Health emergencies

Health emergencies

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Keeping the world safe and protecting the vulnerable are top priorities for WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme. We work with countries and partners around the world, around the clock, to prepare for, prevent, detect and respond to disease outbreaks and other health emergencies.

 

WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme works with all countries and partners to ensure the world is better prepared for all-hazards health emergencies that threaten global health security.  We work around the world to research, prevent and manage epidemic and pandemic-prone diseases;  to strengthen and expand systems to rapidly detect, investigate and assess potential threats to public health; and to respond immediately and systematically to manage acute emergencies. In some conflict affected and humanitarian settings, WHO staff and operational partners even act as health-care provider of last resort.

 

See all emergencies

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

Areas of work

Health emergency preparedness

Our work in emergency preparedness focusses on supporting countries to build core public health and health system capacities that reduce the health risks and consequences of all types of emergencies.

All countries face risks and potential health threats from an increasing range of hazards, including infectious diseases, chemical and radio nuclear incidents, food contamination, and threats associated with climate change including extreme weather events and deforestation.

Risk factors, including poverty, gender, age, migration, health and nutritional status, displacement, unplanned urbanization, increase people’s exposure and vulnerability to these threats and hazards.

WHO supports Member States to evaluate, develop and strengthen core capacities laid out in the International Health Regulations, to detect, assess, notify and report events and to respond promptly and effectively to public health emergencies.

Readiness

Countries, communities and organizations must be able to respond immediately and effectively to potential health threats and emergencies caused by any hazard.  For this, readiness is essential. Readiness is the interface between longer-term preparedness actions and immediate response to emergencies. These actions should aim to build, improve and sustain the operational capabilities of countries, WHO and partners to respond to risks to public health, and ensure sustained capacity on the ground.

 

 

 

 

 

Areas of work

Health emergency prevention

Catastrophic events like pandemics, natural disasters and emergence (or re-emergence) of high threat pathogenic diseases can affect many countries simultaneously; the most notable example being the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Since 2011, there have been more than 1200 outbreaks of epidemic-prone diseases in 188 countries around the world. Large-scale epidemics cause widespread death and suffering, disproportionately affect the poorest and most vulnerable populations, and lead to social, economic and political disruption.

Approximately 70-80% of high-risk pathogens spread between animals and humans (they are zoonotic). Some of these are known but many are unknown and are currently circulating among animal species around the world. 

WHO works to prevent and lessen the impact of epidemics and pandemics by consolidating scientific evidence from a wide range of disciplines and sectors, translating them into comprehensive and scalable interventions for priority diseases.

We develop global strategies for the prevention and control of dangerous diseases. For example: Ending Cholera - Global Roadmap to 2030, which aims to reduce cholera deaths by 90% by 2030; the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework, which secures supplies such as vaccines, antiviral treatment, diagnostic kits and syringes for use in the next influenza pandemic; and the WHO Act-Accelerator, designed to accelerate vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics to end the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

 

 

 

 

Areas of work

Detection and response

Acute health emergencies affect millions of people around the world each year. As the climate crisis accelerates, the risks of emerging infectious diseases, extreme weather events and large-scale migration of populations will increase, potentially devastating weak health systems.

The rapid detection, verification, assessment and communication of potential health threats is essential to save lives and reduce the negative impact of health emergencies.  Under the International Health Regulations (2005), WHO manages a system of global Public Health Intelligence to detect, verify and assess all potential public health events and emergencies. We disseminate information on signals, events and the results of risk assessments, providing authoritative evidence and analysis for decision-makers, health partners, the international community and public.  WHO is growing this ecosystem, using sophisticated analytics, artificial intelligence and other tools to more accurately predict and detect potential threats to public health.

A rapid, multi-sectoral public health response at the country level, together with technical support from WHO and partners, is required to save lives and minimize public health, social, political and economic consequences. 

During acute health emergencies, we rapidly respond, leveraging relevant national and international capacities. We fulfil our central role in the coordination and management of these events while also helping to maintain and strengthen the essential health services and systems of countries and communities in fragile, conflict-affected and vulnerable settings.

 

 

 

 

WHO's Health Emergencies Programme

 

 

WHO's Health Emergencies Programme has two overarching areas of work; Health Preparedness and Health Response. 

WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme works with all countries and partners to ensure the world is better prepared for all-hazards health emergencies that threaten global health security.  

Emergency Response

Health Emergency Interventions

The HEI works closely with countries and regions to advocate for access to timely and effective priority lifesaving health services, health systems strengthening, and mitigating health risks in Fragile, Vulnerable and Conflict Settings. This includes WHO’s work in the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) on health partner coordination, positioning health risk in IASC discussions, and mitigating high-impact epidemics such as Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers, Yellow Fever, Meningitis and Cholera. HEI supports the most vulnerable and low-capacity countries, and when required, scales up response in graded humanitarian crises. HEI also hosts the advocacy on Global Health and Peace Initiative, Attacks on Health and Humanitarian trends in emergencies response.

Emergency Response

Health Emergency Information and Risk Assessment

The Health Emergency Information and Risk Assessment area of work provides authoritative information for public health decision-making in emergencies, with responsibility for identifying new public health events, assessing risks to public health, conducting epidemiological surveillance and field investigations, monitoring public health interventions, and communicating public health information to technical partners.

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Emergency Response

Strategic Health Operations

The Strategic Health Operations leads the innovation in communication and coordination across all levels of WHE’s operations including trainings and conference services, publishing guidance documents and setting best-practices, monitoring of and reporting in emergencies, programme management, and events planning and administration. It also leads the delivery of supplies, services, facilities, and technical staff in crises, emergencies, and humanitarian areas across all of WHO’s regions and with partner institutions; including budgeting and deployment of surge staff and capacity building initiatives to countries.

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Emergency Preparedness

Health Security Preparedness

The Health Security Preparedness mission is to enable countries to apply evidence-based data and actions in strengthening and sustaining functional capacities to prevent, detect and respond to public health emergencies. HSP supports countries to continuously assess, monitor, evaluate and build national and sub-national capacities; and develop, implement and finance National Action Plans including for Health Security. It also facilitates multi-sectoral engagement and investments at the highest levels of government through a One Health, whole-of-society approach in preparedness and capacity building.

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Emergency Preparedness

Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention 

EPP’s two-pronged approach includes actions to strengthen epidemic and pandemic preparedness for both existing and new/emerging pathogens. The department advances these global efforts by increasing access to evidence-based interventions; fostering impactful innovation; and leveraging technical, operational and strategic partnerships. EPP develops global mechanisms to facilitate coordination and collaboration between countries and multi-sectoral partners to increase preparedness for high-impact outbreaks. 

 
Emergency Preparedness

Country Readiness Strengthening 

WHO’s Country Readiness Strengthening department works with communities, networks and health systems so individuals, health workers, health authorities and partners can respond quickly to public health emergencies. This is done through assessing threats facing countries and their readiness capacity, engaging leaders and increasing political will, and building knowledge to achieve long-term improvements in country readiness and public health systems. It works with other clusters in risk-specific and community-centric approach, strong leadership and governance, multi-sectoral coordination and collaboration, and ethical and evidence-informed action.

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