The World Health Organization (WHO) implements a robust approach to public health intelligence (PHI) for the global detection, verification and risk assessment of acute public health threats. WHO’s PHI operations are underpinned by the International Health Regulations (2005), which require that countries strengthen surveillance efforts, and assess, notify and verify events that may constitute a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). PHI activities at WHO are conducted systematically at WHO’s headquarters and all six regional offices continuously, throughout every day of the year. This webinar describes WHO’s approach for acute public health threats through four interlinked steps; detection, verification, risk assessment, and reporting and dissemination.
Objectives of the webinar
- To describe why WHO undertakes public health intelligence activities
- To explain how WHO detects signals of potential public health events of international importance
- To explain how WHO alerts others to these public health events
- To describe how WHO collaborates with Member States on determining the relevance of signals of public health events
- To describe how WHO works with partners to detect signals of public health events in support of countries in response to outbreaks
Speakers
Welcome remarks: Dr Abdi Mahamud, Director, Alert & Response Coordination Department, WHO
WHO’s Operational Public Health Intelligence Processes: Dr Esther Hamblion, Unit Head, Public Health Intelligence, WHO and Blanche Greene-Cramer, Team Lead a.i., Alert & Verification WHO
Working with countries. How WHO EMRO collaborates with Member States IHR NFPs on PHI signals: Dr Aura Corpuz, Team Lead, Public Health Intelligence, WHO Eastern Mediterranean region
UNICEF-WHO, collaborating in signal detection to support countries in response to outbreaks: Tondri Noe Guinko, Public Health Emergencies, UNICEF