TwiNit Technically Supported the Namibia Frontline Field Epidemiology Training Programme

The Cohort 6 of the Namibian Frontline FETP was successfully trained by the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) and MoHSS in partnership with US-CDC, WHO and RKI between 17 January and 6 April 2022.

A Twinning Project for the establishment of a Namibia Institute of Public Health (NIPH) between the Namibian Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) and the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) was initiated in 2020. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) within the Global Health Protection Programme (GHPP). It is led, coordinated and administratively supported by the Information Centre for International Health Protection (ZIG 1). In phase I of the GHPP, ZIG 1 has implemented the project together with the Unit for Crisis Management, Outbreak Investigations and Training Programmes (FG31) and Public Health Laboratory Support Unit (ZIG 4). The ´Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (FELTP)´ as one of three technical work areas of this project, enables cooperation and scientific exchange activities between the Namibia Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (NamFELTP) and the German Postgraduate Training in Applied Epidemiology (PAE) in order to strengthen the existing NamFELTP for the development of qualified health personnel.

Bilateral conversations in November 2021 identified the need for training support in the NamFELTP Frontline activities, so the Twinning Project coordinator based in Windhoek Christian Winter (ZIG 1), and FETP expert Gamze Aktuna (FG 31/PAE) provided their expertise to support a total of four face-to-face training modules – one training-of-trainers module and three other training modules – in Windhoek, Namibia, between January and April 2022.

The Twinning Project coordinator Christian Winter (ZIG 1) and FETP expert Gamze Aktuna (FG 31/PAE) with trainees from Cohort 6 of the Namibian Frontline FETP, 6 April 2022, Windhoek (Source: Twinning Project coordinator Christian Winter, ZIG 1/RKI)

A Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) is a competency-based program designed to enhance participants’ knowledge, abilities, and competences in field epidemiology. The current FETP approach includes three tiers to address the epidemiologic training needs at different levels of a country’s health system: FETP-Frontline, FETP-Intermediate, and FETP-Advanced. The key differences between these three FETP tiers are the duration, content, and targeted competencies. The Frontline-FETP is a 3-month in-service training program designed to improve epidemiologic capacity at the district level of the health system with the following four competency domains:

• public health surveillance
• field investigation
• epidemiologic methods
• communication

n workshops, participants learn essentials of epidemiology at an introductory level including case definitions, disease detection and reporting, summarizing data in tables and graphs, case investigations, outbreak investigations, surveillance monitoring, problem analysis, data analysis, etc. Between each workshop session, the participants return to their work in public health to apply and build on what they have learned.

The African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) and the MoHSS, in partnership with US-CDC, the World Health Organization (WHO), and RKI, were able to successfully train the Cohort 6 of the Namibian Frontline FETP between 17 January and 6 April 2022. The training was conducted through three workshops (training module) and two fieldwork intervals including outbreak investigations and surveillance assessments. The graduation ceremony was held on 6 April 2022 in Windhoek. A total of 27 trainees (15 females, 12 males,) from six regions (Kunene, Omaheke, Otjozonjupa, Hardap, Karas, and Oshana) graduated from the training.

Cohort 7 of the Frontline FETP has started end of May 2022 and will also be supported by the Namibia-RKI Twinning Project (TwiNit).

Date: July 2022