Professor Chilengi Calls for Robust Disease Surveillance in Zambia’s Livestock Hub
By Moombe Hamoobla
Zambia National Public Health Institute- ZNPHI- Director General ROMA CHILENGI says there is a need to permanently combat zoonotic diseases that have continued ravaging the Southern Province.
Professor CHILENGI says the Southern Province is a key player in Zambia’s Livestock Industry yet it continues to face persistent threats of zoonotic disease like anthrax outbreaks.
He says expertise in human capital, disease surveillance and outbreak response is crucial in mitigating the risks on both the health and economy of the country.
Professor CHILENGI said this at the graduation ceremony of Health personnel in the front line field epidemiology training programme in Livingstone.
And Prof. CHILENGI says Southern Province and Livingstone in particular receive hundreds of visitors from across the globe because of the Victoria Falls and other world renowned safari destinations.
He says the high level of exposure of people calls for strong, proactive public health oversight.
Dr. CHILENGI has since challenged the graduates to be frontline defenders and disease detectives, to ensure public health remains a priority in every sector.
Meanwhile, ZNPHI Director Workforce Development Field Epidemiology Training Program, SINYANGE NYAMBE says training health workers in frontline skills is important because it reduces work at national level.
He says small cases can be handled at provincial, District and health center levels.
Dr. NYAMBE says once enough front liners are trained, the national level will only come in to help in a public health problem when the province is overwhelmed with a lot of cases.
