Contributing to a Healthier Nigeria through Public Health Workforce Capacity Development: Afenet Experience in Nigeria

Abstract

The recent upsurge in the number and magnitude of outbreaks of infectious diseases in Nigeria has been managed effectively and efficiently by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in an increasingly epidemiology guided approach led by a skilled workforce within the one health collaborative agenda.^1–4 The increasing number of the outbreaks of re-emerging infectious diseases could not have been unconnected to the effect of global warming with its resultant effect in the changing population activities and interaction with nature.^5–7

Nigeria could not have effectively contained these emerging public health challenges had she not taken steps in developing her public health infrastructure, the laboratory capabilities and manpower development. Since 2008, the Nigeria Field Epidemiology Laboratory Training Program (NFELTP), a collaborative effort by NCDC, Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) with financial and technical support from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been building epidemiology capacity for disease prevention and control. Field epidemiology, the art and practice of epidemiology in the field, has been adopted as an effective tool and practice in preventing, detecting and controlling emerging public health threats and crisis. Field epidemiology provides the scientific evidence for public health actions.