Public health Institute of Malawi

Category: Latest News and Events

  • PHIM officers conduct EBS TOTs across the country

    PHIM officers conduct EBS TOTs across the country

    As the quest to strengthen public health surveillance in Malawi continues, surveillance officers from the Public Health Institute of Malawi (PHIM), in conjunction with the Digital Health Department (DHD), were deployed across the three regions of the country to conduct training of trainers (TOTs) in event-based surveillance (EBS).

    The TOT sessions were officially opened by the Director of PHIM, Dr Matthews Kagoli at Linde hotel in Mponela, Dowa district. In his opening remarks, he said that EBS is a critical component in the early detection and rapid response to public health events.

    Participants were equipped with the latest tools and methodologies to effectively train others in the art and science of EBS.

    The training encompassed a series of interactive modules, each focusing on different aspects of EBS, such as signal detection, data management, risk assessment, and communication strategies. The trainers were provided with hands-on experience through case scenarios, which allowed them to practice the application of EBS principles in real-world scenarios. This immersive approach ensured that the trainers not only understood the theoretical underpinnings of EBS but also the practical implications and challenges they might face in the field.

    The sessions were meticulously designed to cover the key principles of EBS, including the identification and reporting of signals from both formal and informal sources.

    The sessions emphasized the significance of a multi-disciplinary approach, bringing together experts from various sectors including health, veterinary, police, disaster management, agriculture, and information technology. This cross-sectoral collaboration is essential for the successful implementation of EBS, as it allows for a more comprehensive understanding and management of public health events. The trainers were encouraged to foster partnerships and work collaboratively with stakeholders at all levels to build a robust EBS system.

    The training of trainers session on event-based surveillance was a significant step towards strengthening the global health security infrastructure. By empowering trainers with the knowledge and skills to educate others, we are expanding the network of professionals ready to detect and respond to public health threats promptly. This proactive approach to capacity building is essential in our ever-connected world, where the rapid dissemination of information can be as crucial as the containment of diseases. The session has laid a strong foundation for a future where every signal counts, and every trainer plays a pivotal role in safeguarding public health.

    The EBS session in the northern region (Mzuzu) was held at Chatonda lodge and was led by Austin Zgambo, the National IDSR Manager; the session in the Central region was led by Daniel Mapemba and was held at Linde hotel; while in the Southern region, it was led by Edward Chado and was held at Amaryllis hotel in Blantyre.

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  • BIOSAFETY & BIOSECURITY TWG IN LILONGWE TO FINALISE NATIONAL GUIDELINES.

    BIOSAFETY & BIOSECURITY TWG IN LILONGWE TO FINALISE NATIONAL GUIDELINES.

    The first technical working group (TWG) for biosafety and biosecurity took place in Lilongwe on Nov 7 th and 8 th 2023. The purpose of the meeting was to finalise the national guidelines as well as to initiate a long-standing collaboration to safeguard workers and society from dangers of bio-hazards.

    As he opened the meeting, Mr Joseph Bitilinyu, the acting director of PHIM, commented that biosafety and biosecurity has a high priority, both for Malawi and for the African Union.

    The new TWG consist of prominent representatives from several sectors of society. Experts from both animal, human, agriculture and environmental health as well as from police, defence and academia were present. Experts from collaborating partners were also attending the TWG meeting.

    The ongoing outbreak of anthrax in neighbouring Zambia illustrates core questions of biosafety and biosecurity, as it is dangerous for animals and humans and can be used for bioterror. “Biosafety” elates to assuring that biological materials do not harm the persons handling them. “Biosecurity” relates to minimizing the risk that biological material comes astray to threaten the society. Risk assessment is the foundation of good biosafety and biosecurity and should answer three questions; What are the chances of the adverse advent? How severe would it be if it happened? What can we do to mitigate the risks?

    Through two full days, the current situation in Malawi and the rest of the world was presented, but emphasis was put on thorough discussion of each paragraph of the guidelines. It was agreed that Mr.Mabvuto Chiwaula and his team, who has lead this work so far, was trusted to incorporate all the comments into the draft guidelines before getting the final go-ahead.

    On closing the meeting, all members expressed their will to continue their contribution to the TWG. Several participants commented that both the meeting and the document is a milestone of its own, while other added that it is rare to come to such a truly multisectoral meeting. Another commented that “One Health is a song that we are all tuned into after this meeting”.

    Visiting experts from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, PHIMs sister institute, did not go home empty handed. Head of department dr Siri Feruglio, commented that it was indeed very inspiring and impressive, and even touching, to see the constructive and nice way the members of different parts of society collaborate and contribute for the common good.

  • Point Prevalence Survey and Antibiogram Training Exercise

    Point Prevalence Survey and Antibiogram Training Exercise

    Point Prevalence Survey and Antibiogram Training Exercise

    The AMRNCC with funding from the Eastern, Southern and Central Africa (ESCA) recently conducted a training on the implementation of Point Prevalence Surveys (PPS) and the development of Antibiograms. This training involved 5 participants from 7 health facilities each namely; Mangochi District Hospital, Mzimba District Hospital, Malamulo Hospital, Mzuzu Central Hospital, Zomba Central Hospital, Kamuzu Central Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital. The 5 participants included a member from the following cadres; infection prevention and control, nursing, laboratory, clinician and pharmacy. Point prevalence surveys and antibiograms are important and recommended to be done often by health facilities because they inform decisions at health facility level on antimicrobial use and antimicrobial effectiveness, respectively.

    This one-week trainer of trainer session was conducted at Chikho Hotel in Mponela from July 10th to 14th, 2023. Some of the topics covered during this session were; introduction to PPS, planning PPS, collecting data using the PPS tool, introduction to WHONET software, introduction to antibiograms, interpretation and use for guideline development and practical sessions for WHONET, PPS and Antibiograms.

    In order to solidify the knowledge gained during this classroom training, a pilot practical session, took place between July 24th to 28th July 2023.

    During this pilot session, the facility AMS teams performed and Point prevalence survey on antibiotic use using specific in-patient files and developed facility-specific antibiograms utilizing routine laboratory surveillance data. The pilot data collection session was supervised by key experts from the AMNRCC to ensure an efficient learning process and collection of data which may inform facility AMS activities. After the data collection exercise was done, the facilities are analyzing the data before disseminating their facility findings.

    Story in Pictures

    The activity being scaled down to facility level