Mutabaruka Evariste, Sawadogo Mamadou, Tarnagda Zekiba, Ouédraogo Lauren, Sangare Lassana, Ousmane Badolo, Ndjakani Yassa, Namusisi Olivia, Mukanga David, Evering-Watley Michele, Hounton Sennen, Nsubuga Peter
World Health Organization/Multi-Disease Surveillance Center, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
Pan Afr Med J. 2011;10 Supp 1(Suppl 1):10. Epub 2011 Dec 14.
The West Africa Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program (WA-FELTP) which was established in September 2007, is an inter-country, competency-based, in-service and post -graduate training program in applied epidemiology and public health that builds the capacity to strengthen the surveillance and response system as well as epidemic control in the French-speaking countries where they are implemented. The overall purpose is to provide epidemiological and public health laboratory services to the public health systems at national, provincial, district and local levels. The program includes four countries: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Togo with an overarching goal to progressively cover all French speaking countries in West Africa through a phased-in approach. WA-FELTP's 2- year Master's program was launched in 2010 with 12 residents, three from each country, and consists of medical and veterinary doctors, pharmacists, and laboratory scientists. The training comprises 25% didactic sessions and 75% practical in-the-field mentored training. During the practical training, residents rovide service to their respective ministries of health and ministries of animal resources by contributing to outbreak investigations and activities that help to improve national surveillance systems at national, regional, district and local levels. The pressing challenges that the program must address consist of the lack of funds to support the second cohort of trainees, though trainee selection was completed, inadequate funds to support staff compensation, and shortage of funds to support trainees' participation in critical activities in field epidemiology practice, and a need to develop a 5-year plan for sustainability.
西非现场流行病学与实验室培训项目（WA - FELTP）于2007年9月设立，是一个跨国的、基于能力的在职研究生培训项目，涉及应用流行病学和公共卫生领域，旨在增强其实施地区法语国家加强监测与应对系统以及疫情防控的能力。总体目标是为国家、省级、地区和地方各级的公共卫生系统提供流行病学和公共卫生实验室服务。该项目涵盖四个国家：布基纳法索、马里、尼日尔和多哥，总体目标是通过分阶段方式逐步覆盖西非所有法语国家。WA - FELTP的两年制硕士项目于2010年启动，有12名学员，每个国家3名，学员包括医学和兽医学医生、药剂师以及实验室科学家。培训包括25%的理论课程和75%的实地实践指导培训。在实践培训期间，学员通过参与疫情调查以及有助于改善国家、地区、县级和地方各级国家监测系统的活动，为各自国家的卫生部和动物资源部提供服务。该项目必须应对的紧迫挑战包括：尽管学员选拔已经完成，但缺乏资金支持第二批学员；资金不足无法支付员工薪酬；缺乏资金支持学员参与现场流行病学实践中的关键活动；以及需要制定一个可持续发展的五年计划。
