Last 18-20 September 2023, the highly anticipated in-person EpiGen Ethiopia project kick-off took place at the National Training Centre of the Ethiopian Public Health Institute in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The meeting was opened by Dr. Geremew Tasew (Director for Bacterial, Parasitic, and Zoonotic Diseases Research Directorate at EPHI), Dr. Getachew Tollera (Deputy Director, EPHI), followed by Dr. Mebratu Massebo (Senior Advisor to the Minister of Health, Dr. Lia Tadesse) and the Deputy Director for the Amuer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI), Dr. Alemseged Abdissa. With over 100 attendees, the kick-off was well attended with representation from all partner institutes, as well as the Africa CDC, Harari Region Health Office, Gembella Regional Health Office, Benishangul-Gumuz Regional Health Office, Sidama Regional Health Office, and the Central Ethiopia Regional Health Office.

The opening was followed by an introductory session by Prof. Tobias Rinke de Wit, the Scientific Lead of the project, stating that EpiGen Ethiopia aims to build a national molecular pathogen epidemiology network in Ethiopia with real-time digital dashboards for making policy with respect to imminent outbreaks of infectious diseases. He shared,

“Unfortunately, overall climate change developments are already widely felt in Ethiopia. These will increasingly contribute to future epidemics.”

You can read more about the EpiGen Ethiopia In-Person launch on the official EpiGen Ethiopia Website. You’ll find more articles about the project such as their recent lab visit at the Ethiopian Public Health Institute!