US Trains West African Health Workers to Tackle Future Epidemics

By: Uju Nwachukwu

The United States Government has stepped up support for epidemic preparedness in West Africa, as seventeen public health emergency personnel from seven countries completed a regional training in Abuja.

A statement released by the US embassy explains that the two-week intermediate-level programme, organised by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in partnership with Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, focused on strengthening incident management systems for outbreak response.

It says, participants from Nigeria, Benin, Ghana, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Liberia, and Mali received certification in public health emergency management, enhancing the region’s capacity to respond swiftly to epidemics and pandemics.

Speaking at the graduation, Acting Program Director of the US. CDC Division of Global Health Protection, Asmau Aminu-Alhaji, commended the trainees’ commitment and stressed the need for cross-border collaboration in tackling health emergencies.

The training forms part of the US, Government’s effort to bolster global health security and emergency preparedness systems across Africa.