Kampala, Uganda | NOW THEN DIGITAL — Uganda recently graduated 14 new field epidemiologists, elevating the nation’s count to 93, a crucial boost to its disease surveillance and detection capabilities. This development has sparked concerns among experts at the graduation ceremony, who highlighted the significant shortage of such specialists across Africa.
Some African countries are grappling with as few as two or three epidemiologists, impeding their ability to promptly detect and address disease outbreaks.
Dr. Yonas Tegegn Woldermariam emphasized that Africa witnesses a minimum of two new outbreaks every week. The speed at which these outbreaks are detected plays a pivotal role in determining the subsequent financial investment required for containment efforts. Drawing attention to instances like the prolonged West African Ebola response, which endured for over two years and consumed billions of dollars, Uganda’s success in swiftly curbing epidemics is attributed to its adept pool of field epidemiologists, who are mobilized promptly upon receiving alerts.
Dr. Alex Ario, the Program Director of the Uganda Public Health Fellowship Program (PHFP), outlined the program’s unique events-based surveillance approach. Through this methodology, a diverse range of alerts is continually received and swiftly analyzed to identify the outbreak’s source and transmission patterns. This proactive approach enables rapid deployment to halt further transmission.
Despite the accolades garnered by the post-graduate training program and the annual training of 10 to 15 specialists, concerns loom over its sustainability. The program currently relies on funding from the American government, raising apprehensions about its long-term viability. Dr. Ario expressed earlier expectations that the Ugandan government would gradually assume responsibility for funding, estimating the cost at up to one hundred thousand dollars per fellow per year.
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Responding to these concerns, Dr. Daniel Kyabayinze, the Director of Public Health in the Ministry of Health, asserted that even in the absence of government funding, the program could sustain itself if the U.S. government withdrew support. He underscored the high demand for field epidemiologists, suggesting that grants aligned with this field would likely find support.
Woldermariam echoed this sentiment, noting that the demand for field epidemiologists is anticipated to surge further due to the emergence of new diseases associated with climate change. As Uganda takes strides in fortifying its epidemiological capabilities, the global demand for such expertise is expected to intensify in the face of evolving public health challenges.
