SCEAM-CA

The challenge

Central Africa is a global recognised biodiversity hotspot. The drawback of this ecological diversity is an increased risk of zoonotic infection – the spread of infections from animals to humans. Multiple outbreaks of Ebola virus and other highly dangerous pathogens have occurred in recent decades.

Furthermore, Central Africa is experiencing other profound changes that affect the risk of zoonotic infections and influence their rapid spread within human populations. These include the impact of conflict, displacement and large-scale population movements, deforestation and land use changes, and climate change, all of which affect the risk of exposure to zoonotic pathogens and the dynamics of outbreaks in human populations. 

Central Africa is therefore an interconnected ecosystem. Wherever they originate, pathogens can rapidly disseminate through multiple countries. A subregional approach to outbreak control and response is therefore essential.

The project

The SCEAM-CA project is extending a recently launched master’s programme in infectious disease modelling and outbreak analytics at the One Health Institute for Africa (Institut One Health pour l’Afrique, INOHA) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and organising other activities to enhance modelling capacity to address outbreaks in francophone countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

The project is developing a two-year regional master’s programme. Year 1 will include a one-month immersion period in a national public health institute, ministry of health or research institution, while in year 2 trainees will undertake a 3–6-month research internship at a partner laboratory. The programme will support 20 trainees from five francophone countries – Burundi, Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, DRC and Gabon.

In addition, targeted training will be offered to mid-career public health professionals. Two specialist technical workshops will be organised, as well as an annual meeting, for 10 staff from ministries or health or national public health institutes from participating countries.

To support these training activities, the project is introducing high-performance computing infrastructure at INOHA. This will support its role as a regional training hub, with the new infrastructure hosting an e-learning platform and data management systems to enable training in data analytics within a secure environment. A range of real-world datasets will be used to support training and development of outputs with real public health relevance.

The project will foster regional collaborations and stronger linkages between academia and public health bodies, ministries of health and national public health institutes. It will also provide trainees with intensive mentoring support and facilitate regional and international networking. 

Impact

The SCEAM-CA project will significantly boost epidemiology and data science skills in French-speaking countries in sub-Saharan Africa. It will:

• Provide 20 early-career researchers with intensive training in the latest modelling and other analytical techniques.
• Ensure skills are developed in the context of real-world datasets and address priority public health challenges.
• Build awareness and expertise within ministries of health and national public health institutes to strengthen a culture of data-driven decision-making.
• Create new networks to support continuing professional development and career progression.

The SCEAM-CA project will create a cohort of epidemiology and modelling specialists in francophone countries with the potential to lead efforts to apply data science techniques to identify areas at high risk of outbreaks, predict likely outbreak dynamics, and assess the potential impact of interventions, strengthening outbreak capabilities.