Community Based Surveillance (CBS) Assistant - Consultant -Ebola Response

Organizational Context

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), founded in 1951, is a leading intergovernmental organization dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, IOM supports the Ministry of Public Health in strengthening health services at border points and displaced persons' sites to prevent, detect, and respond to public health threats. The organization actively supports the national response to the 17th Ebola virus disease epidemic, focusing on entry/exit points and displaced persons' sites.

Job Purpose

This role serves as a Community Based Surveillance (CBS) Assistant within the IOM's Migration Health Department in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The primary purpose is to support the national response to the 17th Ebola virus disease epidemic, specifically by managing daily activities related to community-based surveillance in internally displaced persons' (IDP) sites and surrounding communities. The assistant will work closely with government partners and local health authorities to ensure timely detection, reporting, and initial response to suspected cases. This position is crucial for strengthening the surveillance pillar of the epidemic response, particularly in high-risk areas and along mobility corridors, contributing to the overall effort to control and contain the outbreak.

Responsibilities

The CBS Assistant will be responsible for identifying potential priority disease symptoms, with a focus on Ebola virus disease, using simplified case definitions. This includes recognizing unusual or suspect events like unexplained animal or human mortality and reporting them to the surveillance team. The role involves verifying alerts against case definitions before transmission and supervising community relays in active case finding. The assistant will participate in preliminary field investigations and reporting on suspect cases, and in real-time reporting of suspect cases to local health authorities, often using mobile data collection tools. Data transmission related to case clusters or suspect deaths within the community is also a key duty. Furthermore, the position requires raising community awareness on hygiene practices and containment measures, centralizing collected data, and ensuring timely transmission. Completing registers and periodic reports, often on platforms like DHIS2, is also expected.

Work Experience

A minimum of two years of experience in a similar role, such as a field assistant or logistician, is required. Prior experience in health emergencies is considered an asset. The role involves travel to entry/exit points and IDP sites within the assigned health zone(s).

Skills

Case identification, symptom recognition, alert verification, community supervision, field investigation, real-time reporting, data collection, data transmission, community sensitization, hygiene promotion, report writing, use of mobile data collection tools.

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