At a glance
CDC established an office in Namibia in 2002. CDC works with the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS) and other partners to build effective public health collaboration and partnerships to detect, prevent, and respond to public health threats. CDC’s work aims to protect the health of Americans and public health around the world.
Key accomplishments
- Supported the development and use of an electronic data system, dashboards, and other tools that provide access to critical data for decision making and response monitoring.
- Supported the Namibia Institute of Pathology and MOHSS to use molecular testing for tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic testing, and rolled out a new urine test (TB-LAM) that is more effective at diagnosing TB in resource-limited facilities.
- Supported training for more than 220 participants who graduated from the Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program (FELTP) since 2014.
- Introduced laboratory innovations for electronic results reporting to health facilities, reducing the time needed to provide timely patient care and detect outbreaks sooner.
- Provided emergency management support including laboratory testing, case management, infection prevention and control, risk communication, and vaccination for recent disease outbreaks including malaria, measles, cholera, monkeypox, and COVID-19.
Global health security
In Namibia, CDC strengthens emergency preparedness, provides technical support for infectious disease outbreaks, and supports border health services. CDC has assisted in the establishment of a national Emergency Operations Center and National Institute of Public Health. CDC and MOHSS strengthen the national health system by increasing country capacity to detect and respond to outbreaks. Global health security investments and decades of global partnership built a strong foundation in Namibia to support a variety of disease responses, including HIV, TB, malaria, influenza, polio and COVID-19.
Workforce development
CDC supports MOHSS in strengthening human resources for health at all levels of the Namibian health system. Together, CDC and MOHSS ensure that frontline workers at health facilities and skilled experts at the national level are strategically deployed. CDC also works with MOHSS to develop and shape the future health workforce through initiatives focused on workforce planning, efficient recruiting, and performance management.
Laboratory capacity building
CDC supports the MOHSS and Namibia Institute of Pathology Limited (NIP) to strengthen the quality of the national laboratory system to ensure accurate testing services for HIV, TB, and other related conditions. CDC also works with NIP to ensure the quality of all HIV and TB testing across the country. During the COVID-19 pandemic, CDC supported the national COVID-19 testing system to design workflows, conduct trainings, and ensure biosafety in the laboratory at all times. CDC has also supported the development of testing protocols and procedures for cholera and monkeypox as outbreaks occur.
Health information systems
CDC assists with a range of innovative and cost-effective strategies that enhance data collection, analysis, and health management and information systems. CDC supports MOHSS to maintain national health information systems that include TB, COVID-19 cases and vaccinations, and HIV (testing, treatment, prevention of mother-to-child transmission).
CDC also supports the MOHSS with the national health information management system (District Health Information System or DHIS2). This system collects aggregated data necessary to provide informative reporting on several epidemic-prone diseases. CDC’s support helps ensure that MOHSS staff, from health facilities up to the national level, have access to the critical information they need to inform decision making and respond promptly.
HIV and TB
As a key implementer of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), CDC plays an essential role in the fight against HIV and TB. With unmatched scientific and technical knowledge and long-standing relationships with ministries of health, CDC is uniquely positioned to advance HIV, TB, and other global health security activities that keep Americans safe at home and abroad.
Through PEPFAR, CDC provides critical support to Namibia's public health infrastructure, improving the country's ability to prevent, detect, and respond to HIV, TB, and other infectious diseases and minimizing their risk from entering the U.S.
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