Pandemic and epidemic diseases: 2016 in retrospect

In 2016, WHO's Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean supported Member States of the Region in managing public health threats and strengthening their disease surveillance systems through conducting training workshops, assessment missions and visits to affected regions.

Countries strengthened national capacities to deal with epidemic-prone disease, such as Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), cholera, influenza-like illness/severe acute respiratory infections, seasonal influenza and potential Zika virus infections, among others.

In 2016 WHO's infectious hazards management programme:

• strengthened early warning systems in Iraq to further protect the health of refugees
• oversaw support for health care for pilgrims at the hajj in Saudi Arabia
• reviewed regional implementation of the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) framework
• improved virus-sharing procedures among regional and global laboratory networks to develop more effective influenza vaccines
• provided ongoing support for the cholera outbreak in Yemen.

The following photo essay shows some of WHO's activities undertaken in 2016 in work with regional and global partners and ministries of health in support of public health management.

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Participants demonstrate knowledge of risk communication concepts at a training workshop for risk communication for pandemic influenza preparedness in Palestine, February 2016.

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Children play at a camp where WHO conducts an assessment of the early warning component of the communicable disease surveillance system for real-time detection, prevention and response to health threats with epidemic potential in Lebanon, May 2016.

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WHO conducts training on cholera case management, surveillance, water and sanitation to build the capacity of frontline health workers in cholera preparedness and response interventions in Somalia, August 2016.

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WHO conducts mass immunization campaign with oral cholera vaccines in order to prevent the spread of cholera among refugees fleeing South Sudan on account of war in Sudan, September 2016.

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WHO hosts conference to review regional implementation of the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) framework to discuss progress and set priorities for 2017 and the future in Lebanon, November 2016.

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WHO trains national surveillance operators on electronic data entry, processing and reporting for communicable diseases at Debaga camp for internally displaced persons in Iraq, November 2016.

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Participants demonstrate the use of personal protection equipment at a training of trainers workshop for rapid response teams to manage outbreak detection, response and containment in complex emergency situations in Somalia, November 2016.

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Participants test vulnerabilities and responsibilities in an emergency through simple exercises during a training workshop for Incident Command Systems, an important capacity for Member States respond to health emergencies in Tunisia, December 2016.

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Water wells were tested and chlorinated by WHO-supported rapid response team in all cholera-hit districts in Yemen in November 2016.

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WHO runs scenario-based training to demonstrate the technical and operational challenges in field investigation and response to public health emergencies in the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network in Jordan, October 2016.

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