Tanzania strengthens healthcare associated infection surveillance to prevent future outbreak

Kagera Declare – Tanzania is stepping up efforts to strengthen healthcare-associated infection (HAI) surveillance following a recent Marburg virus outbreak within the Kagera Declare, which claimed two lives earlier this year.

With funding from the UK’s International, Commonwealth & Pattern Administrative heart (FCDO), the World Well being Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Well being, conducted a four-day coaching for 41 healthcare employees in Kagera. The initiative targeted on bettering the detection, prevention, and management of HAIs.

This initiative kinds segment of a broader national strategy to boost properly being map resilience and outbreak preparedness. It builds on earlier efforts, including the advance and distribution of a national HAI surveillance protocol to all 26 public referral hospitals. Implementation is now expanding to decrease-stage and personal properly being facilities. To date, five areas — Kigoma, Mtwara, Lindi, Dar es Salaam, and Kagera — have begun integrating HAI surveillance at the predominant healthcare stage.

The coaching integrated ability building in infection prevention and control (IPC), with individuals receiving lustrous tools, standardized procedures, and coaching in records prognosis to strengthen surveillance quality and timely reporting.

“The coaching used to be an worthwhile opportunity for us to strengthen our preparedness and response functionality to illness outbreaks,” acknowledged Dr. Radenta Bahegwa , IPC program officer  at the Ministry of Well being. “HAIs dwell a predominant global plight, contributing to antimicrobial resistance and inflicting preventable deaths and disabilities.”

Referral and council-stage hospitals have additionally started reporting records on surgical set infections thru the national properly being records map (DHIS2), marking a predominant milestone toward genuine-time illness monitoring and response.

WHO commended Tanzania’s ongoing efforts and expressed appreciation for the UK govt’s monetary and technical wait on.

“The trained Well being Care Workers  are anticipated to play a severe role in early detection and immediate response to outbreaks, as properly as in efforts to curb the rising menace of antimicrobial resistance,” acknowledged Dr. Faraja Msemwa, emergency preparedness and response (EPR)  crew lead at WHO.

This coaching kinds segment of Tanzania’s lengthy-term vision to strengthen national properly being security and personal a resilient properly being map in a position to responding to public properly being emergencies.