Global Heath

Anecca Services & Success Stories

Global Health Security

At Anecca, we understand that global health security is vital to safeguarding communities from emerging infectious diseases, pandemics, and other public health emergencies. Our commitment lies in strengthening health systems, enhancing disease surveillance, and building rapid response capabilities, ensuring that vulnerable populations are protected from the evolving landscape of health threats.
Anecca has made significant contributions to enhancing public health security in the Karamoja region. Working in close partnership with the Ministry of Health (MOH), Moroto Regional Referral Hospital, and district health offices, Anecca has played an instrumental role in the management of key health threats such as COVID-19, MPOX, measles, and anthrax. Our collaborative efforts have been essential in establishing and supporting critical health infrastructure, such as the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) at Moroto Regional Referral Hospital, which has been pivotal in improving the region’s ability to respond to health crises.

MNCAH Services

Key Areas of Focus:

1. Strengthening Health Systems: Anecca works to build resilient healthcare infrastructure that can withstand public health emergencies. The collaborative establishment of the EOC at Moroto Regional Referral Hospital enabled a centralized, coordinated response to health crises. Additionally, regular surveillance of diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis (TB) has been key to detecting trends and enabling prompt responses.
2. Emergency Response and Outbreak Management: Anecca has been actively involved in managing health emergencies, including the measles outbreaks in Nabilatuk, Amudat, and Napak districts, and the response to TB/HIV-related deaths.
3. Disease Surveillance and Early Detection: Effective disease surveillance is essential for early detection and timely intervention. Anecca has been pivotal in supporting surveillance activities, with recent reports indicating a 48% malaria positivity rate in Karamoja, down from earlier peaks. This surveillance network enables real-time reporting of diseases like malaria, measles, and TB.
4. Workforce Development and Capacity Building: Anecca continues to empower local healthcare workers through extensive training programs. In addition to conducting regular workshops on managing infectious diseases such as HIV and TB, Anecca trained over 500 health workers across nine districts in 2023. These training sessions focused on improving diagnostic skills, treatment protocols, and leadership during health emergencies.
5. Policy Advocacy and Research: Anecca advocates for health policy reforms that strengthen health system resilience. This includes the incorporation of infectious disease preparedness into Uganda’s National Health Security Strategy.
Through these integrated efforts, Anecca continues to enhance global health security by fostering stronger health systems, improving surveillance mechanisms, and ensuring rapid, coordinated responses to public health emergencies. Our work in the Karamoja region and beyond provides valuable lessons for building sustainable health systems capable of responding to current and future health threats.

HIV/TB Services

Success Stories, News & Events

The Impact of Viral Load Point-of-Care Testing for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women, Children and Adolescents in Karamoja.

Introduction:
In resource limited settings like Karamoja region, ensuring timely access to viral load (VL) testing for pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBFW) and Children and Adolescents Living with HIV (CALHIV) is crucial for effective HIV care and prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT). Historically, long turnaround times with conventional VL monitoring platforms often exceeding 20 days for the region, thus posing a significant barrier to prompt clinical decision-making.
To address this gap, a targeted regional quality improvement collaborative was implemented that leveraged the decentralization of VL monitoring using the Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) technology distributed across 11health facilities in the nine districts of Karamoja.
Impact of POCT on Turnaround Time:
The introduction of VL POCT significantly reduced turnaround times. At 11 parent POC sites, results were delivered on the same day. Peripheral or non-POC sites also experienced substantial improvements, with results made available within 72 hours. This improvements in results delivery empowered health workers to make timely clinical decisions, enhance treatment adherence support, and ensure prompt identification and management of virological failure.

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Lessons Learned:
The QI collaborative highlighted the transformative potential of POCT in fragile and under-resourced health systems. Key lessons included the importance of a well-coordinated hub network for sample and results transport, the need for sustained supply chain support (e.g., cartridges, toner, and paper), and the role of frontline health workers in bridging operational gaps.
Conclusion:
Integrating POC VL testing into routine HIV care not only improves health outcomes for PBFW and CALHIV but also strengthens the broader health system. Continued investment and scale-up of POCT, coupled with a robust hub transport infrastructure, will be vital in sustaining these gains and achieving long-term epidemic control in the region and beyond.

Events: Anecca Strategic Plan Launch

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Events: Anecca

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