Public well being specialists in Sierra Leone are assembly to assessment information of the previous three months on development of precedence illnesses within the nation. Drawn from the technical and administrative ranges from the nationwide and districts within the nation, in addition to companions, the specialists will monitor and consider the surveillance indicators and efficiency of three key parts together with illness surveillance, laboratory capability and the immunization programmes for the interval April to June of 2022.

That is the second assembly of the specialists this yr. Held quarterly, the assembly facilitates info sharing among the many nationwide and district well being authorities and companions, ensures information harmonization and seeks viable options to collectively improve efficient efficiency of public well being surveillance actions and enhance progress in vaccine preventable illnesses in Sierra Leone.

A number of the further key outcomes of this assembly will embody assessment of the indicator for COVID-19 illness surveillance and plan for a doable upsurge of the illness. It can additionally facilitate refresher coaching for surveillance and laboratory officers to power surveillance of vaccine preventable illnesses.

“Exceptional progress has been made in illness surveillance in Sierra Leone as evident within the high quality of the weekly information that’s reported from all public well being amenities throughout the nation”, says Dr Steven V Shongwe, WHO Consultant in Sierra Leone. “And for us at WHO, we take into account bringing collectively the individuals who generate these information and the nationwide authorities and well being growth companions that might finally use the info for resolution making, as a matter of utmost precedence for attaining well being safety and common well being protection”, he added.    

Sierra Leone has made important progress in attaining targets of the WHO regional and international public well being surveillance indicators regardless of the challenges and disruptions of deliberate actions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ministry of Well being and Sanitation, by way of the Directorate of Well being Safety and Emergency and the Nationwide Illness Surveillance Programme, with the help of WHO and different companions, tracks the incidence of precedence illnesses, together with vaccine preventable illnesses within the nation, conducts lively case search, case investigation, specimen assortment and laboratory investigation.

The Ministry additionally conducts common programme efficiency monitoring to get clear info on the efficiency of the districts to information resolution making on the varied ranges.

WHO nation workplace is offering technical and monetary help to boost the nation’s illnesses surveillance capacities by facilitating supportive supervision, district conferences and nationwide assessment conferences like this one.

Efficient public well being surveillance is likely one of the necessary methods for illness prevention and management in a rustic.