The fight against M-pox in Taita Taveta county has received a boost after USAID Stawisha Pwani donated critical equipment’s to strengthen disease surveillance in Taita Taveta County, with a particular focus on preparedness and response to M-pox and other potential disease outbreaks.
During the handover to County Director of Health Elvis Mwandawiro, USAID Stawisha Pwani representative Omoth K’ohuru said the support would ensure uninterrupted disease reporting at the facility level throughout the year.
“These reporting forms will adequately support health facilities over the entire year. There will be no reason for failure to report diseases or health outbreaks at the grassroots level,” K’ohuru said.
Director Mwandawiro welcomed the support, noting that it would go a long way in strengthening the County’s disease surveillance and response systems, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach areas.
“This support will enhance the work of surveillance teams and ensure the safety of samples during transportation from rural facilities to laboratories. The laptops will enable us to use digital platforms such as the ADaM application for disease surveillance, allowing for real-time data capture and analysis,” said Mwandawiro.
He emphasized the importance of using surveillance data to inform decision-making, adding that early detection at the community level remains critical in preventing the spread of diseases.
“Our eyes and ears must remain open at the community level to detect outbreaks early. Prevention is always better and more cost-effective than managing and curing diseases, especially in the face of ongoing healthcare financing challenges,” Mr Mwandawiro said, underscoring the need for continuous community sensitization on disease prevention.
County Epidemiologist Urbanus Kioko underscored USAID Stawisha Pwani’s continued partnership with the County government to strengthen public health systems and improve outbreak preparedness and response.
The consignment included laptops for sub-county disease surveillance officers, 300 units of viral transport media, 2,000 zip-lock bags and 150 Ministry of Health (MoH) disease surveillance reporting forms.
The equipment is expected to significantly enhance timely reporting, safe sample handling and data-driven decision-making across health facilities in the County.
