The training targeted health workers from Kambia, Port Loko Districts and the Western Area. The cadre of the participants included medical doctors and nurses, national and district disease surveillance officers, laboratory tech-nicians, pharmacists, M&E and health education officers as well as sector partners such as the Office of National Security.
Dr Amara Jambai, Director of DPC said at the opening of the training that while cholera has been the main disease outbreak in the country in recent years, the training is a critical component of preparedness and response plans for all health emergencies.

The main objectives of the training include the strengthening of the capacity of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation to enhance coordination and operational mechanisms for timely outbreak detection, investigation and management of emergencies at all levels of response. Areas of focus included orientation of the participants on common outbreaks in Sierra Leone, disaster management concepts, complex health emergencies, logis-tics and supplies management, infection control, advocacy, resource and social mobilisation as well as coordination between MoHS and partners during response to disease outbreaks. The sessions included group works and plenary discussions.

Three other sets of trainings are scheduled to be conducted simultaneously from 17-19 December at regional levels targeting the remaining districts to comprehensively prepare the Ministry to prevent and/or adequately re-spond to outbreaks.

A national level Rapid Response Team was trained in December 2011. The process is being facilitated with technical and financial support of WHO.

Ministry of Health Commences Training of Districts Rapid Response Teams

For More Information contact:

World Health Organization, 21 A and B Riverside Drive, off King Harman Road, Freetown

Phone : 232-22-233565 , +232-76-77787

e-mail: whosl [at] sl.afro.who.int

Website www.whosierraleone.org