In October 2024, WHO and partners launched the first-ever Global Health Emergency Corps (GHEC) to work with Member States to provide support to countries facing mpox outbreaks.
GHEC is a group of experts and a collaborative platform for countries and health emergencies networks aimed at strengthening responses to health emergencies. We help countries dispatch health and medical emergency personnel, rapidly increase the number of experts, and create networks of technical leaders. GHEC says the response to the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the need to streamline existing network efforts to ensure better coordinated support to countries. It was later established by WHO in 2023.
“WHO and partners are committed to supporting governments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other countries in case detection, contact tracing, targeted vaccination, clinical and home care, infection prevention and control, community engagement and mobilization, and specialized “We are supporting the implementation of an integrated approach to health care and providing logistical support,” said Dr. Mike Ryan, Director-General of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme. “GHEC will strengthen the capacity of many effective responders at the national and regional levels to work together and ensure success on the ground in interrupting transmission and reducing suffering.”
The first activation of this new support mechanism follows WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’ declaration of mpox as a public health emergency of international concern on 14 August 2024. . Clade 1b mpox has infected at least two other regions, raising concerns about further spread.
In collaboration with the International Association of National Public Health Laboratories, GHEC assessed the capacity of emergency personnel in eight countries affected by the mpox outbreak, including the two most affected countries, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi. I’m doing it. The assessment has so far identified 22 areas for strengthening, including epidemiology and surveillance, testing capacity, infection prevention and control, risk communication, and community engagement. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, health cluster partners participated in the strengthening collaboration established by the Ministry of Health under the guidance of the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Center.
As of October 17, WHO is managing the deployment of 56 experts to affected countries. This includes WHO staff as well as experts mobilized through the Global Epidemic Alert and Response Network (GOARN) and the African Volunteer Health Corps (AVoHC-SURGE). The AVoHC-SURGE responders are coordinated by the WHO Regional Office for Africa and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and are a growing group of experts with diverse skill sets that can be deployed in the region.
“By mobilizing trained experts from across the continent, we are ensuring that our response is not only timely, but also relevant to the context,” said WHO Regional Office for Africa, Regional Emergencies. Director-General Dr. Abdu Salam Guay said. “The dedication and expertise of these responders is essential to saving lives and building a resilient health system that can withstand future threats.”
Additionally, GOARN is leading efforts to map the assistance provided by partners on a bilateral basis to the coordination structures of affected countries and regions. This includes providing expertise, supplies, financial support, capacity building, and other activities.
As part of the GHEC revitalization, technical leaders from affected countries and leaders from other countries, including those who have experienced mpox outbreaks in the past, met on October 22 to discuss the most effective control measures. They shared best practices and coordinated efforts to stop the epidemic. outbreak.
Note to editors:
GHEC was established by WHO in 2023 in response to gaps and challenges identified during the response to COVID-19. We support countries facing public health emergencies through three key pillars:
Emergency personnel assessment: GHEC conducts an assessment of the capacity of emergency personnel in affected countries to identify gaps and challenges that impede an effective response. Rapid deployment of emergency personnel: Countries can request assistance from a diverse pool of experts with specific skill sets tailored to identified needs. These experts will be quickly deployed to affected countries to support the emergency response. Leadership Network: Countries will nominate representatives to connect with other leaders, share best practices, and coordinate responses. Leaders may include representatives from national public health agencies, national emergency surgery centers, or other disease experts.
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