The Africa Centre for Disease Control (CDC) says it is working to strengthen health systems in Africa by promoting healthy behaviors and improving immunization uptake. As part of this effort, the organization is conducting a capacity assessment on Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) in Malawi.
Dr. Priscilla Kusena, Lead Social Behaviour Change and Risk Communication at Africa CDC, explained that the assessment aims to understand how Malawi is implementing promotive behaviors in the community. “Basically, we are trying to understand how they are implementing promotive behaviours in the community. So we are here to do the capacity skill assessment of the frontline health workers. So looking at the different levels of implementation, we want to see on how we can support them,” she said.
The assessment will also examine immunization uptake in the country, including issues surrounding vaccine hesitancy. Dr. Kusena added that the findings will inform a standardized RCCE framework for the Africa region.
Deputy Director for Community and Promotive Health in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Kondwani Mamba, welcomed the assessment, saying it was an opportunity for Malawi to demonstrate its strengths and identify areas for improvement. “You know Africa CDC is an umbrella for 55 member states and Malawi is one of the members. We take it as an opportunity and we need to demonstrate where we are in terms of our status. As a country obviously we have some strengths which will be captured and we are also mindful that there are some gaps which need improvement. Therefore, this assessment is very key,” he said.
The Africa CDC’s mission involves meeting with various stakeholders, including the media, to discuss their RCCE efforts and identify areas for support. By strengthening the capacity of public health institutions and partnerships, the Africa CDC aims to detect and respond quickly and effectively to health threats.
