AFENET Scientific Conference 2023

The African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) in collaboration with the Kenya Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program is organizing the 8th AFENET Scientific Conference to be held in Mombasa from 5-10 November 2023. This year’s conference is under the theme “Strengthening Public Health Systems in Africa Towards Enhanced Global Health Security: The Role of Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programs”.

The conference provides a platform for the Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program (FELTP) residents, graduates, the regional and global public health community as well as multi-lateral agencies to share experiences in field epidemiology and other facets of global health security.

Residents and graduates of FELTPs in Africa (Advanced, Intermediate, and Frontline) are invited to submit abstracts through their Program Directors/Resident Advisors. FELTP faculty members as well as other public health professionals with scientific work that is in line with the conference theme/sub-themes are also invited to submit abstracts.

Conference Themes and Subthemes

The theme for the 8^th AFENET Scientific Conference is “Strengthening Public Health Systems in Africa Towards Enhanced Global Health Security. The Role of Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programs.”    Subthemes are drawn from various topics that affect public health and health security as shown below.

1. Public Health Emergency Preparedness, Surveillance, Outbreak Investigations and Response.

• Emerging and re-emerging threats with pandemic potentialg., COVID 19, Ebola Virus Disease,
• Outbreak Preparedness, Investigation and Response
• Point of Entry Surveillance and Cross border collaborations
• Refugee and Internally Displaced Person’s health issues
• Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) strengthening, analysis and evaluation
• Other public health surveillance system assessments and evaluation

2. Vaccine Preventable Diseases

• Polio and Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) surveillance
• Measles and Rubella Surveillance
• Recently introduced vaccines in developing countries e.g., COVID 19, nOPV2, IPV, Ebola Virus, Hepatitis B, Rotavirus, Human Papilloma Virus, Yellow fever, Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines etc
• Surveillance and control of other Vaccine Preventable Diseases

3. HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Other Opportunistic Infections

• Healthcare delivery and prevention models for HIV/AIDS including Antiretroviral therapy, PMTCT /EMTCT, Key/Priority Populations
• Tuberculosis including drug resistant TB.
• Other opportunistic infections and malignancies

4. Vector-borne and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)

• Malaria
• Neglected Tropical Diseases
• Other Vector Borne Diseases

5. Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs), Injuries & Mental Health

• Cardiovascular Health (Hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases)
• Cancers
• Diabetes Mellitus
• Road traffic injuries and occupational health/hazards
• Substance abuse and mental health
• Chronic rrespiratory illness

6. Maternal, Reproductive and Child Health

• Sexual and Reproductive health including maternal and obstetric health, family planning, antenatal and postnatal care
• Adolescent health
• Sexually transmitted infections

7. Public Health Laboratory Systems and Infection Prevention Control

• Antimicrobial Resistance
• Biosafety and Biosecurity issues
• Other laboratory system strengthening initiatives.

8. One Health & Climate Change

• Avian influenza, Zika, Rift Valley Feverand other Zoonotic disease surveillance and response
• Innovations for one health approach in surveillance and outbreak response
• Pollution and environmental impact on public health
• Climate action, Global warming
• Ecosystem protection and rewilding
• Climate adaptation and mitigation

9. Public Health Systems Strengthening Initiatives

• Public Health Quality Improvement and Quality Assurance
• Health Policy and Leadership
• Human Resources for Health including Workforce capacity building and
• Health Financing
• National Institutes of Public Health Initiatives
• Innovations in monitoring & evaluation, knowledge management, data use, and reporting
• Medical Products and Technology

10. Communication & Technological Innovations for Public Health

• e-Surveillance and e-Health
• Public Health Informatics
• Digital Health/Telehealth

Kenya hosts the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) and the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organisation (LVFO), both institutions of the EAC mandated with coordinating sustainable development in the Lake Victoria Basin and its environs.

Kenya lies astride the equator, extending from the Indian Ocean in the east to Uganda in the west and from the United Republic of Tanzania in the south to Ethiopia and Sudan in the north. On the east and north-east, it borders Somalia.

Languages

Kiswahili and English are official languages. Each of the ethnic groups has its own language.

Communications

Country code 254 (no area codes); internet domain ‘.ke’. 

Public Holidays

New Year’s Day, Labour Day (1 May), Madaraka Day (1 June), Mashujaa Day (20 October), Jamhuri Day (Independence Day, 12 December), Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Religious and other festivals whose dates vary from year to year include Good Friday, Easter Monday and Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan, three days).

Transport

61,950 km of roads, 14% paved, and around 1,920 km of railway. The main railway line runs between Mombasa and Nairobi, and branch lines connect with Taveta on the Tanzanian border in the south and Kisumu on Lake Victoria in the west.

Mombasa is the chief port for Kenya and an important regional port, handling freight for and from Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, including a substantial volume of food aid. Ferries ply the coast between Mombasa, Malindi and Lamu.

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is 13 km south-east of Nairobi. Moi International is 13 km west of Mombasa.

International relations

Kenya is a member of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, African Union, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, The Commonwealth, Indian Ocean Rim Association, Non-Aligned Movement, United Nations and World Trade Organization. Kenya is also a member of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, which was established in 1986 by the 6 countries in the Horn of Africa to combat drought and desertification and promote food security in the region.

Topography

There are 4 main regions. The north-east plain is arid. The south-east region is fertile along the Tana river, in the coastal strip and in the Taita Hills, which rise to 2,100 metres. The north-west is generally low-lying and arid but includes Lake Turkana, 260 km long, and many mountains, including Nyiru (2,800 metres). The south-west quarter, a plateau rising to 3,000 metres, includes some of Africa’s highest mountains: Mount Kenya (5,200 metres), Mount Elgon (4,320 metres) and the Aberdare Range (4,000 metres). The Great Rift Valley runs across the plateau from north to south, 50-65 km wide and 600-1,000 metres deep. West of the Rift the plateau falls to Lake Victoria and eastward the rivers Tana and Athi (or Galana downstream) flow into the Indian Ocean.

Climate

The coastal areas are tropical, with monsoon winds. The lowlands are hot and mainly dry. The highlands are much cooler and have 4 seasons.

Environment

The most significant issues are water pollution from urban and industrial wastes; degradation of water quality from increased use of pesticides and fertilisers; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; and poaching.

Vegetation

Thornbush and grassland are characteristic of much of the country. Varied forest covers about 13,000 sq km of the south-west quarter, at 2-3,500 metres above sea level. Forest covers 6% of the land area, having declined at 0.3% p.a. 1990-2010. Arable land comprises ten per cent and permanent cropland one per cent of the total land area.

Wildlife

Kenya’s wildlife is probably the most famous in the world. Wild mammals include lions, leopards, cheetahs, zebras, antelopes, gazelles, elephants, rhinoceroses, hippopotami, baboons and many kinds of monkeys. There is a rich variety of native birdlife and migrant birds visit the country, which breed in Europe. Wildlife is protected in reserves extending to 45,500 sq. km, or some 8% of the total land area.

Points to note

• Visa processing fee is non
  refundable.
• Incomplete applications
  will be rejected.
• The possession of an eVisa
  is not the final Authority to enter The Republic of Kenya.
• Engaging in any form of
  business or employment without a requisite permit or pass is an offence.
• A visa is required prior
  to entry into The Republic of Kenya.
• The e-Visa printout must
  be presented at the port of entry.
• It should take at least 2
  working days to get your eVisa.
• Each adult visitor to the
  Republic of Kenya is required to submit eVisa applications in their
  personal eVisa account. Parents can apply for their children in the
  parents account.

Requirements for Entry

• Passport
• Visa
• World Health Organization
  (WHO) card with yellow fever vaccination.

Visas

Obtain your visa before traveling. Visit the Embassy of the Republic of the Kenya website for the most current visa information. Overseas inquiries should be made at the nearest Kenya Embassy or Consulate.

Visa applicants must provide an invitation letter. Allow at least two to three weeks for visa processing.

Countries That Don’t Need Visa To Visit Kenya

If you’re a passport holder or national of the countries in the list below, you don’t need to apply for visa before you can enter Kenya.
This means you can stay in Kenya for a period of 3 months (unless stated otherwise on the list); your passport will be stamped at the point of entry, as
long as the purpose of your visit meets the immigration rules.

• Botswana
• Burundi
• Ghana
• Lesotho
• Malawi
• Mauritius
• Namibia
• Rwanda
• Seychelles
• Sierra Leone
• South Africa*
• Swaziland
• Tanzania
• The Gambia
• Uganda
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

• Fiji Island
• Kiribati
• Nauru
• Papua New Guinea
• Samoa
• Solomon Islands
• Tonga
• Tuvalu
• Vanuatu

• Barbados
• Belize
• Brunei Darussalam
• Dominica
• Grenada
• Jamaica
• St. Kitts and Nevis
• St. Lucia
• St. Vincent and The Grenadines
• The Bahamas
• Trinidad and Tobago

• Cyprus
• Maldives
• Singapore
• Malaysia

If you’re a passport holder or national of the countries on the list below, you can apply for e-Visa online. You can apply and make payment online, then print your eVisa to show the immigration officer at the point of entry. You can also obtain visa-on-arrival at the point of entry.

• Algeria
• Angola
• Benin
• Cape Verde
• Central African Rep
• Chad
• Comoros
• Congo
• Czech Republic
• Djibouti
• Egypt
• Equatorial Guinea
• Gabon
• Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Ivory Coast
• Liberia
• Madagascar
• Mauritania
• Morocco
• Mozambique
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Reunion
• Sao Tome and Principe
• South Sudan
• Sudan
• Togo
• Tunisia

• Bahrain
• Bangladesh
• Bhutan
• Cambodia
• China
• East Timor
• Hong Kong
• India
• Indonesia
• Iran
• Israel
• Japan
• Jordan
• Kampuchea
• Kazakhstan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Korea South
• Kuwait
• Laos
• Macau
• Mongolia
• Malaysia*
• Myanmar
• Nepal
• Oman
• Pakistan
• Philippines
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• Sri Lanka
• Taiwan
• Thailand
• Turkmenistan
• United Arab Emirates
• Uzbekistan
• Vietnam

• Australia
• Marshall Islands
• Micronesia
• New Zealand
• Pacific Isles
• Palau

• Antigua and Bermuda
• Canada
• Costa Rica
• Cuba
• Dominican Republic
• El Salvador
• Greenland

• Argentina
• Bolivia
• Brazil
• Chile
• Colombia
• Ecuador
• Guatemala
• Guyana
• Haiti
• Honduras
• Mexico
• Nicaragua
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Suriname
• United states
• Uruguay
• Venezuela

• Albania
• Andorra
• Austria
• Belarus
• Belgium
• Bosnia Herzegovina
• Croatia
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Georgia
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Macedonia
• Malta
• Moldova
• Monaco
• Montenegro
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Russian Federation
• Serbia
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Turkey
• Ukraine
• United Kingdom
• Vatican City

Nationals of countries that are not listed above can apply for visa via the Kenyan High Commission or Embassy in your country. If you plan to settle down in Kenya for marital reasons, to study or work, there are many different visas that you can apply for. You will also need to apply directly to the Kenyan High Commission or Embassy in your country. If you’re not sure whether you need a visa, you should visit the Kenyan High Commission office or Embassy in your country. If it does turn out that you don’t need a visa to visit Kenya, all you need to do is to purchase your ticket and start planning your holiday. However, if it turns out that you need an e-Visa; you can go online and apply for it. The online visa application is easy and straightforward. Alternatively, you can obtain your visa on arrival at the point of entry in the country.

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