AMMAN – 18 December 2016. Following the animal/human health surveillance stakeholder meeting organized by WHO Jordan on 9 August 2016, a joint workshop for key human health and animal health stakeholders on management of respiratory outbreaks of potential animal origin (such as avian influenza, novel influenza sub-types) was held to initiate communication between the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture and discuss data collection and data sharing mechanisms.
Jordan is one of the seven countries in the Region receiving pandemic influenza preparedness financial and technical support from WHO through the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework since 2014. The funding aims to support the strengthening of laboratory and surveillance capacity to detect and monitor influenza epidemics in developing countries with weak or no capacity. In the last two years, the country has enhanced its surveillance and laboratory support for influenza and detection of respiratory pathogens, with collateral benefits for epidemic and pandemic preparedness.
The Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework support seeks to strengthen pandemic preparedness by investing in influenza surveillance, laboratory and other necessary public health interventions. The programme has been funded since 2014 by grants from Italy, Kuwait, United States Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, and United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DfID).
The Ministry of Health is committed to effective implementation of the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework through partnership fund contributions and is carrying out influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory infections surveillance activities on a sustained basis.
Pandemic influenza preparedness funds have also enabled the Ministry of Health to establish a national electronic event-based surveillance system. This allows case-based real time reporting of unusual events related to respiratory diseases from nearly 300 health facilities across the country.
Related links
Influenza at the Human-Animal Interface
