Launch of CORE Group Partners Project (CGPP) Global Health Security: Community mobilisation to strengthen surveillance of priority zoonotic diseases
By King Mukama, SBCC Coordinator
With the aim of contributing to the strengthening of community-based surveillance of zoonotic diseases and vaccine-preventable diseases, the CORE Group Partners Project (CGPP) through World Vision International in DRC, with the financial support of USAID, has begun a new phase integrating Global Health Security (GHS) into its activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Focusing on the multisectoral "One Health" approach, this project targets the health zones of Goma, Karisimbi, Uvira and Nundu, in the provinces of North and South Kivu.
In South Kivu, east of the Democratic republic of Congo, stakeholder forums were held in the Nundu and Uvira health zones, involving 24 people (22 men and 2 women) and 32 people (28 men and 4 women), respectively. These participants, including community actors, members of the South Kivu Provincial Coordinating Committee for One Health (CPCUS) and the Territorial Coordinating Committee for One Health Uvira (CTCUS), local leaders, community volunteers (Community Animal Health Workers “ACSA” and “RECOs”), animal, environmental and human health providers and partner organizations, all of whom came together to discuss mechanisms for collaboration, challenges and opportunities in the implementation of zoonotic disease surveillance and polio control activities.
The CGPP emphasizes multisectoral collaboration between human, animal and environmental health actors. This approach aims to empower local communities to effectively prevent, detect, and respond to issues related to priority diseases.
The key activities of the forums were as follows:
-The identification of key actors and informants at the community level such as pastoralists, traditional healers, butchers, fishers, veterinarians and eco-guards, who can play a crucial role in the early detection of zoonotic diseases and vaccine-preventable diseases.
-Defining the roles and responsibilities of community volunteers (RECOs and ACSA), and other key informants.
-Identification of training needs for capacity building and improved disease detection and reporting.
-The structuring of the hierarchical reporting model during the detection and notification of suspected cases as well as the weekly report to determine the reporting circuit.
Participants highlighted the importance of the project in addressing persistent health challenges.
Mr. Eleko LUMEMBE, Territorial Inspector of Fisheries and Livestock of the Fizi Territory said:
"This is the first time that a partner has thought of bringing together all the actors of animal, human and environmental health to work together on the prevention, detection and response to zoonoses. I am very impressed by the arrival of the CGPP GHS in the Nundu Health Zone and I welcome the initiative as a key lever to strengthen community collaboration and resilience in the face of health challenges.”
For his part, Dr. Olinga, coordinator of CTCUS Uvira, added:
"The forum was a remarkable experience. It was both an awareness and a plea for all of us, united in a multisectoral approach under the aegis of the One Health initiative, which, until then, could no longer bring together all the actors from all sectors. It also allowed us to participate in the development of the action plan instead of imposing one on us. It is a real innovation that has allowed an inclusive dialogue between the actors.”
Project participants are called upon to make the early detection and reporting of diseases through better coordination between the human, animal, and environmental sectors following the human and animal health reporting model to prevent zoonotic diseases and vaccine-preventable diseases; strengthen the change in the population's behavior in the face of health threats and implement the "One Health" model of multisectoral collaboration.
The mobilization of stakeholders in the Uvira and Nundu areas marks a decisive turning point in the fight against zoonoses and vaccine-preventable diseases in the DRC. By uniting the efforts of all stakeholders, the CGPP lays the foundations for a robust surveillance system and enhanced health security.
At the end of the forums, the project foresees the development of guidelines; from the structure for surveillance, data sharing and alert identification to the response to the epidemic, including verification and an image box adapted to local contexts. These tools will help to popularize good practices in community-based surveillance and ensure effective dissemination of knowledge to communities.
It should be noted that Community Volunteers (RECOs), Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs) and Key Informants will be trained to provide active disease surveillance.
Forum participants welcomed the CGPP's GHS project as an innovative solution to:
-Initiate sustainable coordination between human, animal and environmental health stakeholders.
-Addressing gaps in community-based surveillance,
-Empowering local communities,
Through these forums, the CGPP lays the foundations for an inclusive, effective and sustainable surveillance system, capable of protecting communities from health threats through the ONE HEALTH approach.