Russia coaches Ugandan medics to fight fatal epidemics

(MENAFN) Russia’s health agency, Rospotrebnadzor, has begun training Ugandan medical professionals as part of an initiative to strengthen Africa’s ability to fight infectious disease outbreaks. The program, launched in Kampala, follows the Russian-African International Conference on Infectious Disease Control held in April 2024 and stems from a directive by President Vladimir Putin.

Putin had stressed the urgency of boosting Africa’s medical and technological capacity to combat epidemics, with Rospotrebnadzor chief Anna Popova quoting him as saying Russia is fully committed to active cooperation in the healthcare sector.

The current training involves 30 Ugandan specialists from the Ministry of Health, including doctors, emergency response workers, microbiologists, and epidemiologists. Rospotrebnadzor stated that the program aims to improve the country’s ability to detect and respond quickly to outbreaks.

This initiative is part of Russia’s broader push to expand its partnerships in Africa across sectors like healthcare, education, mining, energy, and security.

Uganda has faced several outbreaks, including Ebola and Sudan virus disease. In January, Russia offered assistance with outbreak investigations and containment efforts. In June, Uganda’s Health Ministry credited joint efforts with Russia for successfully preventing cross-border Ebola transmission.

In addition to training, Russia supplied Uganda with a mobile laboratory in 2024 to enable faster diagnosis of serious infections. Similar support was given to the Republic of the Congo following a deal between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and President Denis Sassou Nguesso.

Russia has also assisted other African nations, including Rwanda, Burundi, DR Congo, Guinea, and Ethiopia, during mpox outbreaks that were declared public health emergencies in parts of the continent in 2024.

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