The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
14 December 2011
Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda’s call on African governments to invest more in nurturing experts in epidemiology–the science of determining the causes of diseases and how they spread in populations–is a timely reminder of a neglected element of medicine.
African countries are generally complacent about monitoring deadly outbreaks such as Ebola, Rift Valley Fever, Meningitis and Cholera. Many countries, including Tanzania, bask in the comfort that the donor community will always be there to provide humanitarian assistance and expertise during epidemics.
However, as the global economic turmoil spirals out of control and donor countries tighten their purse strings, Tanzania and other African countries have to wake up to the fact that we need long-term solutions to such crises, many of them easily controlled.
As Mr Pinda put it, we need to invest in a pool of experts to break the cycle of dependency that we have built over the years and also strengthen our surveillance mechanisms.
Such a move would also reduce reactionary spending on full-blown epidemics and shift the focus to preventive measures that are relatively cheaper.It is a shame that African countries are only able to provide logistical support in the campaign against potential epidemics that devastate their continent, leaving the bulk of funding to western donors.
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