Capacity building in Congo: veterinarians, environmentalists, and students benefit from training in zoonotic disease ecology, epidemiology, biological sample capture and collection.

Seventeen Congolese working in animal health management, including veterinarians, alongside water and forestry engineers, students from the National Public Health Laboratory and the Faculty of Sciences of the Marien Ngouabi University strengthened their knowledge on the ecology of zoonotic diseases, epidemiology, biological sampling. This training, which is part of the EBO-SURSY Project, was organized by CIRAD in collaboration with the national Veterinary Services, the National Public Health Laboratory, the Marien Ngouabi University of the Republic of Congo and the collaboration of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, founded as OIE).

Simulation exercice Congo

During five days, participants were able to combine theory and practice. The topics covered included:

Ecology and epidemiology of zoonotic diseases in wildlife;
One Health and Ecohealth approaches;
Principles of surveillance at the wildlife interface;
Biosecurity concepts in the field;
Regulations for wildlife sampling;
Application of the functioning of a surveillance system through the educational game ALERT.

This training will allow contribute to the reinforcement of the zoonotic surveillance capacities in the Republic of Congo and especially to create vocations among our young people in the field of infectious and zoonotic diseases

Professor Yolande Berton OFOUEME, Vice-President of the University Marien N'Gouabi

Congo (Rep)

The practical phase allowed the participants to further explore the principles of biosecurity, to set up and dismantle traps, such as harp traps and mist nets, and to capture, contain and take samples from bats. Finally, they also played several rounds of the ALERT game to familiarize themselves with the different actors and levels of zoonotic disease surveillance.

At the end of the training, the participants reinforced their knowledge of zoonotic disease surveillance and control in wildlife. In order to continue knowledge sharing in the future, a communication network was created with the participants to keep engaging.

All pictures (c) W. Yacinthe Guigma (woah) 2022