THE East African Community (EAC) Secretariat has partnered with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in an effort to enhance cross-border health security and responses to disease outbreaks in the region.

The partnership will play a critical role in addressing the negative impact of health security issues and disease outbreaks in border areas. The East African region, which is home to more than 300 million people, has been affected by cross-border health security issues and disease outbreaks such as Cholera, Ebola, and the COVID-19 pandemic over the last few years, which have led to the complete breakdown of public health systems in some countries or health systems being completely overwhelmed and unable to cope, among other negative effects.

As part of efforts to address the issue, a workshop has been convened in Zanzibar, Tanzania from 16th - 19th July, 2024 to review the implementation of the EAC Regional Risk and Crisis Communication Strategy (2018/2019 – 2022/2023) in an effort to better inform subsequent cross-border health awareness and improve community engagement initiatives.

“The EAC is committed to having a robust Risk Communication and Community Engagement Strategy to effectively manage and mitigate risks associated with public health emergencies and other health crises,” said Dr. Eric Nzeyimana, the EAC Principal Health Officer.

“There are many lessons to be learnt from COVID-19 and other recent disease outbreaks in our region, like Ebola and Marburg, and these will inform the development of our strategy, that will ultimately facilitate informed decision making to mitigate the effects of health threats,” he added.

The workshop also aims to harmonise various regional Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in relation to streamlining risk communication and community engagement. The standardized procedures cover critical communication aspects such as risk communication planning, community engagement methodologies, and cross-border information sharing; while also addressing gender disparities and promoting human rights in health interventions.

"Effective Risk Communication and Community Engagement approaches are essential for managing public health threats and ensuring safe cross-border mobility. By developing inclusive Risk Communication and Community Engagement Standard Operating Procedures, we can foster a more effective response to public health threats across borders in the region to protect the health and well-being of communities along the mobility continuum,” said Viviane Kuissi, IOM’s Regional Migration Health Specialist for the East, Horn and Southern of Africa region.

The harmonised regional guidelines are expected to guide the EAC Partner States in implementing best practices in community-based disease prevention and response at points-of-entry; where there are significant numbers of cross-border interactions. Strengthening Risk Communication and Community Engagement capacity is further expected to build cross-collaboration and trust, address misinformation, and better protect the health of all people in the region, including migrants.

Supported by the IOM Development Fund, the workshop builds upon EAC's Strategic Roadmap for Health Programming at Points of Entry (POEs) and IOM's Health, Border and Mobility Management Framework, which aim to strengthen cross-border health governance, leadership, and coordination.