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In the last fifteen years, two major milestones, at both global and regional levels, have demonstrated the essential role of disease surveillance in Africa, through integrated disease surveillance and response (IDSR) and the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005.

Both major actions were intended to strengthen the capacities of Member States to develop functional capabilities for early detection and response to priority diseases, conditions and events that affect their populations.

The successful implementation of IDSR and IHR require a trained and competent workforce. The main strategy has been in-service training which has been hampered by insufficient numbers and high turnover of staff. One of the efficient and effective ways of increasing availability of trained human resources for IDSR is to incorporate IDSR into the curricula of institutions responsible for the training of pre-service health personnel. This includes public health schools, medical schools, schools of nursing, health training schools, veterinary schools, mid-level training colleges, field epidemiology training programmes among others.

Inclusion of the IDSR modules in the pre-service curriculum will ensure that training will be tailored to job requirements and raise the reputation of the training. Most importantly, it will provide a reliable and continuous supply of a well trained workforce ready to be utilized for IDSR in the current challenge of raised public health events in the Region.

The overall objective of this guide is presented and highlights how to promote the incorporation of IDSR knowledge and skills into pre–service health training institutions and contribute to sustainability of national surveillance and response capacities within the African Region. The target group for this guide is discussed. A definition of the concepts of IDSR, the levels of health system expected to play a specific role in IDSR implementation are also defined. This is followed by a description of the training approaches.

The main steps for introducing IDSR into the curricula of health training institutions are also described. Other highlights include adaptation and validation of the Guide, training strategy and preparation of the implementation plans. The implementation of the plan as well as documentation of lessons learnt is also described. Monitoring and evaluation as well as sustainability are also discussed.