The 10^th Pacific Mini Games was held in Vanuatu from 4-15 December, bringing together thousands of athletes and visitors from across the region. While the public focus was on the incredible performances on the field, behind the scenes a team of trained public health surveillance officers from Vanuatu Ministry of Health, with support from the Pacific Community (SPC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), were monitoring the health of athletes and audiences.

Twenty two Ni-Vanuatu health workers are undertaking another week-long training module on epidemiology in Port-Vila this week (19-24 June).

This is the third of five training modules of the Postgraduate Certificate in Field Epidemiology (PGCFE) programme implemented in Vanuatu by the Pacific Community (SPC).

Epidemiology is a fundamental science of public health that studies the patterns, causes and effects of health conditions in populations.