One Health approach Simulation Workshop at Namanga border prepares Citizens to tackle Ebola and other Communicable Disease outbreaks
In order to enhance the level of preparedness of both the Republic of Kenya and the United Republic of Tanzania in response to the possible emerging and re-emerging epidemic and pandemic threats of the Ebola Virus Disease and other communicable diseases, the East African Community Secretariat convened a regional (One Health approach) Table Top and Field Simulation Exercise at the Namanga border which concluded on Friday, 23rd October 2015.
The three-day workshop, which ran from 21st-23rd October 2015, brought together representatives from the EAC Partner States, National Ministries responsible for human health and animal health, the Ministry of EAC Affairs and representatives from border security agencies, immigration and customs officers. Representatives from the East Central and Southern Africa Health Community, Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (EACTAD-UNFAO), U.S. Agency for International Development and the EAC Secretariat were also present.
“There is high possibility for infectious diseases to spread out to many countries across the world if they are not properly controlled”, said Mr. Timothy Wesonga, EAC Senior Livestock and Fisheries Officer. “If an outbreak does happen in any of the East African Partner States, then it can also affect the rest of region and indeed the world. We have seen this in the case of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa which had reached as far as America, Spain, and to other parts of the world”, he said.
The participants also visited the Longido District headquarters, Longido District Hospital and Kajiado County Hospital. The main objective of the field visits was to conduct a situational analysis and to sensitise local authorities in both Longido District in Tanzania and Kajiado County in Kenya on the planned simulation exercises.
The 9th Ordinary Meeting of the EAC Sectoral Council of Ministers of Health which was held in Zanzibar, Tanzania from 14th to 17th April 2014 approved the institutionalisation of the One Health approach in order to prevent and control zoonotic diseases and other events of Public Health concern. All Partner States of the EAC are a hotspot where those drivers are found. Rift Valley Fever, Yellow Fever, Anthrax, Ebola and Marbug outbreaks are a few examples of re-emerging infectious diseases, which have struck a few Partner States of the EAC in the last decade causing public health threats and seriously damaging the economy.
Two field simulation exercises have already been conducted at the Kenya-Uganda border at Busia and the Tanzania-Burundi-Rwanda at Kagera river basin ecosystem (Muyinga) in April 2010 and August 2012 respectively.