Tuesday 25th August 2020
The Red Cross Society of Seychelles would like to advise the media that some 20 volunteers and staff will be attending a training on Community Based Surveillance on Thursday 27th August 2020, at the RCSS Headquarters, from 9.00 a.m. till 12 noon. This is being done in collaboration with Ministry of Health.
A Community Base Surveillance (CBS) training course was conducted early February for twenty (20) volunteers. This training was aimed to ensure that all volunteers and staff participating in contact tracing had the necessary know-how to discharge such confidential and sensitive tasks.
The objectives of the training is to:
- increase the capacity of volunteers and staff in recognizing the signs of COVID 19
- Provide the correct information to volunteers and staff that will enable them to sensitize their community on COVID-19.
- Develop the knowledge of volunteers and staff on contact tracing and increase their confidence to work independently.
CBS is a simple, adaptable and low-cost public health initiative that is managed by communities to protect communities. It aims to extend the coverage of existing surveillance to the most vulnerable populations in times of greatest need.
Epidemics are a constant threat to the well-being of communities everywhere, and more especially so in societies where resources are scarce. Managing epidemics, or preferably preventing them, is a priority for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, thus the RCSS. The role of communities in preventing, detecting and responding to local health threats is critical in improving the lives of people.
One of the principal advantages of CBS is that it ensures effective communication of unusual events or changes in the health status of residents in a community to authorities and, importantly, gives a voice to communities. This channel of communication enables an early detection and response to potential epidemics, making it possible to stop them before they start.
The Red Cross is uniquely placed to implement CBS in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and local partners to ensure the early detection of public health threats, and to taking pre-emptive action before the situation worsens. Taking an all-hazard approach to health threats, CBS supports the early detection of human, animal and environmental changes that could impact health outcomes.
We would appreciate very much coverage of the planned activities.
