In early 2014, Sierra Leone experienced its worst outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) that killed 3,589 people. In the wake of this health emergency, the West African nation conducted its first Joint External Evaluation (JEE) to assess the country’s healthcare system and capacities for health security. The JEE’s results were then vital in shaping the National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) for 2018-2022.
Several disease outbreaks and health emergencies in Africa and their risk factors could be prevented or mitigated, but the health systems in many countries in the WHO African Region are still weak. The International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) urge States Parties to develop capacities for prevention, early detection and timely response to public health threats; however, many countries in the African Region have not achieved sustainable IHR capacity or a resilient health system.
On 1 August 2018, the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) declared an outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in North Kivu and Ituri provinces. On 28 September 2018, WHO determined that the risk for spread of Ebola virus beyond the borders
of the DRC was very high.The high risk was attributed primarily to evolution of the outbreak in the 2 provinces, heavy cross-border flow of people, goods and services and the prolonged humanitarian crises and insecurity in the area.
Influenza pandemics are unpredictable but recurring events that can have serious consequences for human health and socioeconomic well-being worldwide. Advanced planning and preparedness are essential to mitigate the risk and impact of such pandemics. The most recent influenza pandemic occurred in 2009. Many lessons were learnt, and good practices in pandemic
The monitoring and evaluation framework of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR-MEF) is made up of 4 instruments: mandatory States Parties Annual Reporting (SPAR) and 3 voluntary instruments, voluntary external evaluation, after-action review (AAR) and simulation exercises (SimEx).
The pandemic influenza preparedness (PIP) framework is a unique system for access and benefit-sharing adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2011 to strengthen global preparedness for the next influenza pandemic. The PIP partnership contribution (PC) is 1 of 2 benefit-sharing mechanisms established by WHO Member States to address these objectives. The PC is
The International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) are an instrument of international law that is legally binding on 196 countries, including all WHO Member States. National legislation is inherently cross-cutting and involves all sectors of government. Legislation is important for IHR implementation because the scope of the Regulations is purposely broad, and the IHR have been
The International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI)1 links and strengthens national public health agencies by leveraging the experience and expertise of its member institutes to build robust public health systems. It is a vehicle for improving global health security (GHS) through partnership and peer-to-peer support in its network of 109 members.
Climate change is one of the greatest global health threats of the 21st century.
Laboratories are a fundamental part of health systems, essential for the detection, diagnosis, treatment and control of diseases. A national laboratory system is one of the technical areas that should be assessed and strengthened for implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005). Reliable laboratory services continue, however, to be rare in many low- and middle-income countries.