Seychelles Hosts First Epidemiology Training Programme
VICTORIA, Seychelles — Seychelles has launched its first frontline epidemiology training programme, marking a significant step in building the country’s public health response capacity.
The programme, the first of its kind in Seychelles, is designed to equip health professionals with the skills needed to detect, investigate and respond to disease outbreaks at the community level. It is being delivered in partnership with regional and international public health bodies, with technical support from the WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the Ministry of Health, frontline epidemiology is the foundation of any effective disease surveillance system. Without trained field epidemiologists, outbreaks can go undetected for weeks, costing lives and resources. The new programme aims to ensure that Seychelles has its own cadre of professionals able to mount a rapid response to any emerging health threat.
The first cohort comprises nurses, public health officers and laboratory technicians drawn from across the country’s health facilities. Training is delivered through a combination of classroom sessions, practical exercises in case investigation and field assignments. Participants will be expected to complete a set of supervised outbreak response activities before being awarded the field epidemiology certificate.
The launch comes at a time when Indian Ocean island states are paying closer attention to pandemic preparedness. The COVID-19 response exposed gaps in field-level surveillance across the region, and several countries have since invested in building dedicated epidemiology workforces.
Health officials said the Seychelles programme will be evaluated after the first year to inform its expansion. The longer-term ambition is to establish the country as a regional training hub, hosting cohorts from other small island developing states.
Frontline epidemiology may not grab headlines, but it is the discipline on which every successful outbreak response ultimately rests.
