IHR News The WHO quarterly bulletin on IHR implementation

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1 IHR News The WHO quarterly bulletin on IHR implementation 20 December 2012, No. 20 Issued by the Global Capacities Alert and Response Department World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva and Lyon Highlight: WHO training on laboratory biorisk management and on shipping of infectious substances As part of the efforts of WHO to support preparedness in countries, the WHO biorisk management team has held 5 advanced training courses in laboratory biorisk management and on shipping of infections substances from May through December 2012 in the AFRO, EMRO and EURO WHO regions 1. The advanced laboratory biorisk management course introduces the new concept of biorisk management, which combines risk assessment, risk mitigation, and performance systems. It targets professionals in laboratory biosafety, laboratory biosecurity training and education. The 3- day course provides participants with the opportunity to use a robust methodology to identify and control the biosafety and biosecurity risks of bioscience laboratories. It also provides the opportunity to practice using a systematic method of assessment. Upon completion of the course, participants are empowered with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to advise and guide on sustainable biorisk management that will ultimately reduce the threat of infectious disease in local laboratory environments. The Infectious substances shipping training is a 2-day face to face course to train and certify shippers of infectious substances (IS) against applicable international transport regulations. The course includes different modules that cover an introduction to transport of infectious substances, shipping terms, categorization, Packaging, marking and labeling, documentation and refrigeration. Participants of this course are assessed for acquisition of knowledge through posttest and practicum. An electronic refresher course is being developed. It will be offered to people having successfully completed the face to face course. Since 2008, about 450 persons have been trained from all WHO Regions. The course is recognized by the air transport authority International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), as shown on the certificates. The courses are offered in English, French and Spanish. For further information: ihrinfo@who.int May: WHO Biorisk Management Advanced Trainer Programme (10 days) for 9 participants from MoH of EMRO 7 Member States. Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. 4 6 June, WHO Biorisk Management Advanced Training Course and Infectious substances shipping training, National level, 21 participants from different sectors of MoH and MoA of Zambia. Lusaka, Zambia. 3 7 September, WHO Biorisk Management Advanced Training Course (3 days) and Infectious substances shipping training (2 days), National level, 24 participants from different sectors of MoH and MoA of Kazakhstan. Almaty, Kazakhstan. 5 9 November, WHO Biorisk Management Advanced Training Course (3 days) and Infectious substances shipping training (2 days), National level, 46 participants from different sectors of MoH and MoA of Morocco. Rabat, Morocco. 3 7 December, WHO Biorisk Management Advanced Training Course (3 days) and Infectious substances shipping training (2 days), National level, 15 participants from different sectors of MoH and MoA of Rwanda. Musanze, Rwanda.

2 In this issue: WHAT S NEW IN IHR COORDINATION AND SUPPORT IFRC, UNICEF, WHO consultation on communication interventions in selected outbreaks, December, 2012, Geneva, Switzerland IHR implementation legal workshop, 28 November 1 December 2012 Almaty, Kazakhstan Tabletop exercises 3-6 November 2012, Delhi, India IHR training toolkit for epidemiologists IHR implementation course WHAT S NEW IN RISK AND DISEASE CONTROL Disease Outbreak News: Atlas of health and climate Global chemicals outlook: Towards sound management of chemicals WHAT S NEW IN THE WHO REGIONS 2 IHR implementation: Stakeholders meetings in the WHO Regions EMRO: Meeting of risk communication focal points, September 2012, Tunisia EMRO: Development of a risk communication assessment tool OTHER NEWS EpiSouth Plus: 1st Project Meeting, 5-7 December 2012, Rome, Italy Happy holidays WHAT S NEW IN IHR COORDINATION AND SUPPORT IFRC, UNICEF, WHO consultation on communication interventions in selected outbreaks, December, 2012, Geneva, Switzerland IFRC hosted a jointly organized consultation which brought together a multidisciplinary group from infection prevention and control; risk communication, communication-fordevelopment; epidemiologists and disease experts; applied communication scholars and researchers; and outbreak analysis and modeling. The main aim of this preliminary meeting was to generate a hypothesis, to be tested, on how to effectively incorporate and measure critical communication inputs necessary to improve epidemic preparedness and response at the local and operational levels. IHR implementation legal workshop, 28 November 1 December 2012, Almaty, Kazakhstan In collaboration with the WHO Regional Office for Europe and selected country office staff, a multi-country workshop on assessment and revision of national legislation for IHR implementation was held from 28 November - 1 December in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The main objectives of the workshop were to provide technical/legal advice and information on assessing and strengthening national legislation, to facilitate IHR 2 The six WHO regional offices: AFRO Regional Office for Africa; EMRO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean; EURO Regional Office for Europe; PAHO/AMRO Pan American Sanitary Bureau/Regional Office for the Americas; SEARO Regional Office for South-East Asia; WPRO Regional Office for the Western Pacific. 2

3 implementation, and to support and prepare national experts in conducting the assessment and potential revision of national legislation for public health and IHR implementation. Participating countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. For further information: Tabletop exercises 3-6 November 2012, Delhi, India As more countries move from establishing core capacities to monitoring and maintenance, exercises are acknowledged as a means to validate implementation levels in the absence of an actual threat to public health. A three day training workshop was held from 3 to 6 November in Delhi in which 9 SEARO member states as well as country and regional office representatives were trained in how to develop, conduct and evaluate a tabletop exercise in the context of the IHR core capacities. The workshop was followed by a tabletop exercise with the same participants, based on a food product with radiation contamination. A tabletop exercise component is included in each of the regional stakeholder meetings to map unmet needs in IHR implementation. For further information: ihrinfo@who.int IHR training toolkit for epidemiologists The main goal of the IHR training toolkit for epidemiologists is to provide epidemiologists with a common competencies framework and related contents -- standard quality materials -- that will contribute to the harmonization of IHR understanding and practices. The toolkit, based on course material developed for the IHR implementation course, is to be used by relevant training institutions (field epidemiology training programmes (FETPs), schools of public health, etc.) to design and deliver customized training modules on the IHR adapted to local context and needs, and to be integrated into existing courses/training programmes for epidemiologists. The concept and potential contents of the toolkit were presented and discussed during a pre-conference workshop during the 7th TEPHINET Conference in Amman, Jordan, on 10 November The workshop gathered more than 45 participants, mainly FETP directors and programme coordinators, CDC resident advisors, representatives of ministries of health and FETP trainees. Participants were largely in favour of this toolkit and provided valuable input on its draft content and structure. A selected number of them, representing the 6 WHO regions, joined a working group to validate further stages of the toolkit development. A draft version of the training toolkit for epidemiologists will be ready for field-testing by the second quarter of For further information: ihrinfo@who.int IHR implementation course Following the delivery of 3 IHR implementation courses over the past 2 years, WHO commissioned an independent consultant to carry out a comprehensive evaluation of the project. This evaluation was conducted from March to October It collected and reviewed evidence from the three courses to determine 1) the relevance of the course to IHR and to WHO support to Member States implementing IHR; 2) the effectiveness of the course design and delivery; 3) the impact of the course on individual learning; 4) whether or not the course is sustainable, and 5) whether it is cost-effective. The evaluation concluded that the IHR i-course is effective at enabling participants to increase capacities related to IHR, and to use these to directly support IHR 3

4 implementation. The IHR i-course has achieved demonstrable impact in how it supports Member States. Evidence indicates that the IHR i-course is an integral element to capacity-building for IHR implementation, as it gives participants practical tools and approaches for IHR implementation while creating a common understanding of IHR. Based on the outcomes of this evaluation, as well as on outcomes of the regional stakeholders meetings, WHO will explore various options concerning the future of the IHR i-course, taking into account financial prospects in the mid to long term as well as learning priorities on IHR at country level. For further information: ihrinfo@who.int WHAT S NEW IN RISK AND DISEASE CONTROL Disease outbreak news WHO provides regular updates on acute health events via the Disease Outbreak News. For the latest updates on Yellow fever in the Republic of Congo, Yellow fever in Sudan, Ebola in Uganda and novel coronavirus infection, visit: Atlas of health and climate The Atlas of health and climate is the product of a unique collaboration between the meteorological and health sectors. It provides sound scientific information on the link between the climate and major health challenges, ranging from diseases of poverty to emergencies arising from extreme weather events and disease outbreaks. WHO Atlas of health and climate: For further information contact: osseirann@who.int Global chemicals outlook: Towards sound management of chemicals The Global Chemicals Outlook report, compiled by UNEP in collaboration with international experts, assembles scientific, technical and socio-economic information on the sound management of chemicals. Targeting decision makers, the report is designed to inform governments and industry on trends in chemicals production, use and disposal while offering policy advice to protect the environment and human health. Global Chemicals Outlook: WHAT S NEW IN THE WHO REGIONS IHR implementation: Stakeholders meetings in the WHO Regions During the last quarter of 2012, WHO and its regional offices, with the participation of funding partners, convened a series of stakeholders meetings to map unmet needs to accelerate implementation of the IHR (2005) in the six WHO regions. The objectives of these meetings are to provide a forum for all stakeholders - Member States, WHO (headquarters, regional, and country offices), technical partners, and donors - to review the current regional situation in implementation of the IHR (2005), identify main achievements, and identify gaps and challenges; provide the opportunity for all stakeholders to identify recommendations and solutions to address the challenges and bridge the gaps identified; set the stage for further discussions on future strategies for collaboration, and partnership and the mobilization of technical and financial resources required to meet core capacities; endeavour to match identified needs, gaps, and priorities to available support and identify next steps in IHR core capacity development. Thus far, stakeholders meetings have taken place in SEARO (5-9 November, New Delhi, 4

5 India), EMRO (12-15 November, Rabat, Morocco), AFRO (3-6 December, Lusaka, Zambia and December, Yaoundé, Cameroon). The next stakeholders meeting will take place in EURO in February For further information: EMRO: Meeting of risk communication focal points, September 2012, Tunisia Forty-six participants, representing Ministries of Health, crises management centres, academic institutions and WHO secretariat from country offices, regional office and headquarters, contributed to the discussions and outcomes of the first regional consultation on risk communication. The consultation was effective in beginning a dialogue about risk communication and taking the first steps to develop a regional framework that contributes to the functioning of national preparedness and response systems. The implication for risk communication from this meeting was that there should be a greater use of networking and collaboration in planning and execution of strategy. Given the complexity of communication, communication should not be an afterthought, but it should be an integral piece of emergency planning and delivery. There appears to be a wealth of data available about public health crises in the region that can serve as a basis for formulating and evaluating a risk communication plan. Lessons learnt and past events are worthy of serious reflection and thought to build an effective risk communication plan. What was clear from the lessons learnt is that this is the time to forge relationships and put in place a national structure (functions, networks, policies, and guidelines). Developing relationships and designing operating procedures during a public health emergency is not the best time as the emergency presents its own challenges. For further information: ihrinfo@who.int EMRO: Development of a risk communication assessment tool EMRO has piloted a risk communication assessment tool in 7 countries. The tool, which compliments the risk communication indicators in the IHR self-assessment tool, was developed to help understand where gaps exist between current practices and IHR requirements. The questions explore 3 primary areas: i) human resources; ii) organizational communication practices (including processing of information); and iii) channels of communication. The assessment tool intends to serve as a useful baseline to identify gaps and to start discussion and dialogue on developing national risk communication strategic frameworks. OTHER NEWS EpiSouth Plus: 1st Project Meeting, 5-7 December 2012, Rome, Italy The EpiSouth Network includes 27 countries (9 EU and 17 non-eu, and one EU candidate country). It is the largest inter-country collaborative effort of this kind in the European region. Since October 2010, the EpiSouth-Plus network focuses on increasing health security in the Mediterranean area and South-East Europe by enhancing and strengthening preparedness for common health threats and bio-security risks at national and regional levels in the countries of the EpiSouth Network. The first EpiSouth-Plus Project meeting, organized by the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS), was held in Rome on 5-7 December at the Italian Ministry of Health. Its aim was to present the current status of the project s activities and discuss future developments and strategies. Over 100 participants came together to discuss opportunities and challenges for 5

6 coordinated action at regional level; integration between laboratory and epidemiological surveillance; early warning systems and epidemic intelligence; WHO guidance for coordination of surveillance at points of entry in the framework of IHR 2005; and organization of a table top simulation exercise in the EpiSouth region. For further information: EpiSouth Dissemination Team: episouth@iss.it Happy holidays The IHR info team would like to wish our readers and IHR implementation partners a very happy holiday. This newsletter seeks to provide useful information for NFPs, countries and partners in implementing the IHR. We welcome your suggestions and comments and invite you to send these to ihrinfo@who.int World Health Organization 2012 All rights reserved 6