By Morara Kebaso
The next pandemic could be more devastating than the Covid-19, scientists at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) have cautioned calling for strengthened capacity of laboratories.
Speaking at the official opening ceremony of the Third Country Training Programme (TCTP) workshop, which has attracted participants from 14 countries in the Horn and East Africa region, the scientists made deliberate preparations to avert its impact.
If there are commodities to be manufactured for that cause, the scientists stated, they should be made ready by now, saying the predicted pandemic may not take long before it hits.
Prof. Matilu Mwau was categorical that the said pandemic could either be a DNA, RNA and related pathogens, but the fact is, it will be an infectious agent of scale.
“”A pandemic is coming. And preparedness must be a priority for KEMRI,” he said during a presentation on an occasion that also marked 60 years of Japan-Kenya health collaboration.
He said there is a need to strengthen the institute, and generally the country’s research capacity and early warning systems.
“If there were procurement issues then it’s important that they are sorted now,” he said.
Prof. Mwau particularly pointed out the frequency at which there is human animal interaction, especially those in the wild, is worrying.
KEMRI director general, Prof. Elijah Songok said that the region is a melting pot of cocktails of emerging and re-emerging diseases notably the Ebola; Rift Valley Fever, the Multi-Drug Resistant TB among others that may cause devastation and fatalities if proper measures are not put in place to avert them.
“However, KEMRI is part of the multi-agency team that is always preparing for such eventuality and has now put systems in place for rapid response activation when the need arises,” he said, pointing to an array of research capacity within the institution’s domain.
The overall goal of the ongoing training according to Prof. Songok is to build institutional and human capacity through training, equipping and skills transfer, while strengthening the laboratory networks in the target region.
“This is so in order to better respond to emerging infectious diseases,” he said, highlighting that it’s for that reason, the workshop participants are drawn from respective national, regional and local health authorities involved in laboratory preparedness and response.
The workshop attracted professionals from diverse backgrounds involved in emergency preparedness and response in Burundi; Eritrea, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Uganda, Djibouti, Madagascar, Seychelles, Tanzania, and hosts Kenya.
Medical Services Principal Secretary Harry Kimtai noted that through the training programme, the continent’s capacity to respond to; better prepare for, and prevent epidemics, pandemics, other public health crises as well as address various health issues particularly the infectious diseases such as Ebola, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria among others, will be increased.
“The Government, through the Ministry has continued to emphasize the need to strengthen institutions and build national and local capacities by reinforcing capable, efficient, responsible, transparent, equitable and accountable health systems in order to improve essential service delivery; promoting research and development; developing the capacity of health service providers; among others,” he noted.
The Third Country Training Programme (TCTP) workshop theme of “Strengthening Laboratory Preparedness for Building Resilience against Public Health Emergencies in Eastern Africa” embraces the call by the World Health Organization (WHO) to secure equitable and affordable access to health by adopting UHC as a national health agenda.
“As a country, we are not merely adopting best practices; the good health of our population is an essential prerequisite towards achieving our economic aspirations as a middle-income country,” Kimtai stated.
He pointed out that Kenya’s position in the region means it shares borders with countries that are yet to establish robust governance and health structures, and it was affecting the effectiveness of the national immunization programme.
“I am happy that KEMRI continues to play this leading role in addressing national, regional and by extension international health needs through its research activities, a leader it is on the African continent,” he said, urging the institution to continue strengthening the reach and scope of its surveillance and emergency response programmes that will be able to detect outbreaks quickly and respond rapidly to new and emerging threats to our population.
On his part KEMRI Board Chair, Dr. Abdullahi Ali outlined some of the key achievements that KEMRI has contributed to include; the development of a national disease surveillance and rapid response capacity for major disease outbreaks, establishment of training programs for disease control personnel in Eastern African region, and promotion of dissemination and exchange of health research information through an annual scientific conference (KASH) among others.
“KEMRI has also provided leadership in the developing of policies and National action plans on prevention and containment of antimicrobial resistance and other infectious diseases and conducting of successful Ebola, Pneumococcal, COVID-19 and Malaria clinical vaccine trials that have demonstrated safety of the vaccines and potential for use,” he said.
However, all this, he said, has been achieved through the collaboration with the Japanese International Corporation Agency (JICA) that has worked closely with KEMRI in building infrastructure that has been pivotal in responding to outbreaks in Kenya.
