MSc EpiBiostat programme to establish African cohort of epidemiologists

The Kinshasa School of Public Health (KSPH) has enrolled 15 students into its Master’s training programme “MSc EpiBiostat” supported by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP). This highly anticipated new training programme will establish an African cohort of epidemiologists and biostatisticians through ten grants supporting institutions in sub-Saharan Africa and Europe. As one of the beneficiary countries, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and its neighbouring countries are faced with regular outbreaks of diseases such as ebola, yellow fever, measles, cholera, poliomyelitis, monkey pox and, more recently, COVID-19. Serious funding and skills gaps place a high burden on its health systems, restricting capacity to monitor and contain these outbreaks.