County Veterinary Officers have embarked on a week-long training on participatory disease surveillance facilitated by the Kenya Veterinary Services Board.

The training includes field visits to Kakwanyang to engage with pastoralists. This will also lead to the awarding of the Continuous Professional Development (CPDs) points by the Kenya Veterinary Board.

The program is supported by TUPADO and funded by IRC- BHA through the Integrated Emergency Drought Response Project.

The Director for Veterinary Services, Dr. Benson Longor, stated that the recently passed Turkana County Animal Health Policy and Bill was a testimony of the County Government’s commitment to control livestock diseases and decentralize services to the grassroots.

Dr Longor said that the legislation would attract funding and streamline disease surveillance and intervention through the Community Disease Reporters.

Since the launch of the E-surveillance App in 2018, Dr. Longor said, the Directorate utilized the system and effectively generated timely disease information.

The system assisted in conducting 169 active surveillance and 27 investigations as the data-informed intervention that covered more than 6 million livestock.

Dr James Wakhungu, from the National Government Directorate of Veterinary Services, said that the Directorate was ready to support the participatory epidemiology and disease control for animals in the counties.

Participatory Disease Surveillance training is set to contribute to a disease-free zone, enhance market access for traders, and boost livestock health and productivity.

The training is a complement to the One Health Strategy 2023 that is jointly implemented by the County Departments of Health and Sanitation, Veterinary Services, and Environment.