SAFETP NEWS ARCHIVE
SAFETP residents and staff members attended Public Health Association of South Africa (PHASA 2025) held in the Western Cape from 6-9 April 2025. Some of the projects presented include Cancer Incidence Trends, suspected food poisoning outbreak investigation, performance of the vaginal discharge algorithm in identifying vaginal candidiasis among women presenting with vaginal discharge syndrome etc.
From 10–14 February 2025, SAFETP conducted the final workshop and completion ceremony for the Limpopo FETP-Frontline cohort at the training centre in Polokwane. A total of 18 healthcare professionals—including Public Health Registrars, unit Coordinators, Environmental Health Practitioners, and Infection Prevention and Control personnel—successfully completed the training. Ready to tackle disease surveillance and data management issues, and respond to public health threats in the provinces!
From 3 March to 23 May, the SAFETP collaborated with the North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to enrol FETP-Frontline of animal health professionals. This training aimed to address gaps in surveillance data practices, and to strengthen outbreak investigation and response capabilities. A total of 13 participants has undergone intensive training to strengthen their skills in disease surveillance, outbreak investigation and data management. Participants showcased their acquired skills through presentations of surveillance data analyses and outbreak investigations during the final workshop of the training. Interesting investigations such as african horse sickness, african swine fever, bovine brucellosis, etc. were presented.
From 13–17 January 2025, SAFETP team welcomed cohort XIX (2025 cohort) of its two-year Advanced Training Programme. A total of nine residents—comprising medical scientist, medical technologists, professional nurse, clinical associates, pharmacist, environmental health practitioner and public health researcher were accepted into the programme. During the week, the team provided the new cohort with detailed information about SAFETP, i.e. programme administration, structure, scientific communication activities, and residents’ role and responsibilities. During this week, the SAFETP hosted the first scientific seminar for the year 2025. The scientific seminar platform helps residents develop oral scientific communication skills. During this session, nine second-year residents shared findings from projects conducted during their field placements.
We are excited to announce the enrolment of the first-ever South Africa FETP Frontline Cohort for Port of Entry officials!
The first workshop, held from 3–7 November 2025, brought together Environmental Health Practitioners and Veterinarians from various ports of entry across the country.
This training, conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization (South Africa), South African National Department of Health, and the Border Management Authority (BMA), takes an integrated One Health approach; strengthening surveillance, cross-border coordination, and public health response capacities at points of entry.
A truly engaging and historic start for SAFETP and South Africa’s public health system!
The South Africa FETP, together with the Eastern Cape Department of Health, held the Eastern Cape Intermediate FETP Cohort Completion Ceremony on 4–5 December 2025, under the theme “From Field Data to Public Health Action: Evidence from Intermediate FETP Trainees.”
The event was attended by leadership from the Eastern Cape Department of Health, including the Head of Department, alongside partners from the NICD and academic institutions across the province.
Twelve trainees successfully completed the programme and presented their work on surveillance system data analysis and evaluation, as well as outbreak investigations. The programme also featured a roundtable discussion on translating data into evidence for planning and decision-making.
The ceremony marked an important step in strengthening epidemiological capacity and evidence-informed public health practice in the Eastern Cape.
To support the second-year residents, the SAFETP held a virtual scientific writing workshop from 22–23 June, and 10–13 August 2021. The workshop offers a committed structured writing time to maximize focus and reduce distractions so residents can complete their requirements for the UP/Wits Master of Public Health (MPH)/Master of Science (MSc) degree. This workshop allows the residents to have focused time to complete their university dissertation on time.
TEPHINET and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) co-organized the 2021 FETP International Nights, an event normally held during the annual Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Conference in Atlanta. This annual event is a forum for the global Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) community and it provides an opportunity for FETP trainees and graduates to share their work with the scientific community. Two abstracts from the SAFETP graduates were accepted for oral poster presentations. The conference was held virtually on July 14-15, 2021.
From 25–27 May, the SAFETP team facilitated a virtual “Introduction to Epidemiology” training for Gauteng Research and Evaluations Training Programme participants. Thirty health officials were in attendance. The curriculum included the introduction to epidemiology, study designs, sampling strategies, measures of public health effect and measures of impact.
From 3–5 August, the SAFETP team facilitated a virtual “Basic Epidemiology” training for Gauteng Environmental Health Practitioners. The curriculum included an introduction to epidemiology and public health surveillance, principles of outbreak management, data management and report writing.
TEPHINET and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) co-organized the 2021 FETP International Nights, an event normally held during the annual Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Conference in Atlanta. This annual event is a forum for the global Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) community and it provides an opportunity for FETP trainees and graduates to share their work with the scientific community. Two abstracts from the SAFETP graduates were accepted for oral poster presentations. The conference was held virtually on July 14-15, 2021.
6 July
The South African Field Epidemiology Training Programme (SAFETP) held its second scientific seminar for the year on the 6 July 2020, using a virtual platform. Seven (7) second-year residents presented their projects conducted during their field placement, and first-year residents presented brief overview of their field placement sites.
17 January
The South African Field Epidemiology Training Programme (SAFETP) held its final scientific seminar for the year on the 17 January 2020. The scientific seminars aim at improving scientific communication skills for residents. Seven (7) second-year residents presented their projects conducted during their field placement.
The SAFETP) staff, alumni and residents are working closely with the Emergency Operating Centre (EOC) of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), National and provincial departments of health to intensify the surveillance, preparedness and response activities for COVID-19.Two of the trainees are also involved in surveillance activities at their own placement sites at the provincial level. Over the past few years the program has done a lot of work in building field epidemiology capacity in neighboring countries that do not have their own FETPs. The residents/graduates from Lesotho and Malawi are doing good work in supporting their Ministries of Health to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The graduates of the frontline (basic) epidemiology courses are participating in surveillance and contact tracing in their respective provinces and districts.
August 2020
Contact tracing and screening of those at high risk of infection are crucial in the management of COVID-19 epidemic. From 11 – 21 August 2020, two SAFETP first-year residents were deployed to Waterberg District, Limpopo Province to support contact tracing activities. The activities during deployment included data management, review of contact tracing processes, home visits to verify contacts of the confirmed cases and COVID-19 data flow with mining facilities.
Part of the field epidemiology training focuses on investigations of public health outbreaks. The SAFETP residents have recently been involved in several outbreak investigations including COVID-19 cluster outbreaks in healthcare facilities.
From February to June, SAFETP conducted virtual FETP-Frontline training for healthcare professionals in Eastern Cape and Limpopo provinces. In July, the team collaborated with colleagues in Lesotho to conduct a hybrid Frontline Training for Lesotho healthcare professionals. The training aimed to address surveillance data practice gaps among local public health workers. Participants were equipped with skills to collect, analyse, interpret and report public health surveillance data as demonstrated through their presentations during the final week. Participants were also introduced to outbreak investigation and response processes and will now be able to conduct and report on the descriptive phases of any disease outbreak and describe the time, place and person characteristics.
Between July and November 2019, SAFETP trained four cohorts in frontline epidemiology course across the country to address surveillance data practice gaps among local public health workers. Participants were equipped with skills to collect, analyze, interpret and report public health surveillance data as demonstrated through their presentations during the final week. Participants were also introduced to outbreak investigation and response processes and will now be able to conduct and report on the descriptive phases of any disease outbreak and describe the time, place and person characteristics. At the end of the training, SAFETP awarded completion certificates to 71 local public health professionals.
SAFETP staff attended the Africa CDC meeting at NICD., where approximately 25 representatives from 7 southern African countries (Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe), The Southern Africa Regional Collaborating Centre, and Africa CDC were in attendance. The overall meeting objective was to develop an action plan to outline the next steps in achieving the goal of training 200 epidemiologists in southern Africa.
