This strategic foundation aims to equip multi-skilled community health workers and eco-guards with Event-Based Surveillance (EBS) techniques.
In the modern public health landscape, the prevention of health crises is no longer limited to hospital settings alone. Areas of contact between people, wildlife, and domestic animals constitute potential hotspots for the emergence of zoonoses. It is within this perspective of proactive prevention that the training workshop held on July 21 and 22, 2026, in the coastal city of Kribi took place. Organized under the auspices of the Ministry of Public Health, this meeting saw the active participation of the Zoonoses Program, alongside key stakeholders in the field. The main objective of this training is to sustainably embed the culture of Event-Based Surveillance (EBS) within communities and natural areas. By relying on the rapid reporting of atypical information — whether it be suspected deaths of wild animals or cases of unusual diseases in villages — the system seeks to shorten alert times and trigger rapid epidemiological responses before any large-scale spread.
Community health workers and eco-guards: the SFE’s forward sentinels
The success of an early warning system relies primarily on field monitoring. In Kribi, training focused on two essential and complementary links: multi-skilled community health workers (CHWs) and eco-guards. The former, deeply rooted in rural and urban populations, constitute the first line of local health protection. The latter, patrolling daily in protected areas and forest zones, occupy a privileged observation position at the wildlife-wildlife interface.
During these two days of intensive training, participants were introduced to
reporting protocols, the identification of early warning signs, and the use of appropriate communication tools to transmit information to the relevant health authorities. The involvement of the Zoonoses Programme provided specialized technical expertise on the specific characteristics of diseases transmissible between animals and humans, thus reinforcing the « One Health » approach promoted in Cameroon.
By equipping these field sentinels with advanced skills in SFE (Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises), the Ministry of Public Health and its partners are significantly strengthening the country’s health resilience. This preventative approach demonstrates the clear commitment of public authorities to anticipate epidemic threats, thereby guaranteeing the protection of the population and the health security of the national territory.
