Zambia Pledges Support for Strengthened Cross-Border Health Surveillance
Staff Writer
Zambia has pledged to support efforts to strengthen cross-border disease surveillance aimed at protecting communities through coordinated regional vigilance and data sharing for timely and informed public health decision-making.
Closing the three-day meeting of Africa CDC’s flagship initiative, the Regional Integrated Surveillance and Laboratory Network (RISLNET), held in Chongwe, Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Dr. Kennedy Lishimpi reaffirmed Zambia’s commitment to sustaining critical initiatives for Africa’s health security through domestic financing.
In a speech read by Health Promotions Director at the Ministry of Health (MoH) Dr. Kalangwa Kalangwa, Dr. Lishimpi also congratulated the newly elected leadership of the Southern Africa RISLNET, with Lesotho assuming the chairmanship, taking over from Malawi, while Mozambique was elected vice-chair, replacing Zambia.
Meanwhile, Africa CDC Regional Director for Southern Africa, Dr. Lul Riek, reaffirmed Africa CDC’s commitment to fully operationalizing RISLNET in collaboration with key regional stakeholders to safeguard the health and wellbeing of communities across the continent.
“Let’s own this journey because when we invest in our health infrastructure, we are not just building laboratories and surveillance networks. We are building trust in ourselves, our communities, and our collective power to safeguard our people,” Dr. Riek said.
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