early detection of infectious diseases, a veterinary official has warned.
Romona Ndanyi, Deputy Director of Veterinary Services at the Directorate of Veterinary Services, Kenya said the country needed more trained auditors to assess laboratories, maintain quality standards and support facilities being established by county governments. The warning comes as Kenya hosts a regional training workshop bringing together representatives from nine African countries to build a pool of trainers and auditors under the newly introduced QualiPath framework. The initiative, supported through the World Bank-funded Health Emergency Preparedness and Response programme, seeks to strengthen animal health laboratory systems and improve their readiness to detect diseases that can spread from animals to humans.
“We have a pool of nine qualified auditors. The nine auditors are not enough,” Ndanyi said, explaining that Kenya had lost trained personnel through retirement and staff attrition. She said the country had 10 laboratories under the Directorate of Veterinary Services, in addition to county laboratories that also required assessment, auditing and mentorship.
Summary from source