West Africans arrive to learn more about epidemic control

Delegates from Sierra Leone and Guinea are in Uganda to gain more experience on how to combat and respond to disease outbreaks. They have shown interest in recruiting Ugandans to help build capacity.

Guinea has battled Ebola in the last two years and plans to manage epidemic outbreaks in future by learning from Uganda’s  control measures.Delegates from both countries want to adopt the same models.

They are also willing to import labour from Uganda to improve their techniques on disease control.The delegates will spend a week in Uganda visiting different areas.

Sierra Leone’s Deputy Minister of Health, Madino Rahman, Head of Emergency Operation Centres in Guinea, Mohammed Camara on Thursday met Acting Director of Health Anthony Mbonye in Kampala.

“Uganda has been able to handle crisis due to effective coordination with stakeholders like WHO, UNICEF, CDC, USAID that resources contribute towards resource mobilisation like give out materials or supplies,” Mbonye told the visitors.

Head of ECO in Guinea Camara hailed Uganda’s health systems. “Uganda exhibits functional and efficient Emergency Operation Centres (EOC) that has been able to address the disasters of ebola and yellow fever. Also the National Taskforce engages in social mobilisation and awareness, logistics and case management.”

On other diseases, Mbonye said Uganda has increased its drug stock to 70% with help of implementing stringent measures on drug use.

Mbonye said that with help of Mobile-Track, they have been able to track misuse of drugs. He also stressed that Ugandan health workers test for fever before administering drugs.

Uganda has suffered several epidemics, and in 2000 a first outbreak of Ebola killed 200 people in Gulu. Also Bundibugyo was affected later with ebola, cholera and yellow fever in the some parts of the country.