As part of the Global Partnership on Animal and Zoonotic Disease Surveillance (GPAZDS), the Laboratory for Emerging Infectious diseases, located at the University of Buea, in southwestern Cameroon, will do both active and passive surveillance for five diseases of concern. Animal health technicians were oriented at a kick-off workshop in February 2023, and received materials for recurring sampling of animals in their regions.
Pigs, sheep, goats, and cattle, will all be sampled, for investigation into the presence of: African swine fever, classical swine fever, peste des petits ruminants, Rift Valley fever, and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.
The laboratory, under the direction of Dr. Lucy Ndip, will analyze samples to determine the distribution of African swine fever and peste des petits ruminants in the various ecological zones across the country. For the other three diseases, their existence in this part of West Africa is unknown, and information obtained will be helpful for eventual control of swine diseases, and also for informing public health authorities.
