NAIROBI, Kenya — The East African Community is conducting specialised training for 120 doctors, nurses and other frontline health professionals from all eight Partner States as part of efforts to improve preparedness for high-consequence infectious disease outbreaks.

The training is being held at the Aga Khan University Centre for Innovative Medical Education in Nairobi under the Training in the East African Community for High-Consequence Infectious Diseases, or tEACh, programme. The initiative is a collaboration between the EAC and the German Agency for International Cooperation, with support from the Government of Germany.

The workshop series is scheduled to continue until November 2026. It is designed to strengthen the ability of health professionals to identify, contain and manage diseases such as Ebola, while also enabling participants to share their skills with colleagues in their home countries.

Practical training and simulations

Sessions include case identification and isolation, infection prevention and control, the safe use of personal protective equipment, sample collection, patient management and emergency response. Practical exercises and simulations form a central part of the programme.

Training is being delivered by clinical experts from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, East African clinicians who completed the tEACh Training-of-Trainers programme, representatives of national Emergency Operations Centres and the World Health Organization.

Dr. Dorcas Omukhulu, the EAC’s Ag. Director of Social Sectors, said the programme was helping create a shared pool of professionals capable of responding collectively during public health emergencies.

“Through this regional training, the EAC is building a common pool of health professionals with the practical skills to detect, manage and contain outbreaks while strengthening the ability of Partner States to respond together when a public health emergency occurs,” Omukhulu said.

Dr. Pius Mutuku, a medical epidemiologist at the Kenya National Public Health Institute, said the practical focus was strengthening the skills and confidence required for a safe and effective response during outbreaks.

Laboratory capacity and German funding

The EAC has also established a Mobile Laboratory Network comprising 10 laboratories across seven Partner States. According to the EAC, the laboratories provide rapid diagnostic capacity at strategic locations and points of entry and have supported responses to Ebola, Marburg, COVID-19 and Mpox.

The mobile laboratories have been deployed in locations including Beni, Busia, Nimule-Elegu, Kobero and Bwera. The EAC plans to increase the network to 34 laboratories by the end of 2027.

Germany has committed an additional 4.8 million euros to support Ebola preparedness and response efforts in the region. The funding is intended to help train 500 frontline health workers, conduct community sensitisation for 15,000 people in eastern DRC and procure 20,000 sets of personal protective equipment.

The support will also assist with the registration of new Bundibugyo Ebola vaccines in EAC Partner States once the vaccines are approved by the World Health Organization.

Burkard Kömm, GIZ Programme Manager for Support to Pandemic Preparedness in the EAC Region, said effective responses depended on trained personnel, suitable equipment and systems capable of operating across borders.

“Germany, through its cooperation with the EAC, is supporting the region to strengthen these capacities and ensure that the knowledge and skills developed through this programme remain within the region,” Kömm said.

The EAC estimates that approximately USD 45 million is needed to respond effectively to Ebola and other viral haemorrhagic fever outbreaks in the region. It is calling on development partners and other stakeholders to provide further support for regional preparedness and response measures.