The Minister of health yesterday informed cabinet that the country will host the Africa Network for Influenza Surveillance and Epidemiology (ANISE) meeting next month in Kigali. The extraordinary Cabinet Meeting was chaired by President Paul Kagame.

ANISE was founded in 2009 to help scientists share and standardize influenza surveillance methods in Africa. It encourages African countries to generate and disseminate data on the burden and epidemiology of influenza.

Members can use the Network to coordinate with one another and provide laboratory and epidemiologic support to other members.

The first ANISE Meeting took place in South Africa in December 2009. It was co-hosted by the center for disease control and prevention (CDC) and South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Disease. It was originally scheduled for May 2009, but postponed due to the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) pandemic. The meeting showcased efforts to start and/or improve influenza surveillance in Africa. The first ANISE meeting brought together approximately 110 attendees from 20 countries.

In January 2011, ANISE had its second meeting in Ghana. The meeting was co-hosted by CDC, the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, and Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3. It brought together approximately 100 members from 23 African countries, along with representatives from Ghana Health Services, World Health Organization (WHO), Agence de Médecine Préventive, and Institute Pasteur. Attendees discussed influenza surveillance and research projects conducted over the past two years. Highlights of the meeting included brief presentations given by each country showcasing their surveillance achievements and epidemiologic and laboratory data. In February 2012, CDC’s Influenza Division and the Kenya Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation hosted the 3rd ANISE meeting in Kenya. The meeting brought together 170 participants representing 30 countries, including 24 African countries. Additionally, members from organizations such as the WHO, Institut Pasteur, and the U.S. Army Medical Research Unit in Kenya attended and provided updates.