Building outbreak response capacity in SEAR

The IHR (2005) requires WHO to respond to any Member State request for support to an outbreak, but large events can easily outstrip WHO internal capacity. To help address this, a training workshop on “Strengthening Regional Capacity for Outbreak Response”, was held from 27 Nov to 3 Dec 2012, in Medan and Berastagi, Indonesia, to train experts who can be deployed at short notice. The training, conducted in collaboration with the Global Alert and Response Network (GOARN), included a realistic simulation of an outbreak ‘in the field’. Subsequently, many of the 24 participants, who are from the SEA Region, and from Cambodia, China, Japan and Singapore, have been identified as suitable for future deployment by WHO in the event of an outbreak.

• Outbreak Response Training

The fourth Regional Meeting on the Implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005) was held on 7-9 December 2011, in Bangkok, Thailand. In his opening remarks, Dr Samlee Plianbangchang, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia, said , “An important requisite for effective implementation of IHR by Member States is the core capacity of countries. Such capacity should have a mechanism for efficient inter-sectoral coordination, as well as an appropriate legislation to ensure effective enforcement of necessary measures.” He emphasized the need to strengthen core capacities as a priority.

With the support of WHO, the 194 States Parties to the International Health Regulations (IHR) have been implementing these global rules to enhance national, regional and global public health security. Key milestones for the countries include the assessment of their surveillance and response capacities and the development and implementation of plans of action to ensure that these core capacities are functioning by 2012.