AFENET Features

The Programme for Advanced Research Epidemiology Training (APARET) held its first workshop from 9-20 January 2012 in Kampala, Uganda. The workshop was attended by all eight fellows of the first cohort from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. It aimed at introducing the fellows to their mentors; imparting them with knowledge and skills in: project management in clinical and epidemiological research, good clinical practice, ethics in epidemiology, sample size computation, data collection, management and analysis, report writing as well as finalizing their small grant project concepts.

Tuesday 13 December 2011 was a landmark day for field epidemiology and public health training in Africa, as nine ministers of health signed a communiqué to strengthen their national public health workforce. The Ministers of Health and/or representatives from Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe signed the communiqué, now called the Dar es Salaam Agenda for Action On Public Health Systems Strengthening For African Nations Through Field Epidemiology And Laboratory Training Programs (FELTPs), after extensive and collective deliberations which commenced on Monday 12 December 2011 at the Ministerial Roundtable Forum.

Throughout its five year existence, both local and international media have supported AFENET’s interventions by creating public awareness about epidemics and other public health issues. It was only fitting for AFENET to kick off its 5th Anniversary celebration with a Media Breakfast.

One of the steadily increasing threats to efficient public health services delivery in Africa is the inadequacy of laboratory equipment for timely disease detection. Moreover, laboratory initiatives to support disease prevention and treatment are critical for any successful national response and public health system development. It is upon this alarming state of affairs in Africa that AFENET, through its laboratory initiative- AFENET-L, has continued to provide countries in its Network with laboratory kits to strengthen disease surveillance and outbreak response.