By Francesca Romana Mollica
On July 20, 2022, the Minister of Public Health and the fight against AIDS visited the Public Health Emergency Operations Center (COUSP). The aim was to inquire about the state of the COVID-19 response and surveillance of other diseases.
It was April 20, 2021 when Minister Ndikumana, at its inauguration, had declared: It is a modern center equipped with state-of-the-art computers and electronic equipment.
Built by the WHO with the contribution of the European Union, the center is a reference point in responding to Burundi’s public health problems. Not just COVID-19: the medical centre aims to be, and to become, a hub for the health queries of the peoples of Burundi – many of which have experienced in their lives several epidemic and endemic illnesses.
Equipped with a modern user-friendly COUSP website (https://cousp-minisante.gov.bi) that is easy and quick to consult, it provides numerous and also practical information, not only related to COVID, but also to all those diseases with epidemic potential such as, by way of example: yellow fever, cholera, bacterial meningitis and malaria.
An online assistant provides a faster response to health questions asked by users. Through the website, users can book their COVID vaccine, as well as tests for travellers entering and leaving Burundi.
