From Zimbabwe at IZSAM for a training course financed by IAEA

Doctor Vhoko, from the Zimbabwean Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL), attended the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G. Caporale” (IZSAM) from the 15^th to the 26^th of September 2014 for a period of training on the computer system for the management of laboratory activities(SILAB), financed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

In particular SILAB for Africa (SILABFA) consists of a web application used as a computer system to support laboratories in diagnostic activities. The application was implemented by IZSAM’ staff for the veterinary laboratories of African countries and is currently installed and regularly used in Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Tanzania. This tool led to a considerable improvement of quality and efficiency in technical and scientific services of the countries, which adopted the system. FAO supported the installation of SILABFA in Botswana and Tanzania.

The objective of the lectures attended by Doctor Vhoko Kudzaishe was to provide the necessary knowledge to administrate SILABFA autonomously. In effect, at the CVL of Harare the local management identified Doctor Vhoko as the right person to cover the role of Administrator of the system. The training activity was carried out by the Data Centre- Development’ staff by using the platform installed on the servers supplied by IZSAM, where there is a copy of a DEMO of each application installed in Africa. Moreover, real time changes were made on the database of the application implemented in Zimbabwe through the remote connection used every day by IZSAM’ staff for the Helpdesk activities.

During the period of stay at IZSAM, Doctor Vhoko had the possibility to see all the peripheral applications of SILAB used at the IZSAM Headquarters. Also, she visited all the Institutes laboratories and had the possibility to share information and knowledge with the qualified staff of the Acceptance and Epidemiology Departments, acquiring the first basic information on the GIS activities.