GP Uganda Supports One Health Surveillance Work in the Middle East and North Africa

Software Developer Ahmed Abouzaid (left) and Technical Deputy Director for Global Informatics David Mugume (right), presenting the plan for rebuilding the EBS system and capacity building at a workshop in Cairo.

Since September 2025, Global Programs Uganda's One Health work in the Middle East and North Africa has continued to evolve, with the team contributing health informatics expertise to digital disease surveillance efforts in Egypt and the broader region.

In Egypt, the team is supporting the pilot of a DHIS2-based vector-borne disease surveillance system with the Ministry of Health and Population. The project represents a meaningful step in the Ministry’s broader effort to digitalize One Health processes and strengthen systems that support disease detection, monitoring, and response.

Building on that momentum, and following the team’s earlier work rebuilding EgyptEBS, Egypt’s event-based surveillance system, UCSF was invited to support the operationalization of Egypt’s new National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NEDSS). Global Programs Uganda is contributing health informatics expertise to this effort, with team lead David Mugume supporting two software engineers based in Jordan and Egypt to help ensure the systems are built, piloted, and delivered on time.

The work has continued during a challenging funding environment for public health programs. Despite uncertainty, progress has been sustained through strong relationships with the Ministry of Health and Population and CDC MENA, as well as the commitment of colleagues working across Cairo, Amman, and Kampala.

The effort reflects the value of long-term partnerships and regional collaboration in advancing One Health priorities. Even as conditions shift, the work continues to support countries that are strengthening surveillance systems and building more integrated approaches to public health. The team's contributions extend UCSF's One Health approach to pandemic preparedness across MENA and East Africa.