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  • Public Health Institute of Malawi Hosts One-Health Meeting, Eyes National Strategy for Coordinated Health Action.

    Public Health Institute of Malawi Hosts One-Health Meeting, Eyes National Strategy for Coordinated Health Action.

    One Health Stakeholder Meeting

    Ufulu Gardens, Lilongwe, Malawi June-2025..
    by
    Moses Nyambalo Phiri in collaboration with Mark Mwalabu, and Settie Kanyanda.

    The One Health Stakeholders Meeting, held at Ufulu Gardens in Lilongwe on June 26, 2025, brought together key players from Malawi’s public health, animal health, and environmental sectors. Organized by the Public Health Institute of Malawi (PHIM) in collaboration with the Department of Animal Health and Livestock Development (DAHLD) and the Environmental Affairs Department (EAD), the meeting aimed to strengthen collaborative approaches under the One Health framework, align ongoing and planned activities, and improve coordination and cross-sectoral efforts.

    Representatives from various vital government bodies, including the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change, the Department of Disaster Affairs, the Malawi Police Service, the Malawi Defence Force, and the Office of the President and Cabinet, were in attendance. The Airport Commandant of Kamuzu International Airport’s Port Health Services also participated.

    Dr. Wilfred Chalamira Nkhoma from the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) officially opened the meeting. He stressed the critical need for strategic and coordinated efforts within a One Health approach to ensure its success.

    He particularly emphasized the critical need to operationalize One Health and establish structured, periodic meetings to review progress and foster accountability. He said “A significant proposal was the in the development of a national One Health strategy or policy with clear implementation and accountability plans for each sector” . He called for an Accountability and Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) framework to track sectoral contributions and progress and suggested an independent committee to develop Scorecard to evaluate sector performance.

    “…Malawi needs to strategically coordinate efforts in One Health approach to achieve overall improved health of our nation….”

    Dr. Wilfred Chalamira Nkhoma – OPC.

    Several organizations presented their contributions and insights:

    The Pandemic Fund announced that Malawi had a $2.7 million share in the 2024 regional project focusing on disease surveillance and workforce response to climate-driven disease outbreaks. As of current, a multi-country proposal (RAPID-AI) for 2025 and a single-country proposal for strengthening pandemic preparedness through One Health approach are pending approval.

    Health Informaticts Malawi advocated for health informatics and data governance through training, advocacy, and standardization, emphasizing that “Every dataset should generate a decision.” while the WHO shared that they have been supporting for national One Health policies and AMR-related strategies, noting fragmentation and stressing the need for clear sectoral responsibilities and a skilled workforce.

    The AMR National Coordinating Committee (ANCC) provided an update on the AMR National Action Plan (2023–2030), with plans to establish a national OH AMR data warehouse, and there was also notion that research on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in poultry had identifying gaps in research and challenges related to data quality.

    HISP Malawi / University of Malawi showcased climate-health initiatives, including the DHIS2 Climate App (CHAP) and a climate data portal, emphasizing interoperability, whereas Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Focused on AMR research, particularly in Salmonella and E. coli, with pilot One Health research on AMU and AMR in hospitals.

    Key questions arose regarding the underrepresentation of environmental data in OH strategies and how to promote cross-use-case infrastructure and data interoperability with systems like NAMIS and OHSP. A follow-up call with GIZ and HISP was recommended to align integration efforts.

    Mirna Hussein, ECSA and Dr. Chikonzero, GIZ

    The meeting, co-funded by GIZ and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH), the collective commitment to a unified approach to public health in Malawi.

  • One Health Frontline Epidemiology Training Programme (FETP) Curriculum TOT).

    One Health Frontline Epidemiology Training Programme (FETP) Curriculum TOT).

    FETP – One Health TOT.

    Johannesburg, South Africa – June 19th, 2025.
    by
    Moses Nyambalo Phiri in collaboration with Happy Abraham Manda and Settie Kanyanda.

    Eight Southern African countries recently convened in Johannesburg for a critical One Health Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) Curriculum Trainer of Trainers (TOT) workshop. Organized by the African Epidemiology Network (AFENET), the five-day intensive, held from June 2nd to 6th, 2025, aimed to equip mentors with an updated curriculum to enhance regional collaboration in detecting, investigating, and responding to public health threats. The workshop brought together representatives from human, animal, and environmental health sectors across South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. The primary objective was to update mentors on the new “One Health” FETP curriculum contents and identify gaps to improve its implementation across the continent. This initiative is expected to significantly bolster collaboration in tackling disease outbreaks and other public health challenges by strengthening the integrated “One Health” concept.

    FETP IN MALAWI

    Malawi, a nation that has been implementing FETP since April 2016 with support from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH), sent a five-person team to the workshop. The delegation included Mrs. Flora Tembo and Mr. Happy Manda from the Public Health Institute of Malawi (PHIM), Dr. Wamaka Msopole from Mzimba North District Health Office, Miss Maria Luwani from the Environmental Affairs Department, and Mr. Collins Chioko from the Veterinary Department. Mrs. Grace Funsani, Chief Epidemiologist coordinating FETP in Malawi, highlighted the program’s success in building sustainable capacity for timely detection and response to health threats.

    Discussions during the training underscored the challenges in implementing the “One Health” concept in many participating countries. Participants emphasized that improved collaboration among sectors, particularly in data sharing and outbreak response, is crucial. Suggestions included cross-sectional visits to learn about surveillance practices in other sectors and sharing experiences.

    “…Our program has successfully built a sustainable capacity for the timely detection and response to health threats….”

    The Malawian team, in particular, brainstormed actionable strategies for integrating the “One Health” approach more deeply within their FETP. Their suggestions included engaging and sensitizing environmental sectors on the FETP-One Health program, recruiting trainees from the environmental sector, and incorporating case studies from environmental events into the curriculum. They also advocated for cross-sectional surveillance visits, joint outbreak investigations as field work, and multi-sectoral surveillance data collection requiring trainees to collect data from at least two sectors simultaneously.

    The team from Malawi, standing from left to right: Mr Collings Chioko, Miss Maria Luwani, Dr Wamaka Musopople, Mrs Flora Tembo and Mr Happy Manda

    The FETP, a three-tier training approach comprising basic, intermediate, and advanced levels, is currently implemented at the basic and intermediate levels in Malawi, targeting animal and human health practitioners. This recent TOT workshop is a significant step towards a more unified and effective approach to public health surveillance and response across Southern Africa.

  • CIHEB Initiative Work plan: Accelerating Malawi’s PEPFAR Laboratory Logistics and Infrastructure for Quality 2.0(AMPLIFY 2.0).

    CIHEB Initiative Work plan: Accelerating Malawi’s PEPFAR Laboratory Logistics and Infrastructure for Quality 2.0(AMPLIFY 2.0).

    CIHEB – AMPLIFY 2.0.

    Lilongwe, Malawi – May 30th, 2025.
    by
    Moses Nyambalo Phiri in collaboration with Happy Abraham Manda and Settie Kanyanda.

    Centre for International Health, Education, and Biosecurity (CIHEB), a locally-led organization established in 2023 as a successor to Maryland Global Initiatives Corporation (MGIC) Malawi, recently briefed the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) management on its new initiative: Accelerating Malawi’s PEPFAR Laboratory Logistics and Infrastructure for Quality 2.0 (AMPLIFY 2.0). This project is set to significantly enhance Malawi’s diagnostic and treatment monitoring services, biosafety measures, and overall laboratory capabilities.

    The NPHL, a core pillar of the Public Health Institute of Malawi (PHIM), serves as the national reference laboratory, supporting a vast network of laboratories across the country. It comprises specialized subsections, including Genomic Sequencing, Tuberculosis, Parasitology, HIV, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Haematology, Nutrition, and Viral/Influenza. While the NPHL receives support from various partners, including CIHEB, a key challenge highlighted during the meeting was the lack of adequate space for reference laboratories at PHIM. This concern was voiced by Mr. Joseph Bitilinyu Bangoh, who chaired the meeting, and Dr. Mirriam Nyenje, and echoed by Chiefs Henry Limula, Sheinton Kacheche, Mabvuto Chiwaula, and Dorothy Donata Kalata. Chief Dorothy Kalata specifically advocated for support for the Gene Xpert system and urged CIHEB to incorporate these activities into the project plan.

    PHIM-NPHL management team listening to the presentation

    AMPLIFY 2.0: Key Objectives and Proposed Activities
    AMPLIFY 2.0 aims to achieve several critical objectives to strengthen Malawi’s public health laboratory system:

    a. Scaling Up Multi-Disease and Integrated Diagnosis and Treatment Monitoring Services:

    This includes developing and reviewing testing procedures, creating training packages and curricula for ECHO sessions focused on emerging, re-emerging, and priority diseases. CIHEB plans to conduct virtual immersion training for subject matter experts, support laboratories with benchmarking and twinning programs for capacity building, and strengthen the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) ability to coordinate and oversee national diagnostic services. Furthermore, the project will support training for district lab technicians in all aspects of testing and data use, assist in developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to enhance the proficiency testing (PT) program, and aid PHIM in reviewing and developing method validation/verification procedures. CIHEB will also facilitate the resolution of corrective actions, track validated methods, disseminate results, and collaborate with PHIM QA, HTSS-D, and PAM to develop tools for monitoring method validation/verification, post-market surveillance, and equipment maintenance. The project will also review and disseminate the national quality assurance framework.

    b. Strengthening Biosafety, Biosecurity, and Waste Management:

    Strengthening MOH Capacity for Coordination and Oversight: This objective focuses on bolstering the MOH’s ability to coordinate and oversee national diagnostic services effectively.

    c. Scaling Up Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) in Laboratories and Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) Services:

    CIHEB will support PHIM’s PT program with virtual audit training, conduct national External Quality Assurance (EQA) quarterly review meetings, and enroll laboratories in PT and inter-lab comparisons. The project will also facilitate international training for PT scheme managers for new schemes (e.g., TB culture, CD4, emerging diseases) and support PHIM in HIV RT, Syphilis, and Hepatitis B PT and Quality Control (QC) production. Building local capacity for ePT management is also a key component.

    d. Scaling Up POCT CQI:

    This involves training HIV Testing Services (HTS) providers on CQI tools and data use to increase the uptake of quality management systems, conducting biannual SPI-RRT audits, and performing SWOT analyses on CQI tool scalability. Additionally, the project will review and disseminate the national certification framework, facilitate a virtual benchmarking meeting with Tanzania on HIV RT CQI and site-level online PT results submission, and build local capacity for SPI-RRT management.

    f. Scaling Up ECHO Sessions:

    CIHEB will conduct HIV RT ECHO exit assessments, perform desk reviews to identify gaps for ECHO teleconferences, and organize ECHO sessions for HIV RT, EQA, emerging/priority diseases, equipment service, and data use programs. The project will also support the review and development of ECHO curricula for various programs and conduct baseline and exit assessments for new ECHO programs.

    g. Strengthening Genomic Sequencing Capacity:

    CIHEB will link the Genomic Lab LIMS with Africa CDC NIMS, engage with lab training institutions to update curricula to include genomic sequencing, support bioinformatics training, establish a local equipment calibration center, and conduct engagement meetings with stakeholders on genomics and other services.

    h. Establishing a National Accreditation Body:

    CIHEB will support the MOH in establishing a national accreditation body through stakeholder engagement meetings.

    Dr. Miriam Nyenje taking on Genomics concerns in the projects

    Integrated Activities for CQI and Multi-Disease Services
    AMPLIFY 2.0 incorporates several integrated activities to achieve its objectives, including:

    District-Level Support: Quarterly supervisions, mentorships, assessments, and review meetings.
    National Oversight: Spot check visits on district supervision, mentorship, meetings, training, and assessments, along with national corrective actions on method verification/post-market surveillance.
    Data Review: National monthly, quarterly, biannual, and annual data review meetings (virtual and in-person).
    Knowledge Sharing: Regional biannual best practices workshops.
    Targeted Training: District trainings where applicable.
    Virtual Learning: Virtual Immersion ECHO training and IECHO registration for teleconference participants.
    Awareness: District Health Management Team (DHMT) sensitization on new ECHO programs.

    Dr. Oscar Divala making a presentation on CIHEB’s AMPLIFY 2.0 Project

    Essential Procurements and PHIM’s Role

    To facilitate these activities, CIHEB will procure essential supplies, including materials for 13 local PT schemes’ panels, HIV RT QC production, HIV RRT supplies (e.g., digital timers, thermometers), and chemistry and FBC PT materials. The project will also cover NHLS PT subscriptions, facilitate accreditation of the PT program, and support ECHO, ePT, and SPI-RRT registration, including providing ECHO data bundles and courier services.

    CIHEB emphasizes the need for PHIM’s support to successfully implement AMPLIFY 2.0. This includes:

    Facilitating CIHEB’s Introduction to Facilities: Ensuring smooth access and collaboration.
    Coordination on Activity Implementation: Allowing for simultaneous implementation of project activities.
    Identification of Space: Facilitating the identification of space for PT lab renovation or collaboration with other partners on renovations.
    Resource Lobbying: Lobbying for resources from the Ministry of Health for sustainable strategies.

    Dr. Thokozani Kalua answering and clarifying some questions and points raised during the meeting.


    The meeting concluded with Dr. Thokozani Kalua and Dr. Oscar Divala providing further clarifications and presentations on the AMPLIFY 2.0 project and its procurement plans. The collaboration between CIHEB and PHIM is poised to significantly strengthen Malawi’s public health laboratory infrastructure and contribute to improved diagnostic and treatment outcomes across the nation.