Joint Statement of the Ethiopia Academy of Sciences (EAS) and the Ethiopian Public Health Association (EPHA) on the Current Situation of Ebola Virus Disease

Please click the link below to read position paper  in Amharic or English languages 

Amharic position paper

English position paper

 EFETP welcomes 6th Cohort Residents

The Ethiopian Field Epidemiology and Training Program (EFETP) 6th cohort residents welcoming program has been conducted on November 3, 2014 at the Addis Ababa University, School of Public Health.

A total of 18 residents are recruited from various regions of SNNPR, Oromia, Afar, Amhara, Somali and Addis Ababa.

In his keynote address, Dr. Wakgari Deressa, Dean of School of Public Health (SPH), welcomed the residents and delivered a brief presentation on the program accomplishments.

Dr. Hailegnaw Eshete, Executive Director of EPHA, noted on the occasion that EPHA is pleased to implement this program in collaboration with other partners. Furthermore, he urges all the residents to be members of EPHA and support the goal of the Association.

CDC-Ethiopia representative, Joseph L. Malone, Medical Officer and Resident Advisor, said on his part that CDC-Ethiopia is privileged to take part in EFETP and share experiences. He also called on the residents to play an important role in the improvement of the Ethiopian public health emergency management system.

Dr. Fikre Enqusellassie, Director of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology in SPH, welcomed once again the residents and urged them to exert maximum efforts to successfully accomplish their study.

EFETP is aimed at producing professionals, who are responsible to strengthen the Ethiopian public health emergency management system through employing epidemic investigation, emergency response and surveillance. Since the launch of the program in 2009, a total of 65 health professionals have been graduated and deployed back to their duty.

The EFETP is a partnership program between the Federal Ministry of Health, Addis Ababa University School of Public Health, the Ethiopian Public Health Association and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

EPHA signs MoU with EAS for promotion of health researches

The Ethiopian Public Health Association (EPHA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ethiopian Academy of Science (EAS) for collaboration in promotion of health and health researches in Ethiopia.

Dr. Filimona Bisrat, President of EPHA and Prof. Bahiru Zewdie, Vice President of EAS signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organizations on 31, October 2014 at EPHA conference Hall.

The MoU enables to conduct joint activities on adoptive and innovative health researches to ensure the dissemination and use of evidence and raise the standards of health and welfare of the Ethiopian people.

Dr. Filimona Bisrat, President of EPHA, noted on the occasion that the joint collaboration is a remarkable step to accelerate and promote health research in Ethiopia. He also appeals to promote the effort at the upcoming EPHA Annual Conference.

Prof. Bahiru Zewdie reaffirmed on his part the readiness of the Academy to work with various Associations including EPHA in the promotion of scientific researches. The MoU, he noted, will help to work together aggressively and minimize duplication of efforts and assist the effective utilization of resources.

Dr. Hailegnaw Eshete, Executive Director of EPHA, stated at the signing ceremony that the government of Ethiopia has given due attention to the advancement of science and technology to improve the quality of life of its people. Therefore, he added, the two-sided effort will have its own contribution for the attainment of this goal.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is signed for five years.

EPHA Organizes Retreat in Hawassa

The Ethiopian Public Health Association (EPHA) organized and conducted a retreat program in the presence of Executive Board Members from August 28-31, 2014 at Haile Resort in Hawassa town.

Dr. Hailegnaw Eshete, Executive Director of EPHA, made a brief presentation on various activities of EPHA that were carried out from January- September 2014. Ato Mehari Getaneh , Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator, also made a presentation on the ongoing EPHA’s structural realignment process.

The presentations were followed by group discussions facilitated by the executive board members. The groups discussed at length and presented the strengths and limitations of the association.  The discussions and recommendations made by the groups have been summarized to be used as inputs for future actions and interventions.

In addition, the current outbreak of Ebola epidemic was one of the major concerns raised on the occasion.  Ato Alemayehu Bekele, Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Coordinator, briefed the history of the epidemic, mode of transmission, signs and symptoms, prevention and control measures and the role of EPHA in preventing and controlling the epidemic.

At the end of the eat program, EPHA awarded special prizes to three staff of the Association with outstanding performance. The awardees, transparently selected by EPHA’s staff members are: Ato Awol Mezegebe, Administration and Finance Director, W/ro. Abebech Abegaz, Office Assistant and Ato Ashenafi Dereje, Publication and Communication Coordinator.