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WHO seeks strengthened health response |
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Posted on 12 Sept 2007 The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling on its member states to strengthen their public health measures and response capacities at their respective points of entry to ensure health security in travel and transport activities. Speaking at the Subregional Technical Consultation on Improving Designs of Epidemiological Surveillance and Response (ESR) systems held in Kuala Lumpur last 5 September 2007, WHO Representative (for Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, and Singapore) Dr Han Tieru said that while much work has been done to promote the implementation of the new revised International Health Regulations of 2005 (IHR-2005), since June 2007, “another important work is to ensure that public health measures and response capacities at points of entry contribute to public security in travel and transport.” “Given that the volumes of international travel and trade are huge, and the risk of cross-border transmission and international spread of disease persist, there is the need for strengthening capacities in these areas,” Dr Tieru told participants from Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. He said WHO is currently working with relevant regional experts to support countries on this agenda, with Malaysia taking the lead in evaluating the core capacities of its three major international points of entry in accordance with IHR-2005. Dr Tieru proudly reported the WHO’s accomplishments since June in advocating the adoption and implementation of IHR-2005 in Asia and the Pacific, including the development and distribution of WHO Guidance for National Policy-Makers and Partners, separate meetings of the Asia Pacific Technical Advisory Group on Emerging Infectious Diseases and the EID Program Managers and National IHR Focal Points in the Western Pacific Region to discuss strategic next steps for IHR-2005, and the adoption of the WHO Asia Pacific Strategy for Emerging Diseases (APSED) by the member countries as a strategic framework for meeting the surveillance and response core capacity obligations. Some member states, he said, have taken advanced steps in conducting national-level workshops and meetings to inform their relevant government ministries, sectors, and agencies of the IHR requirements and opportunities. A case in point is the Philippines, which, with ADB support through RETA 6305 and technical assistance from PRIMEX, has developed and is now pre-testing its Philippine Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (PIDSR) system. The Subregional Technical Cooperation workshop, which ran from 5-7 September 2007 at the Boulevard Hotel in Kuala Lumpur as part of the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-funded Strengthening Epidemiological Surveillance and Response (ESR) project for Communicable Diseases in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines (TA No. 6305 – REG) implemented by PRIMEX as a lead consulting firm. |
