Brazil is leading a new South-South cooperation initiative with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to strengthen field epidemiology training and epidemic intelligence capacities across Africa.
The initiative, supported by the Pan American Health Organization and Brazil’s Ministry of Health, focuses on improving public health emergency preparedness through digital learning platforms, hybrid training methods, and workforce development programs.
A preparatory technical meeting was recently held at PAHO headquarters in Washington, D.C., where officials aligned priorities and explored ways to transfer Brazil’s epidemiology training expertise to Africa CDC member states. The discussions centered on adapting Brazil’s long-running EpiSUS program, a competency-based epidemiology training model that combines practical field experience with digital education tools.
The first phase of the collaboration will focus on adapting training materials, expanding digital learning systems, improving tutor training strategies, and implementing Moodle-based learning management platforms. Portuguese-speaking countries are also expected to participate in upcoming technical exchanges scheduled for June.
The initiative aims to strengthen epidemic intelligence, collaborative disease surveillance, and emergency response systems throughout Africa by building scalable and sustainable public health workforce solutions tailored to regional needs.
Edenilo Baltazar Barreira Filho described the collaboration as part of Brazil’s broader international public health cooperation agenda and its role as a World Health Organization collaborating center.
Meanwhile, Maria Almiron emphasized the importance of South-South cooperation in improving epidemic preparedness and strengthening resilient health systems through practical knowledge-sharing and digital innovation.
The partnership reflects growing international efforts to improve early warning systems, collaborative surveillance, and emergency preparedness following recent global public health crises. Officials involved in the project said the initiative could serve as a model for future cross-regional cooperation in public health training and emergency response development.
