Project ECHO at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Centre has launched an innovative initiative to significantly strengthen infectious disease collaborative surveillance across seven African nations: Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, and Zambia. Project ECHO and partners will support ministries of health and national public health institutes through learning and knowledge exchange to strengthen the detection and response to disease outbreaks – all while making the countries’ health systems stronger and more resilient. 

The new collaborative surveillance initiative contributes to Project ECHO’s mission to democratise knowledge and expand access to best-practice healthcare worldwide. The work is supported by a US$2.2 million, two-year grant from the Gates Foundation. 

“Health workers and public health professionals need up-to-date information to respond quickly and effectively to disease outbreaks when time is of the essence. We’re here to help bring them the training they need,” said Dr. Caroline Kisia, Project ECHO’s Africa Director. “This work is incredibly urgent. Africa CDC reported 242 outbreaks on the continent in 2024, a steep rise from previous years. If we contain outbreaks quickly, we reduce the risk of future epidemics.”

(Source: Capital)