South Africa Department of Health Grant: Strengthening Laboratory and Epidemiology Capacity for Zoonotic Disease Outbreaks

Develop and expand South Africa’s capacity for zoonotic disease detection and response
Establish surveillance system for key infectious diseases that are transmitted through vector or animal-human contact
Emphasize priority diseases with high epidemic potential or mortality rates (e.g., West Nile virus, Rift Valley fever; CCHF; Rabies, Brucellosis, Anthrax and emerging vector-borne and zoonotic viruses)
Implement real-time disease reporting and interface with human and veterinary public health information systems
Pathogen discovery in animals, humans and vectors that resemble zoonotic diseases syndromes
Advance electronic information systems to enhance real-time reporting and tracking of cases through regular reporting to local and international health agencies and prediction of outbreaks through modeling of risk factors for vector-borne and zoonotic disease outbreaks.
Increase implementation of GHSA and IHR in South Africa
Establish and/or strengthen collaborations with key partners
Coordinate surveillance efforts with other global health security (GHS) implementing organizations
Produce burden of disease data and scientific evidence for the importance of vector-borne and zoonotic diseases in Southern Africa, and ways to rapidly detect, respond and control outbreaks
To disseminate this data to key audiences through scientific publication and reporting including international and local veterinary, public health and scientific audiences such as WHO/OIE/DOH/DAFF and other stakeholder agencies involved in controlling of diseases locally and internationally