Infectious disease outbreaks have become serious health threats at all levels due to cross border trafficking and legal movement of people. Cross –border outbreaks have occurred in various parts of the world such as the 2009 flu pandemic, the 2013 to 2016 Ebola outbreaks in West Africa and others.
Therefore, cross-border outbreak response systems are constantly prepared for fast, rigorous and efficient response in order to minimize the negative impact of potential outbreaks and prevent further transmissions of the resistant microorganism. The problems cannot tackle by the effort of an entity but instead it needs the joint exertion of inter-organizational networks.
Recently, The Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) has hosted its first high-level annual meeting of the 2019 International Association of National Public Health Institute (IANPHI) under a theme of “Evidence Informed Global Actions for Trans-boundary Public Health Challenges” in Addis Ababa.
On the opening ceremony, Dr. Ebba Abate, Director General of EPHI said that most African countries have porous borders as a result the fragile states in the Horn have underdeveloped health systems which ends up easy occurrence of infectious disease outbreaks.
IANPHI annual meeting is vital for providing opportunities around the globe to share best practices and expertise, discuses major global public health issues. What is more, the summit deliberates on plans to promote and strengthen professional and institutional linkages towards realizing a robust and fully integrated global network of public health institutes. This enables to have well established systems, capacity and state-of-the-art equipment to address critical public health challenges that are affecting nations.
According to him, EPHI is working focusing on four major issues such as conducting researches on priority health and nutrition issues, managing public health emergencies, establishing and maintaining quality laboratory system and providing training for researchers and practitioners.
established in 1992 as simple clinical laboratory unit of a hospital, the institute has undergone several evolution to serve as a national public health institute based on its demonstrated capacity to effectively shoulder core functions.
Throughout its different stages of development, it has made invaluable contributions to the health and well-being of the population through promoting scientific biomedical and public health researches, advancing the development of national clinical and public laboratory systems and networks as well as building reliable systems and core capacities in a bid to timely and effectively responds to public health emergencies, Director explained.
Now, it is maintaining its special status as home to public health researchers and recognized as national hub for knowledge and information on the major public health and nutrition problems affecting the country, he added.
“It is important to inform public health interventions and actions to address public health challenges and health security issues at national, regional and global levels in general and those related to trans-boundary threats in particular.”
As to him, country’s laboratory system and networks, research and evidence generation as well as public health management systems are at high level and functioning in synergy to the best possible extent to realize evidence to action to promote health and well-being of the public.
In this regard, to address trans-boundary public health challenges and health security issues, the institute in collaboration with Africa CDC, National Public Health Institutes in the East African Region and the continent at large is addressing and supporting evidence-driven public health decisions and actions.
Public health emergencies grab international concern when a pathogen arises, acquires new characteristics, leading to potential for loss of human lives as well as societal disruption.
A wide range of risk drivers are known to lead or exacerbate the emergence and spread of infectious diseases including global trade and travel, the overuse of antibiotics, intensive agriculture, climate change, demographic factors and inadequate infrastructure.
Mitigating the emergencies and spread of infectious disease necessitates mapping and prioritizing the interdependence between public health and other sectors. Conversely, during an international public health emergency, significant disruption occurs not only to healthcare systems, but also to a potentially wide range of sectors including trade, tourism energy, civil protection, transport, agriculture and so on.
At the same time, dealing with a disease outbreak may require a range of relevant sectors. There is a need to move beyond narrow models of risk to better account for the interdependencies between health and other sectors so as to be able to mitigate and respond the risks.
Hosting of annual meeting in Ethiopia is vital to share experiences and enable to respond for cross-border outbreak diseases building capable public health institutes and strengthening border controlling system. Moreover, it enables to strengthen collaboration works with other countries to prevent the risk said, Health State Minister Dr. Liya Tadesse.
“As Addis Ababa is a seat for Africa Union and other international organizations and the city is a transit for enormous passengers, peoples’ mobility is higher than others and this could be a threat for us. Therefore, hosting the summit in Addis is timely and relevant.”
The increased cross-border and cross-continental movements of people, commodities, vectors, food, capital and the decision-making power characterize globalization, together with global demographic trends have enormous potential to affect the emergence and spread of infectious diseases.
Strengthening the capacity of public health institutions and promoting partnerships is critical to detect and respond disease outbreaks based on science, policy and data-driven interventions and programs.
The Ethiopian Herald December12, 2019
BY TSEGAYE TILAHUN
