Established: 2006

Affiliation: University of Pretoria

Director: Bernice Harris
mail:berniceh@nicd.ac.za

Overview

The SAFELTP, based in Johannesburg, is a 2-year applied program that trains public health leaders while providing epidemiologic services to health authorities in South Africa.
The program places emphasis on service as residents pursue a Masters of Public Health awarded through the University of Pretoria. The SAFELTP offers two tracks: one in Applied Epidemiology and one in Public Health Laboratory Practice.

Residents spend 35% of their time in classroom instruction and 65% in field assignments.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is supporting the program by assigning experienced resident advisors to provide technical assistance in developing training materials, teaching and mentoring program residents, and giving consultation on priority public health issues in South Africa.


Program Objectives

The primary objective of the SAFELTP is to train public health leaders in applied epidemiology and public health laboratory practice, with an emphasis on problem-solving to provide public health service to the national and sub-national health authorities in South Africa. The program also aims to strengthen the culture of critical thinking in the public health community.


While in the SAFELTP, residents are expected to improve public health in South Africa by conducting outbreak investigations and control, evaluation of surveillance systems, economic evaluation of public health programs, and surveillance data analysis.

Residents also provide recommendations to improve public health, train other health workers, and disseminate their findings through various presentations and publications.


Funding and Partnerships

• South Africa National Department of Health
• South Africa Provincial Departments of Health
• National Institute of Communicable Diseases
• National Health Laboratory Service
• University of Pretoria
• CDC
• CDC - Global AIDS Program
• CDC - Division of Laboratory Systems
  

Program Accomplishments

Since its inception in 2006, the SAFELTP has been recognized at national and international scientific conferences with the acceptance of 7 oral and 22 poster presentations. One residents of the SAFELTP received the prestigious John Snow Award for Outbreak Investigation and another one won for Best Poster Presentation at the 2008 TEPHINET conference in Malaysia.
In addition, the program is providing training to one epidemiologist from Burkina Faso and one from Togo.
The SAFELTP has conducted over 20 outbreak investigations, including the following:

1. Outbreak of disease due to a novel Arenavirus, Gauteng
2. Cholera outbreak, Limpopo
3. Influenza outbreak, Northern Cape
4. Rift Valley Fever outbreak
5. Legionnaires disease outbreak, Mpumalanga
6. Meningococcal meningitis outbreak, Eastern Cape

In addition, the SAFELTP has been responsible for over 20 surveillance evaluations, including the following:

1. Evaluation of the Viral Watch Surveillance Program, Gauteng, 2005–2007
2. Forecasting of notifiable medical conditions to enable better resource management in Port Elizabeth ahead of the ...2010 World Cup
3. Evaluation of laboratory-based surveillance system for Shigella, selected sites
4. Evaluation of Rabies Surveillance System, Eastern Cape
5. Appraisal for quality of expanded program of immunization data in one district, Mpumalanga
6. Antenatal sero-prevalence survey on HIV and syphilis, Kwa-Zulu Natal

To find out more, go to www.nicd.ac.za/units/feltp/source/feltp_home.htm