At a glance
CDC established an office in Botswana in 1995. CDC Botswana works closely with the Botswana Ministry of Health (MOH) and Ministry of Local Government and Traditional Affairs (MLGTA) as well as partner organizations to build effective public health collaboration and partnerships to detect, prevent, and respond to global public health threats. CDC's work aims to protect the health of Americans and support public health around the world.
Key accomplishments
- Rolled out an electronic medical record system to over 500 sites which enabled HIV case-based surveillance for patients in public health facilities.
- Facilitated nine public health laboratories in achieving international standard accreditation (ISO:15189).
- Supported training for over 250 public health professionals through the Field Epidemiology Training Program and three senior MOH staff through the CDC Atlanta-based Public Health Emergency Management Fellowship program.
- Introduced and supported scale-up of long-acting injectable medication (cabotegravir) for prevention of HIV.
- Achieved and surpassed UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets four years before the target date, and attained gold tier status on the path to elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
- Supported risk communication as well as technology transfer and decentralization activities during malaria, COVID-19, and the global 2024 monkeypox outbreak responses.
Global health security
CDC's global health security work in Botswana focuses on strengthening the country's public health systems across the following core areas:
Surveillance systems
Botswana has made significant progress adopting the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response guidelines to facilitate surveillance and timely response to disease outbreaks.
Laboratory systems
CDC works with the MOH to build laboratory capacity to:
- Develop regulatory and governance documents for the laboratory sector
- Develop health care worker capacities and introduce new technologies
- Improve availability and access to laboratory services for advanced diseases and opportunistic infections diagnosis
- Implement international laboratory standards for laboratory testing quality management
- Improve and establish routine surveillance and response to public health emergencies
- Improve the availability, quality, and use of laboratory data for evidence-based planning and decision making
- Foster collaboration between human, animal, and environmental health laboratories for a One Health approach
- Produce external quality control material and structures for external quality control oversight
- Implement in-service training curricula and systems for continuous professional development for laboratory personnel
Public health institutes
CDC is working closely with the MOH and the International Association of Public Health Institutes to establish the Botswana Public Health Institute.
Workforce development
CDC supports training scientists through the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP). This program strengthens Botswana's workforce capacity to sustain and control the HIV epidemic and identify and stop outbreaks of other diseases before they spread. The FETP program in Botswana consists of the Frontline and Intermediate levels.
HIV and TB
As a key implementer of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), CDC plays an essential role in the fight against HIV and TB. With unmatched scientific and technical knowledge and long-standing relationships with ministries of health, CDC is uniquely positioned to advance HIV, TB, and other global health security activities that keep Americans safe at home and abroad.
Through PEPFAR, CDC provides critical support to Botswana's public health infrastructure, improving the country's ability to prevent, detect, and respond to HIV, TB, and other infectious diseases and minimizing their risk from entering the U.S.
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