Consultoría para la Implementación y Fortalecimiento de la Vigilancia Epidemiológica de las Enfermedades Transmitidas por los Alimentos (ETA), 8 meses, UNICEF Tegucigalpa, Honduras (Solo para Nationales)

Organizational Context

UNICEF operates in over 190 countries and territories, dedicated to saving children's lives, defending their rights, and helping them reach their full potential. We are committed, passionate, and proud of our work, driven by the belief that promoting every child's rights is a vocation.

Job Purpose

The purpose of this consultancy is to provide technical epidemiological assistance for the implementation and strengthening of surveillance for Foodborne Diseases (FBD) within the Health Surveillance Unit (HSU) of the Ministry of Health (SESAL). This involves designing technical-normative guidelines, an epidemiological form, data analysis processes, and an intersectoral work plan with the Sanitary Regulation Agency (ARSA) and the National Agrifood Health Service (SENASA) under the "One Health" approach. The goal is to improve the detection, characterization, and response to FBD and their connection to food safety, ultimately enhancing public health outcomes in Honduras.

Responsibilities

The consultant will be responsible for analyzing, designing, and reviewing normative frameworks related to FBD surveillance. This includes conducting a situational diagnosis of current FBD and AMR surveillance, existing regulations, data sources, and installed capacities, as well as mapping key stakeholders. The consultant will design the core document for FBD surveillance, including case definitions, surveillance modalities, and response levels, in coordination with the Directorate General of Standardization. They will also develop the FBD epidemiological form with variable definitions and an electronic format, and map information flows (physical and electronic) and data analysis processes, including basic dashboards and national laboratory involvement. A key responsibility is defining common points, minimum data sets, and institutional responsibilities with ARSA and SENASA for integrated surveillance of FBD, food safety, and AMR under the "One Health" approach. Furthermore, the consultant will strengthen capacities by training HSU staff on FBD and AMR surveillance, epidemiological form usage, and data quality. They will also support outbreak investigations and the generation of scientific evidence based on surveillance results. Finally, the consultant will consolidate all products, progress reports, and a final report with recommendations for sustainability and institutionalization.

Work Experience

Minimum of 8 years of verifiable experience in epidemiology and public health interventions, including epidemiological surveillance. 2-5 years of experience in implementing surveillance interventions within an international organization or externally funded projects, with a focus on FBD, food safety, and AMR, is valued. Knowledge of the Honduran health system and its epidemiological data collection methods is required.

Skills

Epidemiology of FBD and AMR, Food safety risk factors, Epidemiological surveillance design and management, Passive, active, and sentinel surveillance, Outbreak investigation, International Health Regulations (IHR 2005), ICD-10, WHO/PAHO and Codex Alimentarius standards, One Health approach, Inter-institutional technical coordination, Normative document development, Data analysis and interpretation

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