Tunisia to Pilot GIS Mapping for Public Well being – Africa CDC


Tunisia has expressed curiosity in implementing Geographic Data System (GIS) mapping for laboratory capabilities amongst North African nations. This initiative goals to create detailed visible representations of laboratory capacities and capabilities throughout the nation.

The candidacy emerged throughout Africa CDC’s first assembly on GIS mapping for public well being with seven North African nations, which included Algeria, Tunisia, Saharawi, Libya, Morocco, and Mauritania, held from 26-28 June.

“The coaching centered on understanding GIS mapping in North Africa, experiences with its implementation, and the development degree of varied GIS initiatives within the area,” mentioned Dr. Aytenew Ashenafi Eshete, Programme Supervisor, Laboratory Networks and Methods at Africa CDC.

Geospatial mapping of laboratory capabilities and capability has confirmed to be an efficient instrument for figuring out crucial gaps, planning enhancements, optimizing laboratory networks, and establishing sturdy specimen referral methods. This initiative goals to judge laboratory capacities all through Africa utilizing GIS mapping to deal with current gaps. The LabMap Undertaking aligns with Africa CDC’s strategic precedence of enhancing the resilience and responsiveness of laboratory networks to well being threats. It additionally helps the WHO AFRO Regional Technique for Well being Safety and Emergencies, which emphasizes evidence-based planning for capacity-building interventions within the healthcare system.

In collaboration with ASLM, Africa CDC has mapped current laboratory capacities in 18 Member States. Nevertheless, North Africa has not participated in any GIS mapping packages. “We meant to get a buy-in for them to be a part of the GIS mapping program to strengthen the laboratory community in Africa,” mentioned Dr. Aytenew.

“Broadly, GIS mapping for laboratory capability can significantly improve the administration, evaluation, and visualization of laboratory sources and capacities,” he added. “It may be successfully utilized for knowledge assortment and integration, capability mapping and visualization, protection evaluation, and determination help, together with bettering useful resource allocation, enhancing outbreak response, and growing accessibility.”

The coaching revealed that North Africa has an excellent understanding of GIS mapping and sufficient infrastructure to deal with associated duties, together with human sources, infrastructure, and knowledge evaluation capability.

“A lot of the knowledge obtainable in North Africa just isn’t included in GIS mapping, which suggests the geographic info system lacks the spatial and attribute knowledge essential for efficient evaluation and visualization. This may end up in incomplete evaluation, inefficient useful resource allocation, and restricted determination help,” Dr. Aytenew defined.

Utilizing GIS for laboratory capability primarily focuses on enhancing the administration, evaluation, and visualization of laboratory sources to enhance public well being outcomes. GIS performs a vital function in useful resource allocation and optimization, emergency preparedness and response, public well being surveillance, knowledge visualization, and determination help.

“We use the data to determine diagnostics community optimization,” mentioned Dr. Aytenew. “Past mapping laboratory capacities inside a selected nation or area, one other helpful software includes compiling and evaluating laboratory info throughout totally different nations. This strategy can present insights into world well being capacities, disparities, and areas for collaboration.” Following the coaching, the plan is to begin implementing the GIS mapping instrument in a single nation. “Tunisia expressed readiness to know GIS mapping, and we’ll proceed with Tunisia as the primary nation,” mentioned Dr. Aytenew.

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