馃嚦馃嚘NamibiaSouthern Africa
Namibia strengthens public health emergency preparedness and response
via The Namibian2 min read
Namibia is enhancing its capacity to manage public health emergencies through improved leadership, coordination, and preparedness, as discussed at an executive leadership training in Windhoek. Taimi Amaambo, Ministry of Health and Social Services deputy executive director, stated that public health emergencies are a growing threat in Africa, necessitating investment in preparedness and coordinated response mechanisms. Namibia has faced various emergencies, including droughts, floods, wildfires, and disease outbreaks such as anthrax, hepatitis E, measles, covid-19, malaria, cholera, mpox, and polio, which have had significant health, social, and economic impacts. The country has established policy frameworks like the national action plan for health security, the one health strategy, and the multi-hazard contingency plan to build resilience. Amaambo emphasized the commitment to establishing and operationalizing a functional public health emergency operations center to improve preparedness, coordination, and response during health crises. She also highlighted a recent cross-border anthrax simulation exercise with Zambia as an example of collaboration under the One Health approach. Helen Likando, director for disaster risk management, noted that Namibia faces increasingly complex risks, including disease outbreaks, climate-induced disasters, droughts, floods, and food insecurity, reinforcing the need for strong leadership, effective coordination, and institutional readiness acros
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by The Namibian.
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