IHR News
The WHO quarterly bulletin on IHR implementation
What's new in IHR coordination and support
WHO/TEPHINET meeting (Training Programmes in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network) 8-11 July 2009, Lyon, France
Interventions Network) 8-11 July 2009, Lyon, France From 8-11 July 2009, IHR Coordination, Lyon hosted the meeting of the directors of TEPHINET and the workshop on building capacity in field epidemiology. This event brought together 70 participants from 40 countries, representing the main partners that work in the area of training and response to epidemics, such as the American and European Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC and ECDC) and WHO. Subjects covered included pandemic influenza /A1H1) virus, implementation of the IHR, training programmes that bridge the epidemiology and laboratory fields, and future collaboration. Since its creation in 1999, TEPHINET has been supporting training programmes in field epidemiology and public health throughout the world. For further information: ihrinfo@who.int
IHR Indicators meeting, 4-6 August 2009 , Lyon, France
IHR Coordination has developed a monitoring tool to better monitor country progress in the implementation of the core surveillance capacities set out in the Regulations. This tool was reviewed and assessed in August by a group of international experts including representatives from the six WHO Regional Offices and technical partners. The finalized tool is to be pilot tested in selected countries in all WHO regions from October through December 2009. In the AFRO region, the tool will be field tested in Uganda and Ghana; in the EMRO region, Bahrain and Libya will test it. Discussions are ongoing to identify which countries will test the monitoring tool in the remaining four WHO regions. A web version of this tool has also been developed and will be assessed in parallel with the field testing. It is envisaged that the web version will be available for use by Member States in the first quarter of 2010. For further information: ihrinfo@who.int
External Global survey of laboratory quality standards and External Quality Assessment Schemes (EQAS) launched on 20 August 2009
Laboratories are an integral part of the health system. Several types of laboratories are involved in health care or in the detection or confirmation of public health events: human health (microbiology, biochemistry, haematology, toxicology, blood bank etc.), food safety, environmental health (water, air, soil, etc.) and animal health laboratories. It is essential that these laboratories be engaged in quality assurance programmes and participate successfully in inter-laboratory comparison programmes (i.e. External Quality Assessment Schemes (EQAS) also known as Proficiency Testing Schemes). To better help Member States, the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is carrying out an inventory of the existing written laboratory quality standards or guidelines and the national and international laboratory EQAS available worldwide. The global database will allow WHO, OIE, FAO and IAEA to better identify the resources and/or needs for developing laboratory quality standards and EQAS, and guide the organizations in providing support to Member States where significant gaps are identified. To participate in the survey or for further information, please visit: http://www.who.int/ihr/lyon/eqassurvey/en/index.html The survey is available in English, French, Russian and Spanish. Deadline for submission: 9 October 2009
IHR Awareness workshop for the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention (BTWC) Delegations 21 August 2009, Geneva, Switzerland
The purpose of this workshop was to enable participants to better understand the IHR, discuss the respective roles of IHR and the BTWC, and encourage multi-sectoral collaboration to promote capacity building in the fields of disease surveillance, detection, diagnosis, and containment. The workshop focused on identifying which core capacities are necessary to implement the IHR, and which capacities must be developed by States Parties to prepare and respond to a public health emergency of international concern. The workshop included a case study that engaged workshop participants in active decision making around a fictional scenario. For further information: ihrinfo@who.int