Within the framework of the IHR, the findings of these missions represent opportunities for countries to scale up preparedness and response efforts for Ebola and build and strengthen their public health system for rapid detection and response for any other emerging and unknown infectious disease threats.11 January 2015 - The WHO Regional Office is holding a third regional stakeholders' meeting to review implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) with a focus on Ebola from 11 to 13 January 2015.
More than 170 international, regional and national experts from all countries in the Region will discuss Ebola virus disease preparedness plans with a special focus on implementation of the IHR. This meeting follows the completion of assessment missions by WHO experts in 18 countries to measure national levels of preparedness and readiness for Ebola virus disease.
Four more countries will be assessed in the coming weeks. The assessments confirmed the pressing need to strengthen preparedness of countries in several areas such as enhancing response capacity including rapid response teams and infection control programmes; establishing adequate disease surveillance systems supported with laboratory diagnostic capacity, in particular for zoonotic pathogens; developing national multisectoral all-hazards preparedness plans; and harmonizing requirements for capacities at points of entry with efficient links between points of entry and the national surveillance and response systems.
Related links
Address by Dr Ala Alwan, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, to the third regional stakeholders’ meeting on implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR) with focus on Ebola, Cairo, Egypt, 11–13 January 2015 | Arabic | French
Read the photo essay on Ebola preparedness assessments
Watch the video on WHO's regional Ebola assessments
