The Africa Centre of Excellence in Infectious Diseases for Humans and Animals (ACEIDHA) says Zambia is on course to diagnose the symptoms and signs of infectious diseases such as Ebola, Anthrax, and other infectious diseases.
Centre leader, Professor Bernard Hang’ombe, has explained that the establishment of the first ever infectious disease research Centre at the University of Zambia (UNZA) is helping the country to strengthen the capacity of researchers on infectious diseases.
Professor Hang’ombe has told media that about 70 percent of the infectious diseases that the country experiences is as a result of human and animal contact.
He explains that as such, government with support from the World Bank established a regional Centre of excellence at the higher learning institution, in order to train students, researchers, and veterinary officers under the school of veterinary medicine, on how to handle infectious diseases.
He adds on that the Centre is also training students to understand the human-animal relation, in order to provide knowledge on how people can avoid contracting animal infections such as anthrax.
Professor Hang’ombe has further added that the Centre provides knowledge on infectious disease not only to Zambia but the Southern and Eastern Africa Region.
He notes that with the Centre that is housed in Zambia, it is hoped that line sectors such as the agricultural sector, will take advantage of the facility, in order to combat any possible outbreaks of animal diseases such as the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) which recently affected three provinces of the country.
Professor Hang’ombe has explained that the Centre is designed to bring scientific diagnostic and treatment of infectious diseases instead of the ordinary speculative way of doing things where some diseases are even being treated as mysterious infections.
He explains that the Centre is also helping the country to better understand how to treat an outbreak of such infectious diseases.
The Africa Centre of Excellence in Infectious Diseases of Humans and Animals (ACEIDHA), is a government program launched in 2018.
